human
At last my wings were strong enough and my parents called me out of the nest. I very soon found that the fat grubs lived beneath the bark of my own oak-tree. All I had to do was to strike my bill into the bark and bear off the prize.
gpt
Were you sorry to leave your safe high nest?
human
My parents were wild with grief. They said that was the thing they always dreaded, that such things often happened in woodpeckers' nests.
gpt
How sad! said Phyllis.
human
I should never have thought of snakes!
gpt
They are our greatest danger, was the reply.
human
Squirrels sometimes come in and steal the nuts and corn we have stored away, but the snake is the most to be feared.
gpt
So you store away food? Phyllis asked.
human
Do you stay here in the winter, then?
gpt
Oh, yes, we often stay all winter. Have you not seen us flying about among the trees in the winter-time?
human
Must you go? asked Phyllis.
gpt
Here is a strawberry for you.
human
Thanks, said the bird, pecking away at the fruit.
gpt
I am just off to the corn-field. My father showed me this morning how to open the husks of the green corn to get at the rich, milky kernels inside.
human
When you get your red cap, come back,