80 A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. 



Soon the photographer came, and asked, " Are 

 these the little chaps that try to swallow your 

 fingers?" We were afraid they would not sit 

 still enough to get good likenesses, but we had 

 taken the precaution to give them a hearty break- 

 fast just before starting, and they were too sleepy 

 to move much. Ii* the picture, Jacob is clinging 

 to the boy's hand in his favorite way, and Bairdi 

 is on the tree trunk. 



Mountain Billy pricked up his ears when he 

 discovered the woodpeckers down at the sycamore, 

 but he often saw them up at the ranch and took 

 me to make a farewell call on them before I left 

 for the East. We found the birds perched on the 

 tobacco-tree in front of the ranch-house, with a 

 tall step-ladder beside it so the little girl could 

 take them in at night. Their cup of bread and 

 milk stood on the ladder, and when I called them 

 they came over to be fed. They were both so 

 strong and well that they would soon be able to 

 care for themselves, as their fathers had done 

 before them. And when they were ready to fly, 

 they might have help ; for an old woodpecker of 

 their family possibly an unknown uncle had 

 been seen watching them from the top of a neigh- 

 boring oak, and may have been just waiting to 

 adopt the little orphans. In any case, however 

 they were to start out in the world, it was a great 

 satisfaction to have rescued them from their 

 prison tower. 



