i8o BIRD-LAND ECHOES. 



abandon themselves to the rapture of ungovernable 

 drumming. I have known a golden-winged wood- 

 pecker to select a deserted bird-house in the orchard 

 for the scene of his operations, and drum away in 

 apparent ecstasy until he had almost rattled it to 

 pieces. Another suddenly discovered the zinc ven- 

 tilator on a school-house near by, and it evidently 

 struck him as a most favorable object. He surveyed 

 it critically, decided that it promised good results, 

 and gave it a preliminary drumming. The racket 

 was amazing, and the unexpected success which the 

 bird achieved frightened him almost into convulsions. 

 He fled precipitately ; but the fascination of the ven- 

 tilator was too great to be resisted, and he returned 

 with renewed courage. In a little while he became 

 familiar with his success, and as a result returned 

 again and again throughout the entire season. I 

 fear his brain was turned with a triumph which was 

 enough to make any woodpecker conceited." 



Occasionally, at home, this same bird "flicker," 

 as we call it will cling to the side of the barn or 

 stable and even go so far as to peck a hole entirely 

 through a board. On one occasion it found a loose 

 end of a split board that, when struck, rebounded 

 and gave out a resounding drum-like note that could 

 be heard a long distance. The bird, like Mr. Cram's 

 woodpecker, was delighted with its discovery, that 

 is, until I played a little trick on it Going into 

 the barn-loft with a tube filled with flour, I waited 

 until it was wrapped up in its ecstatic drumming, 

 and then puffed a cloud of flour-dust into its face. 



