506 THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



Very common in Nova Scotia, as also in Northern New- 

 England and Northern New York, is the Yellow-bellied 

 Woodpecker [Sp/iyrapicus varius). Some 8.50 long and 15.25 

 in extent, the general color is black, with small w^hite 

 markings nearly throughout'; the crown and throat are red, 

 the latter white in the female; the white belly, with fine 

 arrow heads of black along the sides, is tinged w4th lemon- 

 yellow, and the w^hite stripes on the sides of the head 

 are often tinged with yellow. This species has some 

 peculiarities, both in structure and habit. The tongue is 

 shorter and less extensile than in the rest of its kind; it also 

 lacks acuteness and hardness, and is bushy at the end. 

 The species is, moreover, migratory, thus differing from 

 most Woodpeckers. It has a noted habit of puncturing the 

 bark of living trees, in patches, while the sap is flowing, 

 thus tending to injure the tree. These wounds it continues 

 to visit afterwards, perhaps to drink the sap, but more 

 especially to capture the insects which gather about it. It 

 passes through Western New York, from the middle of 

 April into May. There is nothing peculiar in the nesting of 

 this species, the eggs being about .90 X .75. 



Another species not altogether uncommon in Nova Scotia 

 is the Banded Three-toed Woodpecker {Picoides americanus). 

 Some 9.25 in length and 15.25 in extent, the upper parts of 

 this species is deep, glossy black; maxillary line, line from 

 base of bill down sides of neck, mark back of eye, spots in 

 wings, interrupted band down the back, and outer tail feath- 

 ers, white; under parts the same, with bars of black on 

 sides; yellow patch on the top of the head; base of the 

 lower mandible and the feet, bluish. Female similar, lack- 

 ing the yellow spot on the head, w^hich is slightly spotted 

 with white. Exceptionally to the rest of the Woodpeckers, 



