BIRD LEGEND AND LIFE 



house, where, with wings spread, she lay for more than an 

 hour. Seemingly too tired to reach her usual resting place 

 in the treetop across the way, she lay there gathering strength 

 for the longer flight. 



Though the sexes are alike in the redhead family, it was 

 not difficult to distinguish them in this case, for the feathers 

 about the head and neck of the mother were much more worn 

 than those of her less industrious mate. Yet it may be an 

 injustice to him to accuse him of indolence, for was he not 

 purveying to their younglings? — a task which may have 

 taxed his energies to the limit. Perhaps, after all, it was 

 only a case of division of labor. 



After the completion of the burrow, though the wood- 

 pecker was anxiously watched for, for several days, she was 

 not seen near it again, though the usual bits of bread placed 

 on the hitching-post brought her to its neighborhood. 



The experiment was tried of putting some of the crusts 

 on top of the post and stuffing others tightly into the large 

 worm-holes. The latter were invariably taken first. Though 

 the young birds came there regularly to be fed, more than a 

 week passed before they made the slightest effort to help 

 themselves. They would cling to the sides of the post and, 

 with upward-pointing, open bills, whistle asthmatically for 

 the food, which the parents were compelled to place in their 

 throats. Whether it was wilfulness or inabihty that caused 

 them to act as they did, it was impossible to determine. 



The whistling of the yoimg birds, which was once be- 

 lieved to predict rain, or to be a demand for it from a thirsty 

 throat, always precedes or accompanies the taking of food. 

 It is doubtless a little more frequent before showers, for at 

 such times the older birds are able to collect more beetles and 



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