454 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



65. Dryobates villosus piger Allen. Abaco Hairy Woodpecker. 

 Abaco. 



A single female was taken April 26, in the pine barren at Sand Bank. 



66. Sphyrapicus varius varius (Linna_His). Yellow-bellied Wood- 



pecker. 



New Providence, Great Inagua, *Watlings Island. 



A winter resident, but not common. The borings, so prominent 

 in the trees about the landing at Cockburn Town, Watlings Island, 

 which at first we supposed had been made by the following species, 

 we now attribute to the present one. 



67. Centurus nyeanus nyeanus Ridgway. Nye Woodpecker. 

 Watlings Island. 



Our main purpose in visiting Watlings Island was to secure if 

 possible a few specimens of this rare or "apparently extinct" wood- 

 pecker. A fine series of nine skins was obtained, six males and three 

 females, and as our explorations covered only about one-third of the 

 island there are undoubtedly plenty of them left for propagation. 

 Indeed, we were told by some of the natives that they were plentiful 

 on a certain part of the island that we did not visit, but such state- 

 ments are, of course, not to be depended upon. There is no doubt, 

 however, but that the birds are sparingly distributed throughout 

 the entire wooded portion of the island. They keep in or near the 

 very thickest coppet or shrubbery, carrying on their search for food 

 leisurely in the larger of the low trees and the scattering palmettoes. 

 The contents of such of their stomachs as were examined consisted 

 mainly of tree-boring grubs and ants. Their note is a peculiar tree- 

 toad-like croak, similar to that of the Red-bellied Woodpecker. Our 

 first specimen was taken March 12, in thick coppet back of Victoria 

 Hill settlement in the northwest part of the island, and later on others 

 were taken in the same general region, as well as elsewhere. On 

 one occasion a male bird was detected directly overhead in thick coppet 

 in bottom-land. Upon backing off in order to shoot the bird kept 

 following, as if impelled by curiosity, and it was with some difficulty 

 that the proper shooting distance was attained. Other individuals 

 met with were similarly fearless. The females taken showed little 

 or no signs of breeding. 



68. Centurus nyeanus blakei Ridgway. Abaco Woodpecker. 

 Abaco. 



