slopes of the adjacent hillsides. During 

 the height of the season they have few 

 rivals in persistency of song, but as June 

 advances, and the young begin to be 

 abroad, they sing with rather less fre- 

 quency, though not with less force and 

 spirit. Besides their loud chant, so 

 commonly uttered, I think they have a 

 second and more pleasing song, but of 

 this I cannot speak with certainty, as I 

 have never succeeded in detecting one 

 in the act of singing, for the song was 



repeated only at rare intervals, and al- 

 ways in the seclusion of the rhododen- 

 drons, but each attempt to discover the 

 author invariably developed a Kentucky 

 Warbler in the spot whence the sound had 

 issued. When their haunts are invaded, 

 they resent intrusion with loud querulous 

 chirps, which are as distinctive as their 

 song notes. Though of retiring disposi- 

 tion, especially early in the season, when 

 their young are hatched, they often chal- 

 lenge observation by exhibiting them- 

 selves with boldness." 



SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER WITH THE CALIFORNIA 



WOODPECKER. 



I caught my first glimpse of Mr. and 

 Mrs. Redtop, while they were eagerly 

 drilling through the bark of a big, yel- 

 low pine tree, in one of the many beau- 

 tiful valleys which lie snugly hidden in 

 the heart of the San Jacinto Mountains, 

 and are such delightful spots in which 

 to study "Nature in the wild." 



Great, rugged peaks tower over this 

 valley, which is at an altitude of 5,250 

 feet above sea level. In and around it 

 the huge yellow pine and graceful white 

 oak grow side by side in close compan- 

 ionship. 



Cedars, sugar pines, balsam firs, and 

 various other trees grow in countless 

 numbers, making a great natural park 

 wherein man can rest and enjoy the soli- 

 tudes of the forest. 



Cold, sparkling streams hurry through 

 deep canyons, stopping to rest a while in 

 some shaded pool, where beautiful lacey 

 ferns droop over, then rushing out 

 again, as the bed of the stream slopes 

 more abruptly, they splash over fallen 

 trees (veritable giants), small stones and 

 immense boulders, in mad haste to 

 reach their destination. 



Truly an ideal place for the wood- 

 peckers to abide in ! And, indeed, they 

 seemed quite capable of taking on the re- 

 sponsibility of ownership, giving out 

 their orders as if they expected them to 

 be obeyed. 



Having come to a standstill just under 

 a tree in which the two were busily en- 

 gaged, I proceeded to study them 

 through my glass and paid little atten- 

 tion to their loud commands to "move 

 on." I became much interested in their 

 queer ways of getting at the food, and in 

 the accomplished manner with which 

 they hammered and drilled with their 

 long, strong beak. 



Many of the pine trees were fairly, 

 riddled with holes. One yellow pine 

 had been drilled so full of holes that 

 there was hardly room for the tip of a 

 finger between the borings. 



I noticed that the borings were entire- 

 ly confined to the bark — which is often 

 over an inch thick — and never extended 

 into the wood of the tree. 



It was during the last week of Sep- 

 tember I first discovered that they were 

 putting in their supplies for the winter. 

 Several days I watched one pick his 

 acorns, and store them away in a safe 

 place. He would pick the acorn with 

 much dexterity, fly to a convenient branch 

 where he would hold it firm with his 

 feet so that he could remove the cap. 

 This being done he would select an ex- 

 cavation of about the right size, and 

 hammer it in till only the tip of the 

 acorn was in sight. Usually the end 

 from which the cap had been taken was 

 inserted first. 



