THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 103 



alarmed, he seizes a capital one by striking his open bill deep into 

 it, and bears it off to the woods. When the Indian com is in its 

 rich, succulent, milky state, he attacks it with great eagerness, 

 opening a passage through the numerous folds of the husk, and 

 feeding on it with voracity. The girdled or deadened timber, so 

 common among corn-fields in the back settlements, are his favorite 

 retreats, whence he sallies out to make his depredations. He is 

 fond of the ripe berries of the sour gum, and pays pretty regular 

 visits to the cherry-trees, when loaded with fruit. Towards fall, he 

 often approaches the barn or farm-house, and raps on the shingles 

 and weather-boards : he is of a gay and frolicsome disposition ; and 

 half a dozen of the fraternity are frequently seen diving and vocif- 

 erating around the high, dead limbs of some large tree, pursuing 

 and playing with each other, and amusing the passenger with their 

 gambols. Their note, or cry, is shrill and lively ; and so much 

 resembles that of a species of tree-frog, which frequents the same 

 tree, that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the one from the 

 other. 



" Such are the vicious traits, if I may so speak, in the character 

 of the Red-headed "Woodpecker ; and I doubt not but, from what 

 has been said on this subject, that some readers would consider it 

 meritorious to exterminate the whole tribe as a nuisance ; and, in 

 fact, the legislatures of some of our provinces, in former times, 

 offered premiums to the amount of twopence per head for their 

 destruction. 1 But let us not condemn the species unheard: they 

 exist, they must therefore be necessary. If their merits and 

 usefulness be found, on examination, to preponderate against their 

 vices, let us avail ourselves of the former, while we guard as well 

 as we can against the latter. 



" Though this bird occasionally regales himself on fruit, yet his 

 natural and most useful food is insects, particularly those numerous 

 and destructive species that penetrate the bark and body of the 

 tree to deposit their eggs and larvae, the latter of which are well 

 known to make immense havoc. That insects are his natural food 

 is evident from the construction of his wedge-formed bill, the 

 length, elasticity, and figure of his tongue, and the strength and 

 position of his claws, as well as from his usual habits. In fact, 



1 K.VLM. 



