138 INSESSORES. 
my Woodpecker from under the cover, and a general 
laugh took place.” 
The head of this bird is ornamented with a crest 
of long flowing plumes, which, upon the forehead, 
are jetty black, while those of the hinder part are a 
brilliant crimson; the remainder of the plumage is 
mostly black, with slight reflections of blue. A white 
stripe, commencing at the ear, runs down each side 
of the neck, and half way down the back. The sec- 
ondary quills in the wings, as well as a part of the 
primaries, are also white. 
Some of the most familiar species to the north and 
eastward are the Red-headed Woodpecker, Golden- 
winged Woodpecker, or Flicker, Yellow-bellied Wood- 
pecker, and the Downy Woodpecker, or Sap-sucker. 
Of these, the Red-headed Woodpecker may be con- 
sidered as the most richly colored, displaying in its 
plumage one of the finest contrasts that could well 
be formed. The whole head and upper part of the 
~ neck are of a deep crimson, set off below by pure 
white, and above by a glossy steel blue. The second- 
ary quills in the wings, and a broad band across the 
rump, are also white. The beauty of this bird ren- 
ders him an attractive mark for the sportsman, for 
which reason the species appears to be on the de- 
crease, and we fear that the day is not far distant 
when it will be numbered among our scarce birds. 
Although the Red-heads undoubtedly do great 
service to the farmer in ridding his orchard and 
forest trees of a great number of insects, yet we can- 
not conceal the fact that their indulging in a fond- 
