"c. AURATUS : GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 85 



young are strong enough to use their feet, they 

 scramble to the entrance of the burrow, and may soon 

 after be seen clinging to the bark near the nest, while 

 the anxious, but delighted parents, proud of their prom- 

 ising beauties, encourage them to take short flights, till 

 by degrees they become confident on the wing, and able 

 to take care of themselves. Such duties and pleasures 

 over, the birds display more strongly than in spring their 

 sociable and almost gregarious nature, being generally 

 seen trooping in considerable numbers until late in the 

 fall, when all but the most hardy individuals make their 

 way southward. 



