Bannertail 



the Flicker sprang back, and on to a 

 high limb. His fighting feathers were 

 raised, and his threatening beak did 

 look very dangerous, but he did not 

 wait for Bannertail to spring on him. 

 He swooped away in a glory of yellow 

 wings, and with a chuckle of derision. 

 It was a small incident, but it made a 

 second break in their sense of secrecy. 



Then came another little shock. The 

 Bluejay, the noisy mischief-maker, was 

 prowling around the farmhouse, and high 

 on a ledge he found a handful of big horse- 

 chestnuts gathered by the boy "to throw 

 at cats." Had he been hungry the Jay 

 would have eaten them, but choice food 

 was plentiful, so now his storage in- 

 stincts took charge. The Bluejay nearly 

 sprained his bill getting a hold on a nut, 

 then carried it off, looking for a hollow 

 tree in which to hide it, as is the custom 

 of his kind. The hole he found was the 



[112] 



