AMONG THE BIRDS OF THE YOSEMITE 235 



separate stall with abundance of food, to grow 

 big and fat by the time they will be most wanted, 

 that is, in winter, when insects are scarce and 

 stall-fed worms most valuable. So these wood- 

 peckers are supposed to be a sort of cattle-raisers, 

 each with a drove of thousands, rivaling the ants 

 that raise grain and keep herds of plant lice 

 for milk cows. Needless to say the story is 

 not true, though some naturalists, even, believe 

 it. When Emerson was in the Park, having 

 heard the worm story and seen the great pines 

 plugged full of acorns, he asked (just to pump 

 me, I suppose), " Why do the woodpeckers take 

 the trouble to put acorns into the bark of the 

 trees ? " " For the same reason," I replied, 

 " that bees store honey and squirrels nuts." 

 " But they tell me, Mr. Muir, that woodpeckers 

 don't eat acorns." " Yes, they do," I said, " I 

 have seen them eating them. During snow- 

 storms they seem to eat little besides acorns. I 

 have repeatedly interrupted them at their meals, 

 and seen the perfectly sound, half-eaten acorns. 

 They eat them in the shell as some people eat 

 eggs." "But what about the worms?" "I 

 suppose," I said, " that when they come to a 

 wormy one they eat both worm and acorn. 

 Anyhow, they eat the sound ones when they 

 can't find anything they like better, and from 

 the time they store them until they are used they 

 guard them, and woe to the squirrel or jay 



