50 NATURE IN ACADIE. 



little woodpecker has a curious habit of drumming con- 

 tinuously upon a resonant part of a decayed limb, pro- 

 bably with the object of calling the attention of its mate, 

 for when it ceases for a while an answering tapping may 

 be plainly heard proceeding from another direction. 



On the morning of May 7 I observed the first 

 swallow in the neighbourhood of Halifax ; it was of the 

 species known as the white-bellied or tree-swallow, and 

 distinguished by the entirely white lower parts. 



During a ramble in the woods by the Bedford Basin 

 I was much amused, while taking a brief rest upon a 

 fallen tree, by the actions of one of the little red squirrels, 

 which scampered along the ground around me, and 

 sometimes came close up under the cover of the brush- 

 wood, uttering its shrill and fairly startling rattle, and 

 coughing, spluttering and whining in a most ludicrous 

 manner, as if in a great rage at my intrusion upon its 

 retreat. 



The troublesome "black fly" (Sinudium molestnm) a 

 dipterous insect allied to the gnats, makes its appearance 

 in unpleasant abundance at this season. It appears, 

 however, to be entirely confined to the more secluded 

 and damper parts of the woods. 



In a rather open part of the forest I came upon a nest 

 of the "flying squirrel" (Pteromys volucella) in a young 

 pine at a height of about twelve feet. Both the squirrels 

 were at home, for on tapping the nest they left it and 

 made their way silently up to the branches above, 

 where they remained clinging mute and motionless to 

 the limb in such a manner as to almost escape notice, 

 owing to their resemblance to a patch of fungi, or other 

 foreign matter. Their habit, indeed, is to remain at 

 rest during the day, and to come forth only after sunset, 

 when they may sometimes be seen gliding swiftly 

 through the air from one tree to another. They are 

 very pretty little animals, about the size of the common 

 red squirrel, and of a light brownish, or rather drab 

 colour above and silvery white below, the fur being soft 

 and silky and very close. The animal is furnished 

 with an extensible fold of skin on either side, from limb 



