146 PICID/E. 



of each feather, and rounded patches of white on the inner 

 web, the two middle tail-feathers the longest, and wholly 

 black, pointed, and somewhat worn at the ends ; the two next 

 in succession, on each side, also black, tipped with white at 

 the end, and similarly pointed ; the next black and white, 

 with some black forming bars on the white ; the outer feather 

 on each side with the ends rounded and entire. The throat, 

 neck, breast, and belly, dirty white ; vent and under tail- 

 coverts red. 



The whole length of an adult bird nine inches and a half. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing five inches and 

 a quarter : the first feather very short ; the second shorter 

 than the seventh, but longer than the eighth ; the third, 

 fourth, and fifth, as long as the seventh ; the sixth feather the 

 longest in the wing. 



The adult female has no red colour on the head or occiput. 



The young birds of the year, of both sexes, are a little 

 smaller in size, and though not differing in plumage from the 

 parent birds in other respects, they have the top of the head 

 red, the occiput black, and these colours they retain till their 

 first moult, which probably from the observation of Mr. 

 Selby, is not completed till late in the year. This red colour 

 covers the whole of the top of the head, but is not so bright 

 in tint as the occipital patch of the old male, and is some- 

 times mixed with a few black feathers. In this state of 

 plumage this young bird has been confounded with, and 

 quoted as the Picus mediiis of Linnseus, a black and wdiite 

 Woodpecker of the Continent of Europe, which there is no 

 reason to believe has ever been killed in this country. 



