BIRD PARADISE 201 



merrier bird, no bird that outdoes Mm in romp- 

 ing, rollicking fun. When he speaks his language 

 is full of a sort of "hurrah boys " that wakes the 

 echoes on every side. His playfulness isprover- 

 bial ; in fact, all his work seems to be done in a 

 playful manner. His eminent domain includes 

 all the domain there is, and no citizen of his broad 

 realm is ever other than a freeman, in thought, 

 word and deed. His way of building his house or 

 of training his children seems to secure the young 

 birds from the trials and perils that most of the 

 other species meet. I never have seen the young 

 flickers tumbling around on the ground half 

 fledged. Probably they have some experience 

 of that kind but it has not come under my ob- 

 servation. In short, yellowhammer goes and 

 comes, works and plays, and no other bird illus- 

 trates more completely than he the riches of 

 hearty, whole-souled, merry bird life. 



Occasionally I see a woodpecker this winter, 

 but so seldom that it hardly seems like one of our 

 old time cold seasons. From what I see in the 

 woods I judge that they are not present anywhere 

 about here in their usual numbers. Possibly they 

 are adopting the customs of other birds and are 



