40 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



they rose, stood up, and showed off. They struck 

 out like green, awkward boxers. They struck at 

 nothing or sometimes with both paws held low and 

 at an angle, and sometimes with one paw held 

 high. Then they had a wrestling match — clinch- 

 ing, hugging, and rolling. Their first belligerent 

 attitude brought rather a vehement protest from 

 the squirrel, who quickly subsided, however, and 

 became a silent spectator. A camp-bird also 

 looked on, watching them from the limb of a pine. 

 He observed closely, but did not appear enthusiastic 

 over the exhibition. 



What a number of incidents in this little area! 

 Quite as many may also happen in countless other 

 small spaces. Often I wondered about things that 

 took place when I was away; what quiet, interesting, 

 unseen incidents that I never even suspected were 

 ever occurring. 



The aspen grove round the woodpeckers' nest 

 was made up of trees from six to fifteen inches in 

 diameter and thirty to sixty feet high. Most of 

 their bark was milk-white. Under the trees were 

 a few bushes and many grassy spaces in which 

 violets, columbines, harebells, gentians, and other 

 flowers bloomed. 



In summer butterflies with painted wings floated 

 and circled over the sunny opening. Rarely did 

 they fold their wings and alight. Occasionally 

 one sailed through the woods, following a fairy 

 avenue. Its bright, beautiful colour gave a charm 



