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. A - birding on a bronco . had been rented by apair of well-meaningbut suspicious Califor-nia woodpeckers, firstcousins of the easternred-heads. It is unpleasant tobe treated as if youneeded detectives onyour track. It strainsyour faith in humannature ; the rest of theworld must be very wicked if people suspect suchextremely good creatures as you are! And thenit reflects on the detectives; it shows them solacking in discernment. Nevertheless, A friendshould bear his friends infirmities, and I wasdetermined to be friends with the of them kept mewaiting an hour onemorning. When
. A - birding on a bronco . had been rented by apair of well-meaningbut suspicious Califor-nia woodpeckers, firstcousins of the easternred-heads. It is unpleasant tobe treated as if youneeded detectives onyour track. It strainsyour faith in humannature ; the rest of theworld must be very wicked if people suspect suchextremely good creatures as you are! And thenit reflects on the detectives; it shows them solacking in discernment. Nevertheless, A friendshould bear his friends infirmities, and I wasdetermined to be friends with the of them kept mewaiting an hour onemorning. When I firstsaw it, it was on its treetrunk, but when it firstsaw me, it promptly leftfor parts unknown. Istopped at a respectfuldistance from its tree —several rods away — and Red-headed Woodpecker—threw myself down on Eastern. the warm sand in the (One half uatural size.) California ^Yoodpecker. (One half natural size.). LITTLE PnLSOXKRS IX THE TOWER. 67 bed of the dry stream, between liioli hedges ofexquisite lemon-colored mustard. Patient wait-ing is no loss, observers must remember if theywould be consoled for their lost hours. In thiscase I waited till I felt like a lotus-eater whocoidd have stayed on forevei-. A dove broodedher eggs on a branch of the spreading sycamorewhose arms were outstretched protectingly aboveme ; the sun rested full on its broad leaves, andbees droned around the fragrant mustard, whoseexquisite golden flowers waved gently against abackground of soft blue California sky. But that was not the last day I had to was over a month before the birds put any trustin me. The nest hole was excavated before themiddle of May: on June 15 I wrote in my note-book, The woodpecker has gotten so that whenI go by she puts her head out of the window, andwhen I speak to her does not fly away, but cocksher head and looks down at me. ^ That samemorning the bird actually entered the nest i
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbaileyfl, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1896