PASSERES — PICID^E PICUS. 1 85 



Color. Black tinged with blue. A broad black stripe through the eye, and above this a 

 narrow white stripe. Bristles covering the nostrils, black and yellow. Base of the seconda- 

 ries, and the whole of the under wing-coverts sulphur-yellow. Female : anterior part of the 

 crimson crest olive-brown ; stripe from the base of the bill brown. Belly faintly barred with 

 grey. Length, 18-0-20-0. Alar spread, 28-0-29-5. 



This is the largest Woodpecker found in our State, and is particularly abundant in the 

 uncleared forests, where he is known under the names of Log-cock and Wood-cock. It is 

 almost unknown in the Atlantic district of the State. It feeds on the larva? of insects, which 

 it obtains from beneath the bark of trees, and on indian corn, chesnuts, acorns and fruits. 

 Forms its nests in excavations in decaying trees ; the eggs five or six in number, white. It 

 occurs from Texas to the 63d parallel, and appears to be resident in every part of the United 

 States during the whole year. 



THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 



PlCUS ERYTHROCEPHALUS. 

 PLATE XVI. FIG. 34 (Male). 

 (STATE COLLECTION.) 

 Pirns erythrccephalus. Linn.eus, Syst. Nat. p. 174. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 2, p. 271. Wilson, Am. Orn. 

 Vol. 1, p. 142, pi. 9, fig. 1. Audubon, fol. pi. 27. Bonaparte, Ann. Lye. N. Y. Vol. 

 2, p. 45. Nuttall, Man. Orn. Vol. 1, p. 569. 

 Mdanerpes id. Rich. &. Swainson, F. B. A. Vol. 2, p. 316. Kirtland, Zool. Ohio, p. 162. Peabody, Mass. 



Rep. p. 335. Audubon, B. of A. Vol. 4, p. 274, pi. 271. 

 P. id. Giraud, Birds of Long Island, p. 180. 



Characteristics. Head, neck and throat crimson. Back, wings and tail black. Secondaries, 

 rump and all beneath white. Young, brown barred with grey ; secon- 

 daries barred with black. Length, 8-9 inches. 



Description. Lateral carina? on the upper mandible extending far forward. Tips of both 

 mandibles truncated. Second, third and fourth quills longest, subequal. Tail short, rounded, 

 with ragged acute tips extending 0-8 beyond the tips of the wings. Claws much incurved. 



Color. The back with purplish reflections. Two outer tail-feathers tipped with white. A 

 narrow band of black at the base of the red neck. Shafts of the secondaries black. Breast 

 and belly white, with a slight reddish brown tinge. Young, barred with grey and dark brown ; 

 head, chin and throat brown, streaked with black : traces more or less distinct of red. 



Length, 8-5-9-0. Alar spread, 16-0-17-0. 



The Red-headed Woodpecker, or, as he is sometimes called, the Red-head, arrives in this 

 State from the South in the early part of May, and, after breeding, leaves us again in Sep- 

 tember : occasionally a few remain during the winter. It feeds on juicy fruits, as cherries, 

 apples, pears, etc. ; on indian corn in the milk, and on the insects which infest decaying trees. 

 The eggs are white, with reddish spots at the larger end. It occurs at Columbia river, and 

 ranges from Mexico to the 50th parallel of north latitude. From the observations of Mr. Giraud, 

 it is less common now in the Atlantic district of this State than formerly. 

 [Fauna — Part 2.] 24 



