PICID.K — THE \V< )ODrECKEUS. 



rj39 



Sphyropicus varius, mu. varius, P>aird. 



THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODFECKEB. 



Pkus vnrius, L. Svst. Nat. I, 170(5. 170. — Vieilut, Ois. Am. II, 1S07, 03, pi. cxviii, 

 oxix. - Wilson, Am. ()in. 1, 18(»8, 147, i»l. ix, f. 2. — Wa<;i,kk, Svst. Av. lM'7, 

 Xo. 10. —Aid. Orn. 151..^'. II, is34, fill*; V, 537, \>\. lltd. — Ii;. r.ii.U Aiii.r. IV, 

 1842, 203, i»l. tclxvii. — IJon. List, 1838. — Ib. C'onsp. iS'iO, 138. —Maxim. Cal.. Jour. 

 VI, 1858, 410 (n-ft IS to iHiuliar toii,i,'tic). — (lossK, liinls Jam. 270 (.lamaica). — Nkw- 

 ToN, Ibis, 1800, 308 (St. (-loix). — Tayloi:, Iliis, L^Oo, 111) (Iluiiduras). — Sini>e- 

 VALL, Coiisp. 33. — (JliAY, Cat. 51, J'iciis {!>> n,lr>>c<>inis) on-iits. Sw. F. I*. A. II, 

 1{>31, 30y. PilKinfiiis rarius. Bun, Consp. Zvgml. Attn. Ital. 1854, 8. ('/ixfoscojins 

 rarius. Cab. k Urns. Mus. 80. / Pieit^s afmfhinK.i; Lksson, Tiaitc tl>>rMitliolo^'it', I, 

 1831, 229. — I'miKKAN, K'.v. Zool. VII, 1S35, 21. (H.l.rs it to /V(w^s• vanun.) 

 Yclhnr.hellkil H'o<nlihcki.i; Pennaxt, Latham. Sjihi/rojn'ciis nn-ius, IJaikh, liinls X. 

 Am. 1858, 103. — S» latkii, V. Z. S. 185l>, 307 (Xalapa). — Ii:. Catal. 335 (Orizaba K — 

 1b. Ibis, 1859, 130 (<;uatemala). — In. 180O, 119 (Hoii.luras). — Cau. Journal, IV, 

 1850, 102. — (JrNi)LA«n. K.-iKitorium, I, 1800. 294 (Cuba). — Ukyant, Pr. IJost. Soc. 

 1859 (lialiamas). — In. 1805, 91 (Anatomy of tongue ) — Duessi:k, Ibis, IJ5O5, 408 ^brctds 

 in Tt'xas). — Samiki.s, 90. — Allkn, 15. E. Fla. 3u0. 



Sp. Char. Tliinl qniil lonprost ; second a little shorter; Ihvt between fourth and fifth 

 eonsidorably shorter. General eolor above bhuk, 

 miieh variejrated with white. Feathers of the 

 back and ruin[) brownisii-whit«', spotted with 

 blaek. Crown erinison, bordert-d by blaek on 

 the sides of the head and naj>e. A sti-eak fiom 

 above the eye. and a broad stripe from tlie 

 bristles of the bill, passinir below the eye. and 

 into the yellowish of tlu? bellv. enelosin<ra black 

 post-oeular one, and a stripe aloiiir the edsres of 

 the winjr-coverts. white. A triangular broad 

 patch of scarlet on the chin, bordered on each, 

 side by black stripes from the lower mandible 

 which meet behind, and extend into a large 

 quadrate spot on the breast. Rest of under paits 

 yellowish-white, or yellow, streaked and band<'d 

 on the sides with blaek. Timer web of inner 

 tail-feather white, spotted with black. Outer 

 feathers black, edged and .'^potted with white. 

 Quills spotted with white. Length. S.'J.") ; wing, about 4.75; tail, 3.30. Femtilc whh ihe 

 red of the throat replacetl by white. Imniatin-e bird without blaek on the breast, or red 

 on top of the head, as in every intermediate stage to the perfect plumage. 



IIab. Atlantic coast to tlu? eastern .slopes of the Rocky Mountains; Greenland; 

 West Indies; whole of Mexico, to Guatemala. Localities: ? Oaxaca (r^CL. P. Z, S. LS58, 

 305); Orizaba (Scl. Cat. 335) ; Xalapa (8cu 1859.3(57); Yucatan (Lawr. Ann. N. Y. 

 Lye. IX, 205) ; Guatemala (.^cl. Ibis. I, 130); Honduras (Scl. Ibis, IF, 110) : Cuba (Cab. 

 J. IV, 102); (GrxDL. Repert. I. 180G, 294): Bahamas (Bkyaxt, Pr. Bost. Soc. VII, 

 1859; Ib. 18G7, 65); Jamaica (Go.^sk, B. Jam. 270); St. Croix (Scl. Ibis, II, 308); 

 E. Texas (Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 408 ; breeds). 



There is an occasional variation in tlie niarkinus of tlie tail-feathers. 

 Thus, in No. 782, from Carlisle, the innermost one is entirely black, while 



Sphyrofn'rii.s variits. 



