CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 79 



'450. Centurus carolinus (L.) Bp. b 91. c soc. r 372. 



Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



451. Centurus aurifrons Wagl. b 92. c 307. r 373. 



Yellow-fronted Woodpecker. 



452. Centur-as uropygialis Bd. b 93. c 308. r 374. 



Gila Woodpecker. 



453. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (L.) Sw. b 94. c 309. r 375. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. 



454. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridg. b 95. c 310. r 377. 



Californian Woodpecker. 



455. Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons Bd. b — . c sioa. r 377a. 



Narrow-fronted Woodpecker. 



456. Asyndesmus torquatus (Wils.) Coues. b 96. c 3ii. R 376. 



Lewis's Woodpecker. 



457. Colaptes auratus (L.) Sw. b 97. c 312. r 378. 



Golden-winged Woodpecker; Flicker. 



458. Colaptes chrysoides Malh. b 99. c 313. R 379. 



Gilded Woodpecker. 



450. Cen-tu'-rus ca-ro-ll'-nus. Gr. Kivrpov, a point, prickle, and olpa, tail ; spine-tailed. The 



full form would appear to be Centrums (like Centrocercus, for example), but there is a way 

 of getting Centurus from k eVxTj- ; Kevreu is the verb to prick, goad, &c. — Carolinus is badly 

 syncopated from carolinianus; carolinensis would have been better still. 



451. C. aur'-i-frons. Lat. a«r«/rons, golden-forehead ; awram, gold (yellow), andy/ons, forehead. 



452. C. u-ro-py-gl-a'-lis. There is a very late Latin word wopyijium, the rump, from which 



the above is derived as an adjective. But this is merely a modern Latinizing of the good 

 Gr. ovpoirvyiov or oppowvyiov, the rump ; from ovpa, tail, and Trvy-f], the buttocks. The 

 allusion in this case is to the conspicuously white rump of the bird, which a Greek would 

 have called trv-yapyos [pygargus). 



453. MSl-an-er'-pes e-ryth-r6-c€ph'-a-lus. Gr. fitKas, genitive fxeXavos, black, and epirris, a 



creeper ; epww, I creep, crawl. See Catherpes, No. 66. The full form would be melano- 

 herpes. — Gr. fpvdp6s, red, and /ce^aA.^, head. 



454. M. for-mi-ci'-vor-iis baird'-i. hsit. formica, an ant, and voro,l devour, in allusion to a 



habit of the species. — To Prof. Spencer FuUerton Baird. See Ridg., Bull. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., No. 21, 1881, p. 85. Given in the orig. ed. as I\f. formicivorus. 



455. M. f. an-gus'-ti-frons. Lat. angustus, narrow, straitened, from ango, I press upon, draw 



together, &c. ; Gr. ayxt^, I squeeze, strangle, distress, &c. ; the same root and idea is seen 

 in anxious, anxiety, &c. ; frons, forehead. The allusion is to the narrowness of the yellow 

 frontal band. 



456. A-syn-des'-mus tor-qua'-tus. Gr. d privative, trw, together, with, SeuyuJs, a bond ; in allu- 



sion to the loosened texture of the feathers of the under parts. — Lat. torquatus, collared; 

 torquis, a necklace, collar ; torqueo, I twist, twine around ; tortus, twisted, dis/orted, con- 

 iortion ; so also to?-^ure, as of one wrenched or racked. The allusion is to the ashy collar 

 on the neck of the bird. — The English name is that of Merriwether Lewis, the explorer 

 in company with Clark (Clark's Crow, Picicorvus). 



457. Col-ap'-tes aQr-a'-tias. Gr. KoXairr^s, a chisel, hammer ; KoKdirTu, I use such an instru- 



ment ; very appropriate to a woodpecker. — Lat. auratus, gilded, golden (colored) ; aurum, 

 gold; also very apt to this bird. 



458. C. chry-s6-i'-d6s. Gr. xP'^o'fos, XP^'^°^^> golden, of the color of gold, XP"'^^^> «^5oj, 



resemblance. 



