Wayne: Birds of South Carolina. 93 



I have seen it fly repeatedly to a cherry tree a mile away from the 

 nest and at each trip bring back a cherry in its bill for the young. 



The nest of this woodpecker is always excavated in a dead tree, 

 usually a pine, and ranges from 19 to 100 feet from the ground. 

 It is hard to state just when incubation commences for the nest- 

 ing place is generally inaccessible, as with most woodpeckers, 

 but I have taken on May 24, a set of five eggs, which contained 

 small embryos, and which must have been the first laying. Two 

 broods are, however, raised each year. 



The eggs are pure white and measure .95 X .75. 



166. Centurus carolinus (Linn.). Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



This species, which is locally known as the "Zebra Wood- 

 pecker," is very abundant in deciduous forests at all seasons of 

 the year and is therefore a permanent resident. It is oftener 

 seen in autumn and winter than in the breeding season as during 

 the latter season the birds are scattered over a large territory 

 and consequently are hard to detect. The food of this woodpecker 

 consists chiefly of insects, but it also feeds upon acorns and tu- 

 pelo berries. It is the only species of its family which has a 

 peculiar smell, and this is due, I suppose, to the nature of its 

 food. This peculiar odor remains in dried skins for years and 

 I doubt if it ever disappears. The notes of this species resemble 

 the words "chow-chow-chow-chow^'; indeed they are entirely 

 different from those of any other woodpecker found in eastern 

 North America. 



The hole of this species is always excavated in dead trees 

 from 20 to 130 feet from the ground, but sometimes it takes pos- 

 session of the deserted hole of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker 

 (Dryobates borealis), which it enlarges at the entrance but not 

 in depth. The eggs, which usually number four, are glossy 

 white, and are laid the last of April or very early in May, and 

 measure l.OOX.75. 



167. Colaptes auratus (Linn.). Southern Flicker. 



This species is locally known as the Yellow-hammer and Wood- 

 pecker-lark, and is a permanent resident, although large migra- 

 tory flights take place in October. It is my belief that these 

 flights are composed solely of the birds which have bred to the 

 northward of South Carolina and do not include those which have 



