PICLD£ — THE WOODPECKERS. 377 



stripes on each side of the head; tlie upper scarcely confluent behind, the lower not at 

 all so; two black stripes confluent with the black of the nape. Beneath white. Three 

 outer tail-feathers with the exposed portions white. Length, S. 00-11. 00; wing, 4.00-5.00; 

 bill, 1.00-1.25. Male, with a uuchal scarlet crescent (wanting in the female) covering the 

 white, generally continuous, but often interrupted in the middle. Immature birds of 

 either sex with more or less of the whole crown spotted with red or yellow, or both, 

 sometimes the red almost continuous. 



Specimens from Mount Carmel measure, before skinning, as 

 follows : 



Adult males. Total length, 8.75-9.00; extent, 14.7.5-15.25. 

 Adult females. Total length, 8.50-9.00; extent, 14.00-15.00. 



Bill varying from slate-color to bluish horn-color; iris brown, varying to claret- 

 purple; feet ashy blue, olive-gray or slate-color. 



This common and well-known species is a permanent resident 

 throughout the State. It is most numerous, however, in winter 

 though by no means rare, as a rule, during summer. It possesses 

 no characteristics worthy of special mention here. 



The large northern fomi, D. villosu.s leucomelas, may occur as a 

 winter visitant to the extreme northern portion of the State. 



In an article condemning the Yellow-beUied Woodpecker {Sphy- 

 rapicus varins) as a scourge to fruit and shade trees, published in 

 the Prairie Farmer for Jan. — , 1862, Dr. P. E. Hoy, of Eacine, 

 Wisconsin, has the following good words to say for the present 

 species : 



"This species is not migratoiy but remains the entire year with 

 us. Cheerful and industrious, he is always on the lookout for those 

 worms that burrow in the substance of the wood, or under the bark 

 of trees — the larva of the Capricorn Beetles, the Buprestidae, etc. 

 He is an expert at auscultation and percussion, and he is not in- 

 debted to Laennec for the art either. As he explores suspicious 

 localities with gentle taps, he quickly detects the evidences of un- 

 soundness, and is not slow to learn the cause. Worms is his hobby 

 — soon he chips an opening, and with his long, slender tongue, 

 aimed with a barbed lance point, a capital tool, he soon extracts 

 the cause of the evil. While engaged "worming," he continues to 

 utter liis cheerful Plick, PUck, in a major key, as if conscious 

 that he is engaged in a good cause, and not ashamed to own it. 

 You can always tell where he is. A few ears of corn is about all 

 the pay he takes for his valuable work. Protect him, he is our 

 friend. May that gun ever hang fire that is directed against the 

 Hairy Woodpei^ker." 



