THE-NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 54- 
when I tapped its sounding sides, to see the great soft black 
eyes and trembling whiskers of the velvety Flying Squirrel 
fill the round little hole before she darted out to sail down or. 
the creamy srread of her furred drapery ;—as for the red- 
crested Flicker with his spotted breast, who loved this kind 
of house, too, I knew his droll ways better than his better- 
half herself, and many a sunshiny morning have I sat beneath 
and mocked his noisy laugh and hammering rattle. 
I knew the Screech Owl stood to blink and stare on sleepy 
watch the livelong day, out from his door in that old hollow 
beech that held his little family of horned goblins warm within; 
and where the robber Hawk circled on moveless wing with 
plaintive cries at noonday, I knew his savage heart was 
yearning towards that huge oak’s clustering top below—and 
