BIRD LEGEND AND LIFE 



the pick. About ten o'clock her spouse appeared and ar- 

 ranged himself comfortably on the same limb about a foot 

 away from the hole she was digging, but not by so much as 

 a single stroke did he assist her. Soon a wheezy, whistling 

 cry called him to duties as insistent as home building, and 

 he departed. 



After watching the progress of woodpecker affairs for 

 some time, a dweller in the house under the tree decided to 

 lend a hand. A worm-eaten hitching-post stood near, on 

 which was placed pieces of bread for the hungry little wielder 

 of the pick. This not only satisfied her wants, but served also 

 to bring her mate and offspring near occasionally. At first 

 the young members of the family refused to pick up this 

 food set before them, but, instead, clung to a neighboring tree 

 and called vociferously for help. Then the father took the 

 bits of bread and pushed them far down into the screaming 

 throats. The young Romulus must have possessed wonder- 

 ful powers of endurance if the woodpeckers of old ministered 

 to him as vigorously in response to his infantile wails as the 

 woodpeckers of to-day respond to the screaming demands 

 of their own offspring. How gentle the wolf must have 

 seemed in comparison! 



Several times the young woodpeckers followed the 

 father to the limb in which the mother was chiseling a home. 

 Together they watched her work, but during the first three 

 days seemed to take no interest whatever in the hole she was 

 making. Then the father went in and examined the open- 

 ing, but flew away without giving any real aid. And all 

 through the work his assistance seemed to be limited to in- 

 spection. 



In her digging, the mother woodpecker clung with her 

 claws to the opening of the burrow, and, head downward, 



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