420 



THE GOLD -WINGED WOODPECKER. 



yet saw a Woodpecker hop down the tree's trunk. Like others of its race, it is fond of vary- 

 ing its insect diet with a little vegetable food, eating various fruits, the Indian corn, the wild 

 cherries, and the sour gum and cedar berries. 



The Gold-winged Woodpecker seems to be readily tamed, as may be seen from the follow- 

 ing account by Wilson : 



" In rambling through the woods one day, I happened to shoot one of these birds and 

 wounded him slightly in the wing. Finding him in full feather, and seemingly but little hurt, 

 I took him home and put him into a large cage made of willows, intending to keep him in my 

 own room, that we might become better acquainted. 



"As soon as he found himself inclosed on all sides, he lost no time in idle fluttering, but 

 throwing himself against the bars of the cage, began instantly to demolish the willows, batter- 

 ing them with great vehe- 

 mence, and uttering a loud 

 piteous kind of cackling, 

 similar to that of a hen when 

 she is alarmed and takes to 

 wing. Poor Baron Trenck 

 never labored with more 

 eager diligence at the walls 

 of his prison than this son of 

 the forest in his exertions 

 for liberty ; and he exercised 

 his powerful bill with such 

 force, digging into the 

 sticks, seizing and shaking 

 them from side to side, that 

 he soon opened for himself 

 a passage, and though I 

 repeatedly repaired the 

 breach, and b;irricaded every 

 opening in the best manner 

 I could, yet, on my return 

 into the room, I always 

 found him at large, climb- 

 ing up the chairs, or running 

 about the floor, where, from 

 the dexterity of his motions, 

 moving backwards, for- 

 wards, and sideways with 

 the same facility, it became 

 difficult to get hold of him 

 again. 



" Having placed him in a strong wire cage, he seemed to give up all hopes of making his 

 escape, and soon became very tame ; fed on young ears of Indian corn, refused apples, but ate 

 the berries of the sour gum greedily, small winter grapes, and several other kinds of berries, 

 exercised himself frequently in climbing, or rather hopping perpendicularly along the sides of 

 the cage, and as evening drew on fixed himself in a high hanging or perpendicular position, 

 and slept with his head in his wing. 



"As soon as dawn appeared, even before it was light enough to perceive him distinctly 

 across the room, he descended to the bottom of the cage and began his attack on the ears 

 of Indian corn, rapping so loud as to be heard from every room in the house. After this 

 he would sometimes resume his former position and take another nap. He was beginning to 

 become very amusing and even sociable, when, after a lapse of several weeks, he became 

 drooping and died, as I conceived, from the effects of his wound." 



GOLD-WINGED WOODPECKER.- Colaptes auratvs. 



