A BIRD MISCELLANY l6l 



woodpeckers, another distinctly western type. My 

 field-glass soon clearly brought out their peculiar 

 markings. 



A beautiful bird-skin, bought of Mr. Charles E. 

 Aiken, now lies on my desk and enables me to describe 

 the fine habiliments of this kind from an actual speci^ 

 men. His upper parts are glossy black, the sheen on 

 the back being greenish, and that on the wings and tail 

 bluish or purplish, according to the angle of the sun's 

 light ; a white collar prettily encircles the neck, becom- 

 ing quite narrow on the nape, but widening out on the 

 side so as to cover the entire breast and throat. This 

 pectoral shield is mottled with black and lightly stained 

 with buff in spots ; the forehead, chin, superciliary line, 

 and a broad space on the cheek are dyed a deep crim- 

 son ; and, not least by any means, the abdomen is 

 washed with pink, which is delicately stencilled with 

 white, gray, and buff. A most gorgeous bird, fairly 

 rivalling, but not distancing, Williamson's sapsucker. 



By accident I made a little discovery relative to the 

 claws of this woodpecker which, I suppose, would be 

 true of all the Picidce family. The claws of the two 

 fore toes are sharply curved and extremely acute, making 

 genuine hooks, so that when I attempt to pass my finger 

 over them the points catch at the skin. Could a better 

 hook be contrived for enabling the bird to clamber up 

 the trunks and branches of trees ? But note : the claws 



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