is beak, tried to insert it into a hole, which didn't
fit, being too small; so he tried another, which did fit, poked the nut
in, small end first, and tapped it scientifically home. Now, why did he
do it? That's the question."

"Because he wanted to, probably," remarked Ned; "and very likely he lays
up a store of food for winter in this manner."

"Very possibly. I shall make a note of this, for I'm determined to have
it sifted to the bottom. Meanwhile, I'll trouble you for another junk
of venison."

It was many weeks afterwards ere Tom Collins succeeded in sifting this
interesting point to the bottom; but perhaps the reader may not object
to have the result of his inquiries noted at this point in our story.

Many of the trees in California, on being stripped of their bark, are
found to be perforated all over with holes about the size of a
musket-ball. These are pierced by the woodpecker with such precision
and regularity that one might believe they had been cut out by a
ship-carpenter. The summer is spent by this busy little bird in making
these holes and in filling them with acorns. One acorn goes to one
hole, and the bird will not try to force the nut into a hole that is too
small for it, but flutters round the tree until it finds one which fits
it exactly. Thus one by one the holes are filled, and a store of food
is laid up for winter use in a larder which secures it from the
elements, and places it within reach of the depositor when the winter
snows have buried all the acorns that lie upon the ground, and put them
beyond the reach of woodpeckers. The birds never encroach on their
store until the snow has covered the ground, then they begin to draw
upon their bank; and it is a curious fact that the bills of these birds
are always honoured, for their instinct enables them to detect the bad
nuts with unerring certainty, so that their bank is always filled with
good ones. This matter of selecting the good nuts is a mere chance with
men, for often those shells which seem the soundest, are found to
contain a grub instead of a nut. Even the sagacious Indian is an
uncertain judge in this respect, but the woodpecker, provided by an
all-wise Creator with an unerring instinct, never makes a mistake in
selecting its store of food for winter.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

CURIOUS TREES, AND STILL MORE CURIOUS PLAINS--AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY,
FOLLOWED BY A SAD ONE--FATE OF TRAVELLERS IN THE MOUNTAINS--A SUDDEN
ILLN