WOODPECKERS 137 



cent on the breast. In flight an excellent field 

 mark is the white rump and the golden lining of 

 wings and tail. Their range in summer is west 

 to the Rocky Mountains and Alaska, from 

 North Carolina to northern Canada. They 

 winter from Massachusetts southward. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. Sometimes in sum- 

 mer when passing through their haunts I 

 see from a railway train this conspicuously 

 marked Woodpecker, flying slowly along and 

 ahghting on some stub not far from the track; 

 and through the open window, even above the 

 din of the train, I hear his harsh ""' ker-ruck,^^ 

 which has been likened to the cry of a treetoad. 

 This bird was unknown to me in Maine, except 

 by reputation, and he is not a common bird in 

 any part of New England. It is said they, too, 

 have fallen victims to the man with the gun, 

 seemingly the inevitable penalty for wearing 

 conspicuous dress. Mr. Burroughs speaks of 

 them as having been numerous as Robins about 

 Washington during the Civil War, but now they 

 are less abundant throughout their range. 



This, too, is a very handsome bird, but less 

 beautiful than the Flicker. The head, neck, 

 throat and upper breast are deep red; the back, 

 rump and under parts white. The wings and 

 tail are bluish black, the wings with white bars 

 plainly seen in flight. Their appearance on the 

 wing is not unlike the European Magpie, except 

 that they are notably smaller. The Red-head 

 is about nine inches in length, the Magpie nearly 

 a foot. 



This Woodpecker, too, feeds on grubs and 



