THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST 



Il'« 



covered with the debris. As he raised himself, 

 Bruin stool above him, seeming quit< 

 prised at bin appearance; but, as he again 

 .started off, she gave chase, and had nearly 

 overtaken him, when he look oil his hat ami 

 threw it at her; this stayed her progress lor a 

 lew seconds, and the boy took advantage of the 

 delay by starting to climb a small iron wood 

 tree, but none to soon : the firs! dash Bruin 

 made for him as he was going up, left some 

 uii,\y scratches on his boot. How'ever he 

 succeeded in reaching a limb about ten (eel 

 from the ground, over which he placed one 

 leg. A short time afterwards, Bruin started up 

 after him ; and, although the tree was only 

 about five inches in diameter, she succeeded 

 in getting up beneath him. His free leg now 

 came into use, and with all his force he kicked 

 her ou the nose and jaw; one unlucky aim, 

 however, sent Ins foot into her mouth, but she 

 only succeeded in tearing off a portion of, the 

 boot with which she descended to the ground, 

 where she thoroughly examined her prize. 

 After this, she proceeded to climb an adjacent 

 tree, the trunk of which leaned in the direction 

 of the one in which the hoy was placed. She 

 soon reached a point almost over his head, 

 about twelve feet from him. Fearing she 

 would drop down, he lowered himself to the 

 ground, but was again obliged to ascend, a.s 

 Bruin came down also. This operation was 

 repeated several times, and it is uncertain how 

 the adventure would have ended, had the hoj 

 not succeeded in attracting the attention of a 

 man working in a clearing near by, whose 

 arrival, with his dog, caused the bear to move 

 away. On arriving home, the canine com- 

 panion ol the boy was found with the skin torn 

 from one side of his face. The dog must have 

 been the fleeing object that passed him just 

 before be encountered the bear, and her per- 

 sistency in following the boy, may be attributed 

 to being enraged beforehand. 



R. B. Scriven. 

 Gravenhurst, Out., 8th February, 1882. 



THE PILEATED WOODPECKER, 



In No. 12, Vol. T, you ask your readers lor 

 information regarding the nesting habits of 

 (Jlylolomus piliatus.) In reply to this cpuery, 

 let me say that the nesting habits of this 

 species, differ little from those of the most 

 common of the Woodpeckers; except that the 



cavity which if form 

 larger, and gi nerall 



the woods arid high •■!! • | 



-. . i, several tret 

 contained the neal -.1 li, 

 have not obtained tin 



year- ago, "leu I v..,- a i . 

 township ol Peel, and while ei . 

 making, 1 noticed a pair "i ti • 

 work of nest building, in the trunk 

 beecj] tree abonl fifty leet from <: 

 Thip, was, I think, in the hitter pan 



In May, I he female wa- hat. do 



tree was -truck with a Btick, , dart 



out and shortly afterwards return I 



In June both bird- were constantly - 



in and out of the nest, -v identlv attendh 



the wants of the young. While ■■ 



was incubating, the loud call of her • 

 might ollen be beard in the \ icinil 

 wards in the v inter season when th< 

 chopped dow n, I examined the cat 1 1 % . 

 found it large enough to contain ti. 



a grouse. Among the early pii 

 was called the " Woodcock," and n< t until, in 

 after years when I began to study the u 

 of Ornithologists, did I know the true Wood- 

 cock lo be a very different bird Thin b 



the most retired and solitary in it- hah 



all the Woodpeckers; and, but tor its loud, 

 monotonous and exciting call, would - i 



lie known to exist. This "outburst" 



occasionally heard resounding through the 

 dark pine and hemlock woods, while 

 the feathered hermit is on the top of 

 some lofty tree in the depths ot the t 

 The call is sometimes heard in mil-winter 

 as well as in the summer Reason : but 

 it is most frequently beard in 

 late in the tall, and is by some sup) 

 dicate a change of weather, lie 

 itat of this bird is the high rolling, hard • 

 forests, where there is an interminglii i 

 greens and the sound ol' rush 

 though it may occasional I j 

 fruit, Ac yet its ebiet food appears to be the 

 larger species of insects and worms which it 

 procures from the bark and trui - 

 trees. When two of these birds meet 

 sometimes do — while in search o\ food, on the 

 trunk of a large tree, especially an old hem- 

 lock or pine, the\ SOOn strip it ot its kirk 



leave the giant ot' (he forest a mooumei 



their strength and industry. 



N v r i; a 



Listowell, Out., Februai 



