Evening star., 1934-01-12


his back to Sammy Jay, was at
work. Tap, tap. tap, tap,
i Il sounded his stout bill on the
limb of an old tree to which
he was clinging. Now and then ne
hitched up or around so as to tap in
new place Just watching that scarlet
banded head of Hairy's fly back and
forth made Sammy's own neck ache.
For q while he watched in silence. Then
he could keep still no longer.
you're crazy in the head" said Sam
my tartly.
Hairy stopped tapping to glare at
Sammy Jay What do you mean BY
saying I'm crazy in the head" he de-
manded angrily-
Sammy began to chuckle. Just
what I say. Anybody who thinks that
by going around tapping on trees ne
is paying for the food he gets from
the feeding shelf of Farmer Browns
Boy must be crazy" he retorted.
rs that so." snapped Hairy.
Yes. that's So" retorted Sammy.
"That shows how little you know
about it," said Hairy, and resumed his
You are doing nothing but make
K of noise and what good does that
do?" demanded Sammy.
To this Hairy paid no attention but
went on with his tapping and hitch
ing up and around that limb. Pres
emily he stopped and appeared to be
examining something with great deal
of interest. Sammy jays curiosity was
aroused He few over close enough
to see. but all he saw was little hole
about the size of lead pencil. He had
seen little holes like this many times
before. They had meant nothing to
him and this one meant nothing to
him But it was not SO with Hairy.
His eyes glistened. He began to tap
again, backing down a little and cir
cling around in funny little jerky
bitches All the time he kept up that
tap. tap, tap.
On the opposite side from the little
hole and a couple OF inches lower down,
Hairy stopped hitching. He tapped
| couple of times. Then he braced him
self with his tail, set his claws IN the
bark and went to work in earnest. His
head went way back now, and when
that stout bill hit the wood it wasn't
a mere tap. 1t hit hard. 1t cut through
the outer bark.
Sammy Jay looked on sorely puzzled.
Back and forth, back and forth flew
Hairy's head, and each time a tiny
chip fell from the place where that
stout bill struck Hairy was cutting
hole and 1t was in solid wood so far as
Sa mmy could see.
What are you doing that for?" de-
manded Sammy.
Hairy made no reply He was too
busy to talk Back and forth, back and
forth flew his head, and each time
that stout bill struck it went wee bit
farther into the wood. The hole Hairy
was making wasn't much bigger than
the little hole on the other side. 1t
was Just big enough to admit his stout
bill at its largest part. The tiny chips
flew. There was lot Of force in those
blows
My thought Sammy Jay, Il don't
want him ever to hit me like that"
Deeper and deeper into the wood cut
that stout bill. More and more puzzled
became Sammy Jay. What was Hairy
about? What was the sense of cutting
hole in solid wood? What did he
expect to get out of it? Sammy's
curiosity increased. He hoped over to
a twig a bit nearer. That little hole
was so deep now that Hairy's bill went
In for almost its full length.
At last Hairy stopped cutting. He
thrust his bill in just as far as ne
could In couple of seconds he threw
back his head and looked up at Sammy
Jay in triumph. In the tip OF his bill
was held fast q fat yellowish grub.
Hairy swallowed it with evident relish.
Now you've been shown how pay
for the little suet I eat at that feeding
shelf. and I hope you are satisfied"
said he. ...
(Copyright 1934)