2 THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 
He’s the beatenest bird—an’ he don’t care a straw! 
W’y, he takes what he wants, without license ’r law, 
Av’ he chatters with fun at the crack of a gun— 
While he’s fillin’ his famishin’ craw. 
[ll be hanged if I don’t kind o’ fancy ’im though— 
He’s so blamed independent an’ keerless, you know ; 
An’ I'd feel sort o’ bad—an’ consider’ble sad, 
If he’d mind by complainin’ an’ go. 
Malta, O. James Ball Naylor. 
No. 156. 
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 
A. O. U. No. 409. Centurus carolinus (Linn.). 
Description.—Adult male: ‘Top of head, including nasal tufts, and hind- 
neck bright scarlet; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and exposed portion of second- 
aries regularly and strikingly black-and-white-barred ; primaries black terminally 
but with touches of white on both webs toward base; upper tail-coverts white, or 
slightly barred ; tail black,—the two outer pairs of feathers terminally, and the cen- 
tral pair on the inner web, black-and-white-barred ; concealed base of central pair 
white along shaft of outer web; under parts ashy or sordid white, usually with a 
buffy tinge on breast and belly, red-tinged on circum-ocular region and on center of 
belly, rarely also on breast; flanks and crissum black-and-white-barred; bill and 
feet dark plumbeous. Adult female: Similar, but crown broadly ash, separating 
red areas on forehead and nape. Jmmature: Similar to adults, but duller colored ; 
buff instead of red-tinged on belly. Length 9.00-10.00 (228.6-254.) ; av. of eleven 
Columbus specimens: wing 5.27 (133.9) ; tail 3.18 (80.8) ; bill 1.15 (29.2). 
Recognition Marks.—Robin size; bright red on head and neck above; “‘lad- 
der back” black and white; “chow-chow” cry. 
Nest, in holes in trees at considerable heights, unlined. Eggs, 4-6, pure white. 
Ine BivAsy dels) 6 478) (AR =< ulehS))o 
General Range.—Eastern and Southern United States, north casually to 
Massachusetts, New York, Ontario, southern Michigan, and central Iowa; west to 
eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, Indian ‘Territory, and Texas. 
Range in Ohio.—Rather common resident; less common in northern part of 
state. Non-migratory. 
FOR the coincidence I shall not try to account, but it is a fact that when- 
ever the bird-man clears the snow from a log where the wood-choppers have 
been at work, and sits down after a long morning’s work with the birds, to a 
