38 BIRDS OF NELSON COUNTY. 



noticed them within a mile or two of town but now they 

 seem to have entirely disappeared from this vicinity. 

 Always, a wary bird and very difficult to approach except 

 in Florida where I found them quite tame. 



Genus Centurus. 



1 23. * Centurus carolinus (Linn.). Red-bellied Wood-pecker. 



"Checker-back.^' 

 A common permanent resident. Also, accused by the 

 farmers, without reason, however, of beinga "sap-sucker." 



Genus Melanerpes. 



124. *]£ela,nerpes erytbrocephalus (Linn.). Red-headed 



Woodpecker. 

 A permanent resident. Very abundant at times, but dur- 

 ing some years none are seen for several months. They 

 are rolicking, noisy sort of birds, and sometimes in Octo- 

 ber the racket that two or three dozen of them will make 

 in the woods is almost deafening. Like the rest of his 

 family he is eminently an insect eater, but is also very 

 fond of a nice Ti]}e cherry, and during the season makes 

 frequent excursions to the orchard, where he is often shot 

 for his pains, along with the Cherry Birds, by the Avatch- 

 ful boy on guard — if the latter isn't up the tree himself. 



Genus Colaptes. 



125. * Colaptes auratus (Linn.). Yellow-shafted Flicker. 



"Yellow hammer." 



An abundant j^ermanent resident. Stays much on the 

 ground, feeding in company with robins. Very fond of 

 the berries of the black gum. Here the Flicker is the 

 Ijrincipal "game" of juvenile sportsmen, and some people 

 eat them, but they are not poj^ular as an article of diet. 



