Dec. 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



195 



rare occasions they submit to really moral 

 instincts). In this case the nest was too high 

 to reach easily, and the old pine stump was so 

 decayed at the foot as to rock and feel 

 very insecure when I essayed to climb. I was 

 very glad on the whole to be alone, for if any 

 one had been along to hint that I was afraid of 

 a tumble, I should have undoubtedly gone to the 

 top and had some eggs of the Pileated Wood- 

 pecker. As it was I had watched them too long, 

 and as usual in such cases, I hadn't the heart to 

 play a mean trick on this couple of new ac- 

 quaintances that were just setting up house- 

 keeping, so I sat myself down behind a long 

 screen of moss that depended from a cedai* 

 bough, and while I lunched and smoked, con- 

 tinued to watch the movements of the pair. At 

 first, they were quite anxious. Their black and 

 white plumage and gaudy scarlet crests glanced 

 fitfully about from time to time. They were 

 silent too for some time. At last, the male came 

 and stood on the top of the stump for some 

 time and took a careful survey of the surround- 

 ings. He seemed on the whole satisfied, liut to 

 make assurance doubly sure, he had recourse 

 to a clever ruse. He flew screeching through 

 the woods two or three times, seemingly with 

 an eftbrt to be as conspicuous as possible, and 

 then settled on the side ot another stunip some 

 ways ofT and fell to digging away with might 

 and main, pausing every now and then as if to 

 see if his actions would not decoy the suspi- 

 cious looking intruder away. His mate was 

 the first to conclude that their visitor was 

 harmless however, and when she had once set- 

 tled to her task in earnest, her mate was pro- 

 fuse in his ofter of aid. Every time she left the 

 hole with a mouthful of chips, he would slip in 

 and pound and scoop away till she came back, 

 when he in turn would gather up his bundle 

 and make off. I noticed that they had this habit 

 in common with the Ivory-bills that used to be 

 about here. No chips or litter were left about 

 their dwelling. All the debris was carried away 

 and deposited, and not often in the same place. 

 When my pipe was out, I watched my oppor- 

 tunity and stole quietl}' oft" while madam was 

 away and her spouse inside. Over a week 

 elapsed before my next visit. Madam was at 

 home and evidently brooding. Her sharp bill and 

 white chin showed for an instant in response to 

 ray knock below. I heai'd her mate belaboring 

 some dead trees at no great distance, and it was 

 not many minutes after I had sought my place 

 of concealment before I caught sight of gay 

 dress coming in very scalloping flights through 

 the lights and shadows of the pines. He 



brought some dainty tid-bit to his patient bet- 

 ter half, and was away again without a pause. 

 In fact, he did not really close his wings while 

 supplying Madam with her needed sustenance, 

 but clung fluttering for a few brief seconds 

 while she received her grub — slang, perhaps, 

 but yet a literal fact — and then swuno; oft in 

 quest of more. He was seldom away over ten 

 minutes at a time except on one occasion, when 

 I purposely frightened him in order to secure 

 his prize. It took verj^ little arithmetic to de- 

 termine that his day's labor must result in the 

 destruction of about sixty-five of those in- 

 sects, and during the next two weeks, I count- 

 ed no less than eight old decayed stumps and 

 logs that he had completely pulverized. I now 

 caught him at work upon a living tree, and this 

 caused me some speculation. I question whether 

 my friends saved any valuaule timber in their 

 struggle for existence. Their prey consisted of 

 insects that attack trees already dead. The 

 heart wood borers that sap the life of a tree, 

 and the swarming caterpillars that devastated 

 the foliage, seemed both to be exempt from 

 his attacks. But each of these had its appro- 

 priate feathered enemy, as I very well know. 



It was eighteen days later when I became 

 convinced that there were babies in the home. 

 Tbe response to my usual summons was a re- 

 port like hissing. Roth parents likewise man- 

 ifested the greatest anxiety at my presence, 

 which had during my frequent visits got 

 to be looked upon as quite a polite attention I 

 thought. The head of the family seemed to 

 work himself up into quite a rage, and, in fiict, 

 I began to fear he would resort to personal vio- 

 lence. 80 I didn't stay long ; I reflected that 

 this was a new thing, no doubt, and mj- friends 

 were excited and agitated, and I promised my- 

 self to return soon when every thing was set- 

 tled and running smoothly. 



The next night I shall long remember. I had 

 been at the beach, and the weather worked bad, 

 very bad indeed. I would have started for home 

 in the middle of the afternoon, but there was no 

 wind and the tide very strong and against nie. 

 All the sk}' was covered with " mares" tails," 

 and up in the northeast lumps and masses of 

 clouds began to form. Just at night-fall, the 

 voice of the sea sounded from that way too, and 

 little ragged racing clouds came along looking 

 rosy in the twilight, when a little puft"of wind 

 came and I was oft". In less than ten minutes 

 it was blowing a gale, gusty and squally, and I 

 was close hauled, pitching into the short waves 

 of the sound and holding to the steering oar 

 for dear life. It grew darker and rougher every 



