WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



like other woodpeckers, goes swinging along, low 

 down, in a series of wave-like leaps through the air, 

 opening and shutting his wings at intervals in a 

 leisurely style, as different from the rapid strokes 



its name. As to the next mentioned, Nuttall has a pertinent 

 note in the second edition of his Manual of ornithology (p. 665) 

 as follows : "They have also a sort of complaining call from 

 which they have probably derived their name of pee-ut, pee-iit ; 

 and at times a plaintive qu6hh, qiiehh. Occasionally they 

 also utter in a squealing tone, when surprised or engaged in 

 amusing rivalry with their fellows, we-cogh, we-cogh, we- 

 cogh, we-cogh, or wecup, wecup, wecup." Kalm mentions 

 "pi-uta' as in use in southern New Jersey a century ago. 

 The bird's appearance gives us the book names golden- 

 winged and yellow - shafted woodpecker ; yellow - hammer 

 (widely prevalent in the northern parts of the Union), par- 

 tridge-woodpecker (northern New York), pigeon -woodpecker 

 and wood-quoi or wood-queh (Connecticut), yellow- jay (North- 

 west), pique-hois jaune (Louisiana), and woodpecker-lark or 

 lark-woodpecker (South). In ' ' yellow-hammer " we have what 

 at first glance seems simply yelloio-ham,merer; but this is the 

 name in Great Britain of several small birds of 3'^ellow plu- 

 mage, and comes directly from ancient English language- 

 sources. "Partridge]' woodpecker is in allusion to the 

 speckled colors; but perhaps "pigeon" woodpecker should 

 not be classified here, since it may have referred in the be- 

 ginning to the bird's manner of flight and habit of perching 

 crosswise on a branch, where its attitude and appearance 

 are not unlike those of a pigeon. "Wood-quoi" (pronounced 

 wood-queh) is evidently the same thing, a common name of 

 the British ring-dove being wood-quest; unless, indeed, it 

 refers to the voice. (See Nuttall 's note, quoted above). "Lark- 



