PICID.E- PICIX.E: WOODPECKERS. 593 



variegation of body. The best ? ? are those with cleanest brown head and -most black breast. 

 Though the general eflPect of this beautiful Woodpecker is so peculiar, in each sex, the colora- 

 tion is referable to tlie pattern of *S'. varius. In both, yellow belly, red throat ($), white 

 upper tail-coverts, spotted (juills, varied Hanks and crissum, stripes on head, black breast (only 

 circuiMscribcd in 9), white oblique wing-bar (only developed in ^), variegation of inner web 

 of middle tail-feather ( 9 and young ^) ; general variegation of back of varius repeated in 9 , 

 while gray head of young varius is met by brown head of 9 thyroukus. The identity of the 

 sexes was not established till 1873; the 9 was first discovered, and named thyroideus in 18.")l ; 

 the $ was described as wiUiamsoni in 18.57, as rubrigularis in 1858. Rocky Mts. to the Pa- 

 cific, U. S. and British Columbia, S. into Mexico, migratory northerly, resident southerly, 

 chiefiy in the pine-belt, of winch it is one of tlie characteristic s|)ecies, like Lewis' Wood- 

 ])ecker, ("lark's Crow, Stellcr's Jay, and other birds; al)un(lant in favorable localities up to 

 1(),()()() feet. Nest in dead wood, usually coniferous, at little or great height indifferently; 

 eggs 3-7, oftenest 5 or 6, averaging 0.97 X 0.07, with a range of 0.12 difference in length. 

 This extremely interesting bird has been referred to no fewer than 6 genera — Ptcus, Piluumus, 

 Centurus, Colnptes, Melanerpes, and Cladoscopus — besides its own. It is strictly a Sphyro- 

 picus, witii little extensible, brushy, and obtuse tongue, and feeds on juices of trees, as well as 

 insects and berries. 



CENTU'RUS. (Gr. Kevrpov, kentron, a priclde; ovpd, onrn, tail ; l)ut the species not sharper- 

 tailed than other Woodpeckers.) Zebka WoodI'KCKEI^s. Bill about as long as head, ccjin- 

 pressed, little bevelled or truncate at end, with decidedly curved culnien ; lateral ridges near 

 culmen, subsiding before reaching end of bill; nasal tufts moderate, partly concealing nostrils. 

 Outer hind toe shorter than outer anterior one. Wings and tail ordinary. Sexes alike, except 

 less or no red on head of 9 • " Ladder-backed ; " back and wings, except larger quills, closely 

 banded with black and white; primaries with large white blotches near base, and usually a 

 few smaller spots; Ixdow, immaculate, except sagittate black marks on flanks and crissum; 

 i>elly tinged with red or yellow; 9-10 long; wing about 500; tail about- 3.50. In these 

 characters, exhibited i)y our species, the genus only differs from Melanerpes in pattern of color- 

 ation, and is reduced to a subgenus thereof by the A. 0. U. This is technically defensible ; 

 but for my purposes the two genera are most conveniently kept apart. (For A. 0. U. nomen- 

 clature substitute Melanerpes for Centurus for three following species.) 



Analysis oj Species. 



Belly reddening ; no yellow about head , (f whole crown red ; 9 nape red. Eastern US carnlinus 



Belly yellowing; (f crownepot red ; $ no red on head. 



Front and nape yellow ; rump entirely white ; tail almost entirely black. Texas aiirijinns 



No yellow on head ; rump and tail much barred with black and white . ttropi/ijialis 



C. earoli'iiiis. (Of Carolina. Fig. 407.) Hkd-hkllikd Woodpixkkr. Zfhk.\-hii:i). 

 Whole crown, nasal plumules, and nape scarlet in ^J; nape scarlet in 9> the crown b«'ing 

 ashy-gray- Sides of head, ami under parts, grayish-white, usually with a yellow shade, red- 

 denuKj I iw the belly; tail black, one or two outer feathers white-barred; mner web uf central 

 feathers whiter with i)lack spots, outer web of the same black with a white space next the shaft 

 for most of its length ; white predominating on rump. Bill and feet dusUy |)ltiinbeous. Iris 

 red. Larue; l.iiirth nearer 10.00 than 9.00; extent 1«?. 50-17. .")(); wing .5.00-5.50; tail .3..5()- 

 4.(K); bdl over 1.00; 9 smaller. Varies much in size; southi-rn specimens smaller than 

 iiortliern. Youn>; of each sex reseml)le the ailnlts suffieiently to be unmistakable, though the 

 markings are not well defined; red of head indistinct; belly rather biiffy than reddish. East- 

 ern IT. S., somewhat southerly, rarely N. to Massachusetts and Ontario, but reijularly reachint; 

 some portions of New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and S. Dakota: W. to Iowa. 

 Kansas, Nebraska, Indian Territory, some parts of Texas, and ba.se of Hocky Mts.; southerly 



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