THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 107 



of this bird's laying eighteen or twenty eggs in a few 

 days, they being removed as soon as laid, and only two or 

 three being left in the nest at a time. The food of this spe- 

 cies consists of insects, berries, and grains. Ants are 

 greedily eaten by it, and constitute no inconsiderable por- 

 tion of its diet. On visiting the nest at night, I have very 

 seldom been able to catch the old bird in it; she almost 

 always heard my approach, and took flight : once I caught 

 her on the nest ; but, as I put my hand in to secure her, she 

 attacked it with fierce pecks of her bill, and made such an 

 onslaught that I was glad to permit her to escape. But 

 one brood is reared in the season. 



