238 RIVERBY 



There is something in the manner of the female on 

 such occasions, something so decisive and emphatic, 

 that one entirely approves of the course of the male 

 in not meddling or offering any suggestions. It is 

 the wife's enterprise, and she evidently knows her 

 own mind so well that the husband keeps aloof, or 

 plays the part of an approving spectator. 



The woolen yarn was ill-suited to the Kentucky 

 climate. This fact the bird seemed to appreciate, 

 for she used it only in the upper part of her nest, 

 in attaching it to the branch and in binding and 

 compacting the rim, making the sides and bottom of 

 hemp, leaving it thin and airy, much more so than 

 are the same nests with us. No other bird would, 

 perhaps, have used such brilliant material ; their in- 

 stincts of concealment would have revolted, but the 

 oriole aims more to make its nest inaccessible than 

 to hide it. Its position and depth insure its safety. 



The red-headed woodpecker was about the only 

 bird of this class I saw, and it was very common. 

 Almost any moment, in riding along, their conspic- 

 uous white markings as they flew from tree to tree 

 were to be seen festooning the woods. Yet I was 

 told that they were far less numerous than formerly. 

 Governor Knott said he believed there were ten 

 times as many when he was a boy as now. But 

 what beautiful thing is there in this world that was 

 not ten times more abundant when one was a boy 

 than he finds it on becoming a man ? Youth is the 

 principal factor in the problem. If one could only 

 have the leisure, the alertness, and the freedom from 



