A YEAR IN THE FIELDS 



he was delivering his blows upon the limb ! 

 His beak wore the surface perceptibly. 

 When he wished to change the key, which 

 was quite often, he would shift his position 

 an inch or two to a knot which gave out 

 a higher, shriller note. When I climbed 

 up to examine his drum he was much dis- 

 turbed. I did not know he was in the 

 vicinity, but it seems he saw me from a 

 near tree, and came in haste to the neigh- 

 boring branches, and with spread plumage 

 and a sharp note demanded plainly enough 

 what my business was with his drum. I 

 was invading his privacy, desecrating his 

 shrine, and the bird was much put out. 

 After some weeks the female appeared ; 

 he had literally drummed up a mate ; his 

 urgent and oft-repeated advertisement was 

 answered. Still the drumming did not 

 cease, but was quite as fervent as before. 

 If a mate could be won by drumming, she 

 could be kept and entertained by more 

 drumming ; courtship should not end with 

 marriage. If the bird felt musical before, 

 of course he felt much more so now. Be- 

 sides that, the gentle deities needed propi- 

 tiating in behalf of the nest and young as 

 well as in behalf of the mate. After a 



32 



