184 
POPULAR HISTORY OF BIRDS. 
gaged in taking a drawing, he cut me severely in several 
places ; and^ on the whole, displayed such a noble and un- 
conquerable spirit, that I was frequently tempted to restore 
him to his native woods. He lived with me nearly three 
days, but refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death 
with regret^/^ "Wilson remarks that the head and bill of 
this species are worn by the southern Indians, not only as an 
ornament, but as a charm. In a few species of woodpeckers, 
forming the genus Colaptes, the bill, instead of being 
straight and grooved (or channeled), and wedge-shaped at 
the end, is long, slightly bent, and tapers almost to a point ; 
to this genus belongs the Goldwinged Woodpecker [Cola^tes 
miratus), which uses its bill ^^like a long and sharp pickaxe, 
to dig up the hillocks of pismires that inhabit old stumps 
in prodigious multitudes.''^ The American ornithologist 
gives a most lively account of this species, and has recorded 
the energy with which both male and female engage in pre- 
paring their nest; they alternately relieve and encourage 
each other, renewing their labour for several days, till the 
hole is made large enough and sufficiently secure. They 
may be heard at this employment till a very late hour in the 
evening, among the soft chips and dust of the wood. 
American Ornithology, Constable's Miscellany, vol. i. p. 135. 
