THE SEARCHERS. 3 1 



" The flight of the far-famed Ivory-billed Woodpecker is graceful in the extreme, although seldom 

 prolonged to more than a few hundred yards at a time, unless when it has to cross a large river, which 

 it does in deep undulations, opening its wings at first to their full extent, and nearly closing them to 

 renew the propelling impulse. The transit from one tree to another, even should the distance be as 

 much as a hundred yards, is performed by a single sweep ; the bird appears as if merely swinging 

 itself from the top of the one tree to that of the other, forming an elegantly-curved line. At this 

 moment all the beauty of the plumage is exhibited, and strikes the beholder with pleasure. It never 

 utters any sound whilst on the wing, except during the love season ; but at all other times no sooner 

 has this bird alighted than its remarkable voice is heard at almost every leap that it makes whilst 

 ascending against the upper parts of the trunk of a tree or its highest branches. Its notes are dear, 

 loud, and rather plaintive ; they are heard at a considerable distance, perhaps half a mile, and 

 resemble the false, high note of a clarionet. They are repeated three times in succession, and may be 

 represented by the syllables ' Pait, pait, pait.' These are heard so frequently that the bird spends 

 few minutes of the day without uttering them ; and this leads to its destruction, not because, as some 

 suppose, this species is a destroyer of trees, but because it is a beautiful bird, and the rich scales 

 attached to its upper mandible form an ornament for the war-dress of the Indians, or for the 

 shot-pouch of the hunter or squatter. 



" The food of this species consists principally of beetles, larvaej and large grubs ; no sooner, 

 however, are the grapes of our forests ripe than they are eaten by the Ivory-billed Woodpecker with 

 great avidity. This bird seldom comes near the ground, but prefers, the tops of the tallest trees. 

 Should it, however, discover the half-standing, broken shaft of a large, dead tree, it attacks it in such a 

 manner as nearly to demolish it in the course of a few days. I have seen the remains of some of these 

 ancient monarchs of our forest thus excavated, and that so singularly that the tottering fragments of 

 the trunk appeared to be merely supported by the great pile of chips by which its base was surrounded. 

 The strength of this Woodpecker is such that I have seen it detach pieces of bark seven or eight 

 inches in length at a single blow of its powerful beak ; and by beginning at the top branch of a dead 

 tree tear off the bark to an extent of twenty or thirty feet in the course of a few hours, leaping down- 

 wards with its body in an upright position, tossing its head to the right and left, or leaning it against 

 the bark to ascertain the precise spot where the grubs were concealed, and immediately after renewing 

 its blows with great vigour, all the while sounding- its loud notes, as if highly delighted. This species 

 generally moves in pairs. The female is always the most clamorous and the least shy. Their 

 mutual attachment is, I believe, continued through life. Except when digging a hole for the reception 

 of their eggs, these birds seldom, if ever, attack living trees for any other purpose than that of 

 procuring food, in doing which they destroy insects that would otherwise prove injurious to the trees. 

 I have frequently observed the male and female retiring to rest for the night into the same hole 

 in which, long before, they had reared their young. 



"The Ivory-billed Woodpecker nestles earlier than any other species of its tribe. I have 

 observed it boring for that purpose in the beginnmg of Mar-ch. The hole, I believe, is always made 

 m the trunk of a live tree, and at a great height. The birds pay great attention to the situation of the 

 tree and the inclination of its trunk, because they prefer retirement, and because they are anxious to 

 secure the aperture against the entrance of water during beating rains ; to prevent such a calamity, the 

 hole is generally dug immediately under the junction of a large branch with the trunk. It is first 

 bored horizontally for a few inches, and then directly downwards. The average diameter of the 

 different nests I have examined was about seven inches within, although the entrance, which is 

 perfectly round, is only just large enough to admit the bird. Both birds work most assiduously at this 

 excavation, one waiting outside to encourage the other whilst it is engaged in digging, and when the 



