A few days after, he rid himself of his
unwelcome neighbor in the following ingenious manner: he fairly
scuttled the other cavity; he drilled a hole into the bottom of it that
let in the light and the cold, and I saw the female there no more.
I did not see him in the act of rendering this tenement uninhabitable;
but one morning, behold it was punctured at the bottom, and the
circumstances all seemed to point to him as the author of it. There is
probably no gallantry among the birds except at the mating season.
I have frequently seen the male woodpecker drive the female away from
the bone upon the tree. When she hopped around to the other end and
timidly nibbled it, he would presently dart spitefully at her.
She would then take up her position in his rear and wait till he had
finished his meal. The position of the female among the birds is very
much the same as that of woman among savage tribes. Most of the
drudgery of life falls upon her, and the leavings of the males are
often her lot.
My bird is a genuine little savage, doubtless, but I value him as a
neighbor.
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