CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 79 



450. Centurus carolimis (L.) Bp. B 91. c 306. R 372. 



Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



451. Centurus aurifrons Wagl. B 92. c 307. R 373. 



Yellow-fronted Woodpecker. 



452. Centurus uropygialis Bd. B 93. c 308. R 374. 



Gila Woodpecker. 



453. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (L.) Sw. B 94. c 309. R 375. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. 



454. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridg. B 95. c 310. R 377. 



Californian Woodpecker. 



455. Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons Bd. B . c sioa. R 377a. 



Narrow-fronted Woodpecker. 



456. Asyndesmus torquatus (Wils.) Coues. B 96. c 311. R 376. 



Lewis's Woodpecker. 



457. Colaptes auratus (L.) Sw. B 97. c 312. R 378. 



Golden- winged Woodpecker; Flicker. 



458. Colaptes chrysoides Malh. B 99. c 313. R 379. 



Gilded Woodpecker. 



450. Cen-tu'-rus ca-r8-li'-niis. Gr. Kcvrpov, a point, prickle, and ofya, tail ; spine-tailed. The 



full form would appear to be Centrums (like Centrocercus, for example), but there is a way 

 of getting Centurus from K eW^- ; /cei/rew is the verb to prick, goad, &c. Carolinus is badly 

 syncopated from carolinianus ; carolinensis would have been better still. 



451. C. aur'-I-frons. Lat. aurifrons, golden-forehead ; durum, gold (yellow), and/rons, forehead. 



452. C. u-rS-py-gi-a'-lTs. There is a very late Latin word uropygium, the rump, from which 



the above is derived as an adjective. But this is merely a modern Latinizing of the good 

 Gr. ovpoirvyiov or oppoirvytov, the rump ; from olpa, tail, and irvyf], the buttocks. The 

 allusion in this case is to the conspicuously white rump of the bird, which a Greek would 

 have called irvyapyos (pygargus). 



453. Mei-an-er'-pes e-ryth-rS-cgph'-a-lQs. Gr. ^\as, genitive p.e\avos, black, and epirrjs, a 



creeper ; cprrco, I creep, crawl. See Catherpes, No. 66. The full form would be melano- 

 herpes. Gr. 4pvdp6s, red, and Ke^aA^j, head. 



454. M. for-mi-cl'-v8r-us baird'-i. Lat. formica, an ant, and voro, I devour, in allusion to a 



habit of the species. To Prof. Spencer Fullerton Baird. See Ridg., Bull. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., No. 21, 1881, p. 85. Given in the orig. ed. as M. formicivorus. 



455. M. f. an-gus'-ti-frons. Lat. angustus, narrow, straitened, from ango, I press upon, draw 



together, &c. ; Gr. &yx*>, I squeeze, strangle, distress, &c. ; the same root and idea is seen 

 in anxious, anxiety, &c. ; frons, forehead. The allusion is to the narrowness of the yellow 

 frontal band. 



456. A-syn-des'-mfis tor-qua'-tOs. Gr. d privative, <rt5i/, together, with, 8e<r,u<k, a bond ; in allu- 



sion to the loosened texture of the feathers of the under parts. Lat. torquatus, collared ; 

 torquis, a necklace, collar ; torqueo, I twist, twine around ; tortus, twisted, distorted, con- 

 tort'ion ; so also torture, as of one wrenched or racked. The allusion is to the ashy collar 

 on the neck of the bird. The English name is that of Merriwether Lewis, the explorer 

 in company with Clark (Clark's Crow, Picicorvus). 



457. C61-ap'-tes aur-a'-tus. Gr. Ko\airr^s, a chisel, hammer ; /eoAcfo-Tw, I use such an instru- 



ment ; very appropriate to a woodpecker. Lat. auratus, gilded, golden (colored) ; aurum, 

 gold ; also very apt to this bird. 



458. C. chry-s5-i'-dgs. Gr. xp fff s> xp v vs> golden, of the color of gold, xp v(r ^ 5 > 



resemblance. 



