PICIDJ2 THE WOODPECKERS. 385 



nearly immaculate. Tail black; the inner webs of the intermedia chiefly white, crossed 

 with a greater or less number of broad black bars, or transverse spots, the outer webs 

 with a longitudinal stripe of white on the basal half; outer rectrices broadly barred at 

 the ends with dull white, and with spots of the same indenting the outer web ; next pair 

 of feathers tipped with yellowish white. Adult female. Similar to the male, but red of 

 the crown replaced by deep ash-gray, lighter anteriorly; lower parts tinged with red 

 only on the abdomen, and cheeks with little if any red tinge. Young female. Whole 

 pileum dull brownish gray, transversely mottled with darker; nape dull light fulvous 

 red; back and scapulars barred with grayish white and grayish dusky, much less sharply 

 than in the adult; abdomen tinged with dull buff, but without red. Total length (fresh 

 specimens), .910% inches; extent, 15^-17!$; wing (skins), 4.85-5.40; tail, 3.50-3.90; culmen, 

 1.00-1.20; tarsus, .80-.90. Bill (in life), slate-black, the basal portion of gonys sometimes 

 mixed with light ashy ; iris varying from ferruginous to bright scarlet; naked orbital 

 spaces olivaceous ashy; legs and feet olivaceous. In the young, iris brown. 



Among adult males of this species, the principal variation is in 

 the amount of red tinge on the lower parts. In most examples 

 from the Atlantic States and in many from the Mississippi Valley, 

 the reddish is entirely confine'd to the middle of the abdomen, while 

 on the head there is a mere tinge of it on the lores and cheeks. 

 Many western specimens, however, had the breast more or less 

 strongly tinged with purplish pink, while two now before me (No. 

 34317, Kansas City, Mo., May 14, 1864, and another from Mount 

 Carmel, 111., May 28, 1878), have not only the lores and cheeks, 

 but the whole chin and upper throat also, bright salmon-color, 

 or saffron-pink. In these highly-colored specimens the forehead 

 is a bright saffron-red, while the Kansas City specimen above 

 alluded to has the red on the abdomen very intense, approach- 

 ing a saffron-scarlet. An adult female from southern Illinois 

 (Mount Carmel, October 18, 1879), has the occiput red, like the 

 nape, while there are several red feathers in the middle of the 

 crown. 



Next to the Eed-head (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) this is probably 

 the most abundant Woodpecker in southern Illinois. It is also, per- 

 haps with the same exception, the most conspicuous and, instead of 

 being shy and retiring, as has been recorded of it by writers, it is 

 almost constantly to be seen in orchards and the vicinity of houses, 

 as well as in the depths of the forest. It is very fond of ripe 

 apples, and where very abundant thus makes itself somewhat of a 

 nuisance. Besides raiding the orchards it is also in winter a 

 frequent visitor to the corn crib, to which it easily gains ingress 

 between the logs and thus obtains an abundant supply of food. It 

 25 



