The Audubon Societies 269 



there was a Starling fighting the Woodpecker for his nest. They had an awful 

 fight, pecking each other in the face, and scratching each other awfully. The 

 Woodpecker would run up and down the tree just as fast as he could put one 

 foot in front of the other, with the Starling after him. At last the Woodpecker, 

 beaten, flew away. The Starling slowly poked his head into the Woodpecker's 

 hole, as if expecting to meet the female Woodpecker. At last he went in and 

 all I could see of him was his tail sticking out of the hole. All of a sudden 

 there was a whir of wings and both male and female Woodpeckers returned to 

 fight the robber Starling. They looked into their hole and saw the Starling 

 but he didn't see them. The Woodpeckers, on seeing him, both rushed together 

 at the Starling. They went right into the hole together and judging from the 

 feathers that flew from the hole there must have been an awful fight inside. 

 There were two holes in the tree, one high up and one lower down where 

 they were now fighting. All of a sudden there was a triumphant scream and 

 the Starling flew out of the higher hole and soon disappeared on the horizon. 

 The Woodpeckers seeing that they were left alone, took possession of the 

 hole and raised a family of four, and when winter came they all flew south. 

 Robert Livermore, Jr. (Age 11 years), 23 Charles River Square, Boston, Mass. 



[This is a very interesting story but we wish Robert would tell us what kind of a 

 Woodpecker it was that built a nest in a hole and ran up the tree putting one foot in 

 front of another. We are wondering if the birds could have been Nuthatches. — A. A. A.] 



W^ATCHING STARLINGS 



In the winter of 1920-21, there were quite a few Starlings about the barn. 

 I was watching these birds and found they whistled like as many different 

 birds as do Mockingbirds. 



One evening when the work was done I went up in the barn and lay down 

 and waited for the Starlings to come to bed. All at once there came a scratching 

 and scrambling against the boards and then they began to whistle like a Blue- 

 bird, Bobwhite, guinea, rooster, Blackbird, Flicker, and they gave many 

 other shrill whistles. When one of the birds came in, I was quite near him 

 and he did not see me and walked across my arm. 



I have put three boxes in the barn with holes outside, and I hope to have 

 them build in them and then I think I will write about their broods. — ^Harry 

 G. Herr (Age 13 years), 



[Let us hope to hear from Harry again. Much can be learned by watching the 

 Starlings about their nests. — A. A. A.] 



