CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 79 



450. Centurus carolinus (L.) Bp. B 91. c 306. R 372. 



Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



451. Centurus aurifrons Wagl. B 92. c 307. R 373. 



Yellow-fronted Woodpecker. 



452. Centurus uropygialis Bd. B 93. c sos. R 374. 



Gila Woodpecker, 



453. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (L.) Sw. B 94. c 309. R 375. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. 



454. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridg. B 95. c sio. R 377. 



Californian Woodpecker. 



455. Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons Bd. B . c sioa. R 377a. 



Narrow-fronted Woodpecker. 



456. Asyndesmus torquatus (Wils.) Coues. B 96. c 311. R 376. 



Lewis's Woodpecker. 



457. Colaptes auratus (L.) Sw. B 97. c 312. R 378. 



Golden-winged Woodpecker; Flicker. 



458. Colaptes chrysoides Malh. B 99. c 313. R 379. 



Gilded Woodpecker. 



450. Cen-tu'-rus ca-rd-li'-nQs. Gr. Ktvrpov, a point, prickle, and ovpa, tail ; spine-tailed. The 



full form would appear to be Centrums (like Centrocercus, for example), but there is a way 

 of getting Centurus from Kfvr-r)- ; /tei/reco is the verb to prick, goad, &c. Carolinus is badly 

 syncopated from carol i nianus ; carolinensis would have been better still. 



451. C. aur'-i-frons. Lat. aurifrons, golden-forehead ; aurum, gold (yellow), umlfrons, forehead. 



452. C. u-r6-py-gi-a'-lis. There is a very late Latin word uropygium, the rump, from which 



the above is derived as an adjective. But this is merely a modern Latinizing of the good 

 Gr. ovpoTTvyiov or oppoirvytov, the rump ; from ovpa, tail, and Trvyi], the buttocks. The 

 allusion in this case is to the conspicuously white rump of the bird, which a Greek would 

 have called irvyapyos (pyrjarc/us). 



453. Mel-an-er'-pes g-ryth-ro-ceph'-a-lus. Gr. /me\as, genitive yueAoi/os, black, and tpirris, a 



creeper ; fpirca, I creep, crawl. See Catherpes, No. 66. The full form would be melano- 

 herpes. Gr. epvOpds, red, and re0aA^, head. 



454. M. for-mi-ci'-vor-us baird'-I. Lat. formica, an ant, and voro, I devour, in allusion to a 



habit of the species. To Prof. Spencer Fullerton Baird. See Ridg., Bull. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., No. 21, 1881, p. 85. Given in the orig. ed. as M. formicivorus. 



455. M. f. an-gus'-ti-fr5ns. Lat. angustus, narrow, straitened, from ango, I press upon, draw 



together, &c. ; Gr. ayxta, I squeeze, strangle, distress, &c. ; the same root and idea is seen 

 in anxious, anxiety, &c. ; frons, forehead. The allusion is to the narrowness of the yellow 



frontal band. 

 \~* 



456. A-syn-des'-mus tSr-qua'-tus. Gr. d privative, vvv, together, with, Seo-^s, a bond ; in allu- 



sion to the loosened texture of the feathers of the under parts. Lat. torrjtiatus, collared ; 

 inrtj'iis, a necklace, collar ; torqueo, I twist, twine around; tortus, twisted, distorted, con- 

 tortion; so also torture, as of one wrenched or racked. The allusion is to the ashy collar 

 on the neck of the bird. The English name is that of Merriwether Lewis, the explorer 

 in company with Clark (Clark's Crow, Picicorvus). 



457. C61-ap'-tes aur-a'-tus. Gr. KoAcwmfc, a chisel, hammer; KoKdirru, I use such an instru- 



ment; very appropriate to a woodpecker. Lat. auratus, gilded, golden (colored); aurum, 

 gold ; also very apt to this bird. 



458. C. chry-s6-i'-dgs. Gr. xpv ffeos > XP vff vs, golden, of the color of gold, xp v(r ^ s > ?5os, 



resemblance. 



