THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 



57 



when I tapped its sounding sides, to see tlie great soft black 

 eyes and trembling whiskers of the velvety Flying Squirrel 

 fill the round little hole before she darted out to sail down on 

 the creamy spread of her furred drapery ; — as for the red- 

 crested Flicker with his spotted breast, who loved this kind 

 of house, too, I knew his droll ways better than his better- 

 half herself, and many a sunshiny morning have I sat beneath 

 and mocked his noisy laugh and hammering rattle. 



I knew the Screech Owl stood to blink and stare on sleepy 

 watch the livelong day, out from his door in that old hollow 

 beech that held his little family of horned goblins warm within ; 

 and where the robber Hawk circled on moveless wing with 

 plaintive cries at noonday, I knew his savage heart was 

 yearning towards that huge oak's clustering top below — and 



