THE WOODPECKERS 51 



nest, never to return, their cries closely resemble 

 those of the old birds. For some days before 

 they launch out on their great voyage of explora- 

 tion, they keep popping up to the mouth of the 

 hole, partly to meet their parents coming home 

 with the food supplies, and also to look out at 

 the woodland pageant, at the sea of green leaves 

 and swaying boughs, through which flit thrushes 

 and blackbirds, jays and magpies, and the hundred 

 and one creatures that make up the wild world 

 of the trees. Yet even so early these youngsters 

 know something of fear, of the dangers of life, 

 and that man is the greatest danger of all, so that 

 if they chance to catch sight of the observer the 

 little red heads vanish from the entrance, the 

 owners discreetly slipping backwards down the 

 hole, to wait out of sight until the coast is clear. 

 Even if they do not themselves see the danger 

 they are quick to take a hint from the old birds : 

 just one note of warning, and down the youngsters 

 go to the bottom of the hole, only to pop up again 

 like Jack-in-the-boxes when all is safe. Then 

 they thrust out their heads once more, raising 

 that eager clamour for food, and yet more food, 

 that keeps the poor parents hard at work all 

 day, searching the trees for insects, ripping open 

 the rotten boughs, and probing all sorts of holes 

 and corners to find grubs with which to try and 

 satisfy the insatiable youngsters. 



Once the young birds have reached the stage 

 of looking out on the world, they are not long 

 in reaching the last and final stage of their life 



