170 FROM BLOM1DON TO SMOKY. 



him and driving him from perch to perch. 

 When free in the room, Two and Three spent 

 most of their time upon a great horizontal 

 timber, a portion of the framework of the barn, 

 which ran through the upper part of the room. 

 It had been rough-hewn by the sturdy hands 

 which had framed the barn many a long year 

 before, and patches of bark still clung to its 

 surface. The devoted couple ran up and down 

 the upper surface of this beam, tapping from 

 time to time upon its flat face, never upon its 

 edges. One stayed in the cage much of the 

 time when Two arid Three were together. He 

 seemed jealous and far from cheerful. None of 

 them ever went back to the cage voluntarily, 

 and as time passed they did their best to avoid 

 me when I was ready to lock them up. 



On the evening of September 12, the birds 

 were very restless. Between eight and nine 

 they were drumming furiously. The night was 

 dark, and not a ray of light found its way into 

 their cage. On September 16, they continued 

 their hammering until 10 p. M. They took less 

 syrup than usual at this time and caught practi- 

 cally no insects. On September 21, my notes 

 speak again of the small quantity of syrup con- 

 sumed by the birds. On September 26, the birds 

 were brought to Cambridge in a small box. 

 They were fed in the usual way, and drank fre- 



