GOLDEN-WIXGED WOODPECKER. 17i 



acquainted with the value of corn, from the hard labor requisite in 

 raising it. 



In rambling through the woods one day, I happened to shoot at one 

 of these birds, and wounded him slightly in the wing. Finding him in 

 full feather, and seemingly but little hm-t, 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 enclosed on all sides, he lost no time in idle fluttering, but 

 throwing himself against the bars of the cage, began instantly to de- 

 molish the willows, battering them with great vehemence, and uttering 

 a loud piteous kind of cackling, similar to that of a hen Avhen 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 so 

 from side to side, that he soon opened for himself a passage ; and 

 though I repeatedly repaired the breach, and barricadoed every opening 

 in the best manner I could, yet on my return into the room, I always 

 found him at large, climbing up the chairs, or running about the floor, 

 where, from the dexterity of his motions, moving backwards, forwards, 

 and sidewise, with the same facility, it became difiicult 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 sooji- 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, Avhen, after a lapse of several weeks, he became drooping, 

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



Some European naturalists (and among the rest Linnaeus himself, in 

 his tenth edition of the Systema Naturae), have classed this bird with 

 the genus Cuculus, or Cuckoo, informing their readers that it possesses 

 many of the habits of the Cuckoo ; that it is almost always on the 

 ground ; is never seen to climb trees like the other Woodpeckers, and that 

 its bill is altogether unlike theirs ; every one of which assertions I nuist 

 say is incorrect, and could have only proceeded from an entire unac- 

 quaiiitancc with the manners of the bird. Except in the article of the 



