The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-20
NOVEL BATTLE IN THE WOODS.
Squirrel and Woodpecker Engage in Con
fiict for Their Home.


fiict for Their Home.
A well-known sportsman of Minneapo
lis writes the following account of an ad
venture in the squirrel timber which can
not fail to interest those familiar witt
the habits of the bushy tailed varmin'
that furnishes such fine sport in October
days: 81 was sitting with my back
against a log in the deep woods one Octo.
Der morning, watching for two squirrels
that were in hiding in the top of great
walnut tree. One of the squirrels / haG
shot at and missed whereupon it scam
pered up the tree in question, followed
by another one of Its kind, to the top
most branches A patient examination
of all the limbs failed to disclose to my
eyes so much as an ear. so l sat down
to wait until the game moved.
"A half hour passed. by which time
every knot and bunch of leaves had be-
come familiar to me. There was a very
large limb that extended out from the
tree in horizontal direction for 10 feet,
then bent upward gradually. On its I'M
der side there was hole such as a gray
squirrel might fancy. Presently a saucy
woodpecker, resplendent in red and white
and black, scuttled down the limb in
search of food Instantly my full atten-
ton was directed to it in the hope that its
actions might betray to me the location
of the two hidden squirrels
Down came the woodpecker, after Che
hating, ierky manner of it's kind, but
suddenly it stopped short, then flew up
and alighted farther down the limb. At
the same time there was flash of gray
near the hole in the limb and some small
creature disappeared Within I had never
before noticed any ruff1ing up of the
feathers on woodpecker's neck as an in
dicaton of anger, or what not, but this
one was either startled or angry, for its
neck feathers resembled those of the mis-
chievous little camp robbers of the west.
But, no matter what it's feelings were,
the woodpecker sided up to the hole
and peeked in, with it's head cooked first
to one side. then to that.
1T is customary for all good woodpeck-
ers, like policemen, to rattle for assist
ance when they believe they have cor
rallied bigger bargain than they can
make away with unaided, but this one did
nothing of the sort, as it seemed dubious
as to whether its game was really cor
nered. Finally it decided to take a look
inside so it ducked its head and crept in
very gingerly and very slowly. A moment
of silence followed, then all at once a
bunch of feathers was literally fired out
of the hole, much after the fashion of a
young mans hurried exit from a wouldn' t.
be father-in-law's door. 1t was the wood
pecker. 1t found its wings after a head
long tumble Of several feet, perched on
nearby branch and glared across at the
hole in the limb, seemingly undecided
what to do, though full of fight.
Il was puzzled to know what was in
that hollow limb, but the woodpecker
soon settled all doubts by flying across
to the hole with neck feathers ruffed and
blood in his eye. No sooner had it alighted
than flying squirrel darted out Of the
hole and pounced on it, both finally
alighting on lower limb. Then followed
a game of hide-and- with the wood
pecker forcing the fight. Up and down.
round and round the limbs and back and
forth from one to the other they went
Sometimes the flying squirrel-evidently
dazzled by the sunlight-would turn and
pursue its enemy t.blindly, and then the
bird would hesitate, whereupon the squr-
rel finally made a-dash and gained the
dark interior of its?forIner place of ref
uge. ~
How this interesting encounter may
have terminated it is impossible to say
for at that moment I saw one of my
squirrels peeping over the fork of another
branch, and the shot fired at it broke up
the little game which had been Fortunate
enough to witness"