I04 Brewster on the Birds of Western North Carolina. [January 



(Note. — Although I passed several nights in or near extensive forests I 

 did not hear a single Owl of any species. The mountain people say that 

 they are silent at this season, but very noisj' during late summer and early 

 autumn. They described several kinds well known to them, among which 

 Megascops asio, Bubo virginiamcs, and Syrnium nebnlosum were easily 

 recognisable.) 



15. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfishers. — But a single one met with 

 ^near the headwaters of the Cullasaja River in Macon County. 



16. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — One at Frank- 

 lin, in the heart of the village. This was the only Cuckoo of any species 

 seen in the mountains. 



17. Dryobatesvillosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — A male shot among the 

 'balsams' of the Black Mountains, at an elevation of 5700 feet, is essen- 

 tially identical with our New England form,* and at once distinguishable 

 from the birds seen at lower elevations, all of which I refer without hesi- 

 tation to the following subspecies. 



18. Dryobates villosus auduboni. Southern Hairy Woodpecker. — 

 Seen occasionally at wide intervals, from the lowlands (Franklin) to an 

 elevation of about 4000 feet (Highlands). The single example taken is 

 precisely like specimens from Florida and Charleston, South Carolina,^ 

 and very much smaller and darker than the bird above referred to true 

 villostis. 



19. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. — -Apparently rare ; 

 only two or three seen, all at about 4000 feet. 



20. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — The dis- 

 tribution of this Woodpecker in the region explored apparently corres- 

 ponds exactly with that of Contopus borealis: thus it was found generally, 

 but rather sparingly, over the plateau country in the southeastern corner 

 of Macon County, and nowhere else. I shot two specimens, a male and 

 female, both incubating. The male is a remarkable looking bird, having 

 the lighter portions of its entire plumage deep orange or chocolate brown, 

 instead of whiteorpale yellow. That this unusual color is due to a stain — 

 perhaps derived from contact with the walls of the nesting cavity — is 

 nearly certain, for the female — which, however, was not the mate of the 

 male just mentioned— is of the usual color and markings. Both specimens 

 are slightly smaller than New England ones. 



21. Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. — Common and 

 generally distributed, at least below about 4500 feet. 



22. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — Only 

 one specimen seen, — in a grove of girdled trees near Highlands. 



23. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. — Common over the mountain sides 

 and plateaus between 3000 and 4000 feet, but not seen either above or 

 below these limits. They were invariably very shy, and I failed to secure 

 any, a fact to be regretted, for all looked unusually small and dark. 



24. Antrostomus vociferus. Whip-poor-will. — Perhaps no other 



* This form has been referred by some ornithologists to Iriicomelas, but with this 

 ruling I cannot concur. 



