SPRING 



With head outthrust, his whole body 

 tense, he started to beat, bringing his 

 wings down sharply on the log, slowly 

 at first, then in rapid succession until 

 they blended in a booming whirr. 

 Because of his natural colourings he 

 easily eluded the Neighbour after he 

 had stopped drumming, but a clean 

 space about the log where the leaves 

 were fanned away by his wings showed 

 clearly his favourite drumming-place. 

 Disappointed at not getting on better 

 terms with the partridge, the Neigh- 

 bour tramped around to the east and 

 here witnessed one of the rare comedies 

 of the woods which fully compensated 

 for the other ill luck. 



Just outside, a pair of king birds 

 were building their nest in an apple 

 tree, which was just breaking into 

 bloom, but not sufficiently so to hide 

 their prospective home. By many trips 

 to the woods and fields they had gath- 

 ered a quantity of soft grasses and wood 

 fibre, which was taking on a rounded 

 form through much pressing and fit- 

 ting by the female. She arrived just 

 now with a mouthful of nice downy 

 35 



