GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 21 



roasting-ears. His visits are indeed rather frequent about this 

 time; and the farmer, suspecting what is going on, steals through 

 among the rows with his gun, bent on vengeance, and forgetful 

 of the benevolent sentiment of the poet; that 



" Just as wide of justice he must fall 



Who thinks all made for One, not one for all." 



But farmers, in general, are not much versed in poetry, and 

 pretty well acquainted with the value of corn, from the hard la- 

 bour 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 hurt, I took 

 him home, and put him into a large cage, made of willows, in- 

 tending 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 wil- 

 lows, battering them with great vehemence, 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 laboured 

 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, climb- 

 ing up the chairs, or running about the floor, where, from the 

 dexterity of his motions, moving backwards, forwards, and side- 

 wise, 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 



