WOODPECKERS. 327 



are : (1) A loud scream, wholly without the savageness obser- 

 vable in those of many birds of prey, but, on the contrary, 

 rather jovial ; (2) the rapid repetition of another unmusical 

 though merry sound ; and finally a lower note, chiefly of affec- 

 tion, to which many of their names owe their origin, such as 

 that of "Flicker." This last cry is a series of dissyllabic notes, 

 and sounds like wick'-a-wick'-a-wick'-a-wick'-a-wick'-a-wick'-a. 

 This is rarely heard unless two birds are together. 



The Golden-winged Woodpeckers are undoubtedly less ben- 

 eficial than many others of their tribe, but they never do 

 enough injury to warrant their death at the hands of farmers. 

 They are, however, but little molested, I believe, except by 

 young sportsmen. 



II. MELANERPES. 



A. EKYTHROCEPHALUS. 118 Red-headed Woodpecker. 

 Scarcely now to be ranked as a bird of Massachusetts.* 



a. About 9J inches long. Head, crimson. Interscapu- 

 lars, wings, and tail, blue black, highly glossed on the back 

 and shoulders. Other parts (and the secondaries), white. 



b. The eggs average about 1.10 X .85 of an inch. See I, 

 A,b. 



c. The Red-headed Woodpeckers were once common about 

 Boston, but I have seen but one within the last five years. I' 

 know no part of New England where they are not rare, and 

 I shall therefore quote a large part of Wilson's biography of 



118 The Red-bellied Woodpecker (M. said to nest regularly and rather com- 



carolinus, with the crown and nape monly in western Vermont, but every- 



bright red, or in the female partly so) where else in New England it appears to 



may rarely occur in New England. be of rare and exceptional occurrence, 



a Two specimens have since been especially in the breeding-season. In 

 taken near Boston : the first, a female, the autumn of 1881, however, it ap- 

 shot by Mr. William Adair in a chest- peared in very great numbers in north- 

 nut grove at Newton, November 25, ern Connecticut and eastern Massa- 

 1880 (Bull. N. O. C., Vol. VI, April, chusetts. About Boston the greatest 

 1881, p. 120) ; the second, an adult numbers were seen during the latter 

 male, killed by Mr. Matthew Luce, Jr. , part of September, in October, and early 

 at Cohasset, May 28, 1881 (ibid., July, in November; but many birds spent the 

 1881, p. 183). There are a few other entire winter, and a few pairs nested 

 records for southern New England. the following spring. There is also a 

 W. B. record of a nest found at Brookline, 



* The Red-headed Woodpecker is Massachusetts, in June, 1878. W. B. 



