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Genera/ Azotes. 



Colaptes auratus. 



Golden-winged Woodpecker. (General.) 



Yellow-shafted Woodpecker. (General.) 



Flicker, or Yelloiv-shaf ted Flicker. (General.) 



Yellow hammer. (General.) 



High-hole or High-holder. (General.) 



Pigeon Woodpecker. (New York and New England.) 



English Woodpecker. (Long Island ; Newfoundland. ) 

 Yucker. (Western New York.) 

 Ydwup. (New York; Pennsylvania.) 



Clape. (New York.) 



Wdkeup or Wacup. (Massachusetts ; Long Island. ) 



Shad-spirit. (New England coast. ) 



Hittock, or Hittuck. (Canada.) 



Fiddler. (Cape Cod.) 



Yellow Jay. (Wisconsin.) 



Pitlic, or Pee-ut. (New England.) 



Pique-bois jaune. (Louisiana. ) 



Yajfie. (Connecticut.) 



Sapsucker, or Sucker. (Florida.) 



Gel Specht; Specht. (Pennsylvania, German.) 



Examining this list, one sees how several of the names might arise. 

 The expressions "golden-winged," "'yellow-shafted," the French " pique- 

 bois jaune," and the Pennsylvania German name (pronounced gailspcycht), 

 refer of course to the color of the wing quills, which are very conspicuous. 

 " Yellow-hammer" was among the very first names given by the colonists to 

 this bird, and, like " Yellow Jay," alludes to the color utterly irrespective 

 of likeness of form to the namesake in each case. " English Woodpecker," 

 perhaps, belongs to the same category. The word " Flicker" undoubt- 

 edly designates its well-known wavering manner of flight, to which the 

 alternate appearance and disappearance of the yellow quills gives a twink- 

 ling, Jfickering look. As for " Pigeon Woodpecker," I think it arises from 

 the peculiar Pigeon-like attitude of this species, which perches across the 

 branch, instead of lengthways along it as do other more genuine Wood- 

 peckers. " Highhole," " Highholder" and " Woodwall " (of which I have 

 a note, but no location for) describe the bird's home, of course; and Sap- 

 sucker states the popular idea that that is what all Woodpeckers are doing 

 when they move about tree-trunks in search of insect-food. What "Yaffle" 

 and " Fiddler" signify I have no idea. Dr. DeKay remarks concerning 

 "Clape" : "some provincial word introduced by the early English colonists." 



" Hittock," though now a Canadian term, appears to have been handed 

 down from the Delaware Indians, since Heckwelder says that hittuck was 

 the Lin-Lenape word for tree ; and also that the Swedes who colonized 

 the lower Delaware Valley in the seventeenth century gave the name 

 " Tree-pecker" to this whole race of birds. In the name "Shad-spirit" 

 is embodied a half-superstitious idea of the New England fishermen of 

 former days (and it may be until now) that this bird came up from the South 



