356 THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



He's the beatenest bird — an' he don't care a straw! 

 W'y, lie takes what lie wants, without license 'r law, 

 An' he chatters with fun at the crack of a gun — 

 While he's fillin' his famishin' craw. 

 I'll be hanged if I don't kind <>' fancy 'im though — 

 He's so blamed independent an' keerless, you know 

 An' I'd feel sort o' had — an' consider'ble sad. 

 If he'd mind by complainin' an' go. 

 Malta, O. James Ball . 



No. 156. 



RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



A. ( ). I". No. 409. Centurus carolinus ( Linn. ). 



Description. — Adult male: Top of head, including nasal tufts, and hind- 

 neck bright scarlet; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and exposed portion of second- 

 aries regularly and strikingly black-and-white-barred; primaries black terminally 

 but with touches of white on both webs toward base; upper tail-coverts white, or 

 slightly barred; tail black.— the two outer pairs of feathers terminally, and the cen- 

 tral pair on the inner web, black-andVwhite-barred ; concealed base of central pair 

 white along shaft of outer web; under parts ashy or sordid white, usually with a 

 buffy tinge on breast and belly, red-tinged 1 m circum-ocular region and on center 1 if 

 belly, rarely also on breast; flanks and crissum black-and-white-ban ed ; bill and 

 feet dark plumbeous. Adult female: Similar, but crown broadly ash. separating 

 red areas on forehead and nape. Immature : Similar to adults, but duller colored ; 

 buff instead of red-tinged on belly. Length 9.OO-10.00 (228.6-254. ) ; av. of eleven 

 Columbus specimens: wing 5.2- (133.9) > tail 3- lS (80.8) : bill 1.15 (29.2). 



Recognition Marks. — Robin size; bright red on head and neck above: "lad- 

 der back" black and white; "chow-chow" cry. 



Nest, in holes in trees at considerable heights, unlined. Hggs, 4-6, pure white. 

 Av. size, .99 x .73 (25.2 x 18.5). 



General Range. — Eastern and Southern United States, north casually to 

 Massachusetts, Xew York, Ontario, southern Michigan, and central Iowa; west to 

 eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, Indian Territory, and Texas. 



Range in Ohio. — Rather common resident; less common in northern part of 

 state. Non-migratory. 



FOR the coincidence I shall not try to account, but it is a fact that when- 

 ever the bird-man clears the snow from a log where the wood-choppers have 

 been at work, and sits down after a long morning's work with the birds, to a 



