iggily started off through the woods and over the fields
to Grandpa Goosey's house.

"I wonder if I shall have an adventure today?" thought the rabbit
gentleman as he waved his ears to and fro like the pendulum of a clock.
"I think I would like one to give me an appetite for supper. I must
watch for something to happen."

He looked all around the woods, but all he could see were some trees.

"I can't have any adventures with them," said the bunny uncle, "though
the horse chestnut tree did help me the other day by tossing the bad
bear over into the briar bush. But these trees are not like that."

Still Uncle Wiggily was to have an adventure with one of the trees very
soon. Just you wait, now, and you shall hear about it.

Uncle Wiggily walked on a little farther and he heard a funny tapping
noise in the woods.

"Tap! Tap! Tap! Tappity-tap-tap!" it sounded.

"My! Some one is knocking on a door trying to get in," thought the
bunny. "I wonder who it can be?"

Just then he saw a big bird perched on the side of a pine tree, tapping
with his bill.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!" went the bird.

"Excuse me," said the bunny uncle, "but you are making a mistake. No
one lives in that tree."

"Oh, thank you, Uncle Wiggily. I know that no one lives here," said
the bird. "But you see I am a woodpecker, and I am pecking holes in
the tree to get some of the sweet juice, or sap. The sap is running in
the trees now, for it is Spring. Later on I will tap holes in the bark
to get at bugs and worms, when there is no more sap for me to eat."

And the woodpecker went on tapping, tapping, tapping.

"My! That is a funny way to get something to eat," said the bunny
gentleman to himself. He watched the bird until it flew away, and then
Uncle Wiggily was about to hop on to Grandpa Goosey's house when, all
of a sudden, before he could run away, out popped the bad old bear once
more.

"Ah, ha! We meet again, I see," growled the bear. "I was not looking
for you, Mr. Longears, but all the same I am glad to meet you, for I
want to eat you."

"Well," said Uncle Wiggily, sort of scratching his pink, twinkling nose
with his ear, surprised like. "I can't exactly say I'm glad to see
you, good Mr. Bear."

"No, I s'pose not," agreed the fuzzy creature. "But you are mistaken.
I am the Bad Mr. Bear, not the Good."

"Oh, excuse me," said Uncle Wiggily. All the while he knew the bear
was bad, but he hoped by calling him good, to make