118 
THE CANADIAN NATUHALIST. 
finds its prey abundant, many fish being driven over the 
falls, and entangled among those rocky shallows below. 
C. — I heard its sudden rattling cry two or three times, 
before I could get a shot at it. Is it migratory ? 
F, — I have never met with it in winter ; and as our 
streams and rivers are fast frozen up at that season, I should 
think it impossible for it to subsist. 
C. — I have obtained a specimen of a very beautiful bird, 
the Gold- winged Woodpecker (Picus Auratus), which was 
hopping about the ground, and the rails of the fence. 
F. — In this respect it differs from the other woodpeckers ; 
for they are very rarely, if ever^ seen on the ground, and 
not often on the fence ; whereas^ this species is miore com- 
monly found in such situations than in any others. This, 
though it often rests perpendicularly, and climbs, like its 
brethren, yet more frequently sits on a bough, or on a rail, 
like other birds. He is very fond of ants, and to search for 
these Ts probably the business which so often brings him to 
the ground : he does not perforate trees so much as the 
others, though still he does a little business in that line. 
C. — - The common people here call it Wickup its 
common cry consists of one note repeated very rapidly, 
many times, so as almost to resembk a shake in music. 
F, — I was once shown the nest of a Gold-wing ; it was 
in the State of Alabama^ where it is called the Yellow-ham- 
mer. The nest was in a hole in a decayed stump, about 
twelve feet from the ground ; the hole was round and small, 
but widened within, and turned downwards. It contained 
four young ones, almost fledged, A boy took out one to 
show me, which he put in again, and for some time after, 
they kept up a singular hissing noise, sufficient to deter any- 
one from exploring their hole who was not acquainted with 
the origin of the sound. The colours of this bird are beauti- 
ful, without being gaudy. 
