CENTURUS CAROLINUS : RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 79 



iar, nor are the eggs to be recognized by any infallible 

 characters. They are four to six in number, and meas- 

 ure about 0.90X0.75, but vary much in size as well as in 

 degree of sphericity. 



RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 

 CENTURUS CAROLINUS (L.) Bp. 



Chars. Upper parts closely banded crosswise with black and white ; 

 under parts whitish, reddening on the belly, with black arrow- 

 heads on flanks; tail black, tha outer feathers barred with white, 

 the central feathers with black and white spaces ; rump mostly 

 white ; primaries with large white blotches near the base, and 

 other smaller spots. Male with the whole crown and nape 

 scarlet. Female with less of this color. Length, 9.50-10.00 ; 

 extent, 16.50-17.50 ; wing, about 5.00 ; tail, about 3.50. 



The Red-bellied is the rarest of all the New England 

 Woodpeckers, being in fact only a casual summer visitor 

 to the limit of the Carolinian Fauna, or slightly beyond. 

 There is at least one early record of its occurrence in 

 Connecticut, being that given by Linsley in 1843 (Am. 

 Journ. Sci., xliv, p. 263) ; and other instances of like 

 nature have latterly been added by Mr. Merriam (Hart- 

 ford and Suffield ; B. Conn., 1877, p. 65). Prof. Emmons 

 gave it as breeding in western Massachusetts many years 

 ago, and Mr. Allen has recently witnessed its occurrence 

 in May at Springfield (Pr. Essex Inst., iv, 1864, p. 53 ; 

 Bull. Essex Inst., x, 1878, p. 20. See also Plummer, 

 Bull. Nutt. Club, vi, 1881, p. 120; Brewster and Allen, 

 ibid., p. 183). It has been said to breed regularly 

 though rarely in Long Island, and has often been seen 

 in New York and Canada West. 



