Tlie Canadian Woodpeckers. 185 



black on each side, and behind forming a slight crest, which it frequently 

 erects ; from the nostrils, which are thickly covered with recmnbent hairs, a 

 narrow strip of white runs downward, curving round the breast ; mixing with 

 the yellowish white on the lower part of the breast ; throat, the same deep 

 scarlet as the crown, bordered with black, proceeding from the lower mandible 

 on each side, and spreading into a broad, rounding patch on the breast ; this 

 black, in birds of the first and second year, is dusky grey, the feathere being 

 only crossed with circular touches of black ; a line of white, and below it 

 another of black, proceed, the first from the upper part of the eye, the other 

 from the posterior half of the eye, and both lose themselves on the neck and 

 back ; back, dusky yellow, sprinkled and elegantly waved with black ; wings, 

 black, with a large, oblong spot of white ; the primaries, tipped and spotted 

 with white ; the three secondaries next the body are also variegated with 

 white ; rump, white, bordered with black ; belly, yellow ; sides under the 

 wings, more dusky yellow, marked with long arrow-heads of black ; legs and 

 feet, greenish blue ; tail, black, consisting of ten feathers, the tv/o outward 

 feathers on each side tipped with white, the next totally black, the fourth 

 edged on its inner vane half way down with white, the middle one white on 

 its interior vane, and spotted with black ; tongue, flat, horny for half an inch 

 at the tip, pointed, and armed along its sides with reflected barbs ; the other 

 extremities of the tongue pass up behind the skull in a grove, and end near 

 the right nostril ; in birds of the fii-st and second year they reach only to the 

 crown ; bill, <an inch long, channelled, wedge-formed at the tip, and of a 

 dusky horn color. The female is marked nearly as the male, but wants the 

 scarlet on the throat, which is v/hitish ; she is also darker under the wings 

 and on the sides of the breast. The young of the first season, of both sexes, 

 in October, have the crown sprinkled with black and deep scarlet ; the 

 scarlet on the throat may be also observed in the young males. The prin- 

 cipal food of these birds is insects ; and they seem particularly fond of 

 frequenting orchards, boring the trunks of the apple-trees in their eager 

 search after them. On opening them, the liver appears very large, and of a 

 dirty gamboge color ; the stomach strongly muscular, and generally filled 

 with fra.gments of beetles and gravel. In the morning, they are extremely 

 active in the orchards, and rather shyer than the rest of their associates. — 

 Their cry is also different, but, though it is easily distinguishable in tha 

 woods, cannot be described by words." 



Picus viLLOSUS, (Linn,) Hairy Woodpecker. 



Specific Characters. — Upper parts, black and white-, lower parts^ 

 white ; hind head, scarlet. Female same as Male, hut without 

 red on the head ; length, 9 ; breadth, 15. Inhabits United 

 States and British Provinces. T/lc specific name is Latiny 

 {Villosus,) Hairy, in allusion to the hair-like feathers on the 

 back. 



Wilson in describing this bird, says : — " This is another of our resident 

 birds, and, like the former, a haunter of orchards, and borer of apple-trees. 



