FIELD NOTES. 283 



continent maintained their numbers in spite of the savage, though 

 his powers of destruction were greater than those of an animal. 

 So did the Grizzly Bears, but with the advent of the civilized 

 savage all was quickly changed. And this universal destroyer, 

 who, wherever he goes, is responsible for the disappearance of 

 all animal and much of vegetable life, fixes his basilisk eye upon 

 some very inferior imitation of himself, and cries, " Hold ! 

 enough ! " This is a thing to make the gods laugh, perhaps ; but, 

 for myself, " my gorge rises at it*" 



October 10th. — Whilst watching some Starlings feeding in my 

 meadow this morning the glasses suddenly revealed to me a 

 Green Woodpecker quite near — indeed, almost amongst them. 

 I watched this bird with the closest attention for perhaps a 

 quarter of an hour, during the whole of which time it was on the 

 ground searching for food. Its actions were almost identical 

 with those of the Starlings themselves — that is to say, it con- 

 tinually thrust its beak into the grass — probably the soil also — 

 and withdrew it. The Starlings shortly flew away, leaving the 

 Woodpecker hunting by himself. In a minute or two he flew to 

 a little grassy mound just at the corner of my orchard (which has 

 about three trees with little or no fruit), and this he commenced 

 to probe and search in the most thorough manner. He then 

 flew into a small tree in the orchard-hedge, where I lost sight of 

 him. Some five or ten minutes afterwards another flock of 

 Starlings descended on the field, and immediately the Wood- 

 pecker reappeared, flying towards them from the hedge, and went 

 right down amongst them. Unfortunately the crest of a little 

 rise concealed most of the birds as they touched the ground, and 

 amongst them the Woodpecker. But such a bird as a Wood- 

 pecker associating itself with Starlings, and searching the fields 

 in company with them, seems to me very interesting. The Star- 

 lings, however, soon flew off again, leaving their distinguished com- 

 panion as before. I now walked to the little hillock, and, stooping 

 down, looked carefully at it, before laying a hand on the grass or 

 disturbing it in any way. I soon observed two little holes amidst 

 the long thin grass, and, following them down, found the earth, 

 at the bottom of each, broken and pierced into to a slight depth, 

 not more than about a quarter of an inch. But, carefully 

 examining the broken earth, I could not discover any insect or 



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