166 BIRD STORIES FROM BURROUGHS 



swiftly his head would go when he was delivering 

 his blows upon the limb ! His beak wore the sur- 

 face perceptibly. When he wished to change the 

 key, which was quite often, he would shift his 

 position an inch or two to a knot which gave 

 out a higher, shriller note. When I climbed up 

 to examine his drum, he was much disturbed. I 

 did not know he was in the vicinity, but it seems 

 he saw me from a near tree, and came in haste to 

 the neighboring branches, and with spread plum- 

 age and a sharp note demanded plainly enough 

 what my business was with his drum. I was in- 

 vading his privacy, desecrating his shrine, and the 

 bird was much put out. After some weeks the 

 female appeared ; he had literally drummed up a 

 mate ; his urgent and oft-repeated advertisement 

 was answered. Still the drumming did not cease, 

 but was quite as fervent as before. If a mate could 

 be won by drumming, she could be kept and en- 

 tertained by more drumming ; courtship should 

 not end with marriage. If the bird felt musical 

 before, of course he felt much more so now. 

 Besides that, the gentle deities needed propitiat- 

 ing in behalf of the nest and young as well as in 

 behalf of the mate. After a time a second female 

 came, when there was war between the two. I did 

 not see them come to blows, but I saw one fe- 

 male pursuing the other about the place, and giv- 



