“Goodness gracious, no!” exclaimed Jenny Wren. “Where are your eyes, Peter? Did you ever see a Flycatcher with a bill that looked as if it could cut wood?” She didn't wait for a reply, but rattled on. “It is a good thing for a lot of us that the Woodpecker family are so fond of new houses. Look! There is Downy the Woodpecker hard at work on a new house this very minute. That's good. I like to see that. It means that next year there will be one more house for some one here in the Old Orchard. For myself I prefer old houses. I've noticed there are a number of my neighbors who feel the same way about it. There is something settled about an old house. It doesn't attract attention the way a new one does. So long as it has got reasonably good walls, and the rain and the wind can't get in, the older it is the better it suits me. But the Woodpeckers seem to like new houses best, which, as I said before, is a very good thing for the rest of us.” “Who is there besides you and Cresty and Bully the English Sparrow who uses these old Woodpecker houses?” asked Peter. “Winsome Bluebird, stupid!” snapped Jenny Wren. Peter grinned and looked foolish. “Of course,” said he. “I forgot all about Winsome.” “And Skimmer the Tree Swallow,” added Jenny. “That's so; I ought to have remembered him,” exclaimed Peter. “I've noticed that he is very fond of the same house year after year. Is there anybody else?” Again Jenny Wren nodded. “Yank-Yank the Nuthatch uses an old house, I'm told, but he usually goes up North for his nesting,” said she. “Tommy Tit the Chickadee sometimes uses an old house. Then again he and Mrs. Chickadee get fussy and make a house for themselves. Yellow Wing the flicker, who really is a Woodpecker, often uses an old house, but quite often makes a new one. Then there are Killy the Sparrow Hawk and Spooky the Screech Owl.” Peter looked surprised. “I didn't suppose THEY nested in holes in trees!” he exclaimed. “They certainly do, more's the pity!” snapped Jenny. “It would be a good thing for the rest of us if they didn't nest at all. But they do, and an old house of Yellow Wing the Flicker suits either of them. Killy always uses one that is high up, and comes back to it year after year. Spooky isn't particular so long as the house is big enough to be comfortable. He lives in it more or less the year around. Now I must get back to those eggs of mine. I've talked quite enough for one morning.” “Oh, Jenny,” cried Peter, as a sudden thought struck him. Jenny paused and jerked her tail impatiently. “Well, what is it now?” she demanded. “Have you got two homes?” asked Peter. “Goodness gracious, no!” exclaimed Jenny. “What do you suppose I want of two homes? One is all I can take care of.” “Then why,” demanded Peter triumphantly, “does Mr. Wren work all day carrying sticks and straws into a hole in another tree? It seems to me that he has carried enough in there to build two or three nests.”