178 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



plishing his work of "breaking and entering." This power of the 

 bill is characteristic of all woodpeckers, since it is essential to their 

 success in the work of nest building and food hunting. 



The wilfully destructive and mischevious habit is also common to 

 different species of Woodpeckers, as we have evidence in the following 

 quotation from Wilson: 



"He had caught an Ivory-billed Woodpecker near Wilmington, North 

 Carolina, which had been slightly wounded in the wing. On being 

 caught it uttered a loudly reiterated, and most piteous note, exactly re- 

 sembling the cry of a young child, which terrified my horse so as near- 

 ly to have cost me my life. It was distressing to hear it. I carried it 

 with me under cover to Wilmington. In passing through the streets 

 its affecting cries surprised everyone within hearing, particularly the 

 females, who hurried to the doors and windows with looks of alarm 

 and anxiety. I drove on, and on arriving at the piazza of the hotel, 

 where I intended to put up, the landlord came forward, and a number 

 of other persons who happened to be there, all equally alarmed at 

 what they heard; this was greatly increased by my asking whether he 

 could furnish accommodations for myself and my baby. After divert- 

 ing myself for a minute or two at their expense, I drew my Woodpeck- 

 er from under the cover, and a general laugh took place. I took him 

 up stairs and locked him up in my room, while I went to see my horse 

 taken care of. In less than an hour I returned, and, on opening the 

 door, he set up the same distressing shout, which now appeared to 

 proceed from grief that he had been discovered in his attempts at 

 escape. He had mounted along the side of the window, nearly as high 

 as the ceiling, a little below which he had begun to break through. 

 The bed was covered with large pieces of plaster; the lath was exposed 

 for at least 15 inches square, and a hole, large enough to admit the 

 fist, opened to the weather boards; so that, in less than another hour 

 he would certainly have succeeded in making his way through. I now 

 tied a string round his leg, and fastening it to the table, again left 

 him. I wished to preserve his life, and had gone off in search of suit- 

 able food for him. As I reascended the stairs, I heard him again hard 

 at work, and on entering, had the mortification to perceive that he had 

 almost entirely ruined the mahogany table to which he was fastened } 

 and on which he had wreaked his whole vengeance. While engaged in 

 making a drawing, he cut me severely in several places, and on the 

 whole, displayed such a noble and unconquerable spirit, that I was fre~ 

 quently tempted to restore him to his native woods. He lived with 

 me 3 days, but refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death with 

 regret." 



