riUlD.K — THE WOODPECKERS. 557 



Centums aurifrons, C.ray. 



YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



Picus aurifrmis, Waoi.ki;, Isis, 1820, h\2. — Suxdkvam-, C'onsi). Pic. 53. Ccntiirus auri- 

 frons, Gray, Gi'iu'ia. — Caiiams, Jimr. 1862, 323. — Cciippeu, Orn. C'nl. I, 1870, ;59». 

 Ccntiirus Jifirivciilri.i, Swai.ssun, Aiiiiii. in Jlciiaf;. 1838 (2\ fcntcuaiics), a.")4. — l>Ali:l), 

 Birds N. Am. 18r.S, lid, jil. .xlii. — Hekiimanx, P. H. l<v\>. X, c, 18. — Uiir.s.sKi!, Ibis, 

 1865, 409 (I'csidrnt in Texas). — lu. Kej). Mox. Bonnil. II, 5, pi. iv. Vcnhirus clcijuns, 

 LAwr.KSii;, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, Jlay, 1851, lUi. Centums snnfncru:i, L.uvitiixcK, 

 Ann. .'^. Y. Lye. V, 1851, 123 (not of lionap.). Ficus oriuilus, Lkss. KfV. Zool. 

 1839, ni2. 



Sp. Char. Fnurtli .ind fiOli quills nearly equal ; third a little .shorter; longer than the 

 fourth. Back banded transversely with blaok and white ; rump and upper tail-eoverts 

 pure white. Crown with a subquadratc spot of crimson, about half an incli wide and 

 long; and separated iiom the gamboge-yellow at the ba.se of the bill by dirty white, 

 from the orbit and occiput liy browni.sh-ash. Nape half-way round the neck orange- 

 yellow. Tnder part generally, and sides of head, dirty white. Middle of belly gaiuboge- 

 yellow. Tail-feathers all entirely black, except the outer, which has some obscure bars 

 of white. Length about O.")!) ; wing, 5.00. Female without the red of the crown. 



Hai!. Rio Grande region of the T'liited States, .south into Me.Kieo. Probably Arizona. 

 Localities : Orizaba (Scr.. P. Z. S. 18Gtl, '2o2) ; Te.xas, .south of San Antonio (Duesser, 

 Ibis, 180"), 409, resident). 



Young birds are not (lifferent from adults, except in .showing indication of 

 dark sliaft-lines beneath, becoming l)roader behind on the sides. Tiie yel- 

 low of the nape extends over the whole side of the head. 



Hauits. Tiii.s beautiful Woodpecker is alnmdant througliout the valley 

 of the liio Grande, from I'^agle Pass to its mouth ; how far to the west witliin 

 our boundaries it occurs, I am not iible to state. It is common throughout 

 Mexico, and was found in the Guatemalan collection of \'an Patten, tliough 

 not mentitjued by .Sclater and Salviii. Dr. Woodhou.se, in his IJeport on the 

 zoology of Captain Sitgreavcs's expedition, speaks of finding it quite abun- 

 dant in tlie neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas. He adds that west of the 

 Itio San I'edro lie did not meet with it. He speaks of it as having a loud, 

 sharp cry, wliicli ii utters as it tlies from tree to tree. He observed it mostly 

 on the trunks of the mestpiite (A/ ga robin), diligently searching in the usual 

 manner of Woodpeckers. In the Keport u]ion the birds of the Mexican 

 Boundary Survey, it is mentioned by Mr. Clark as id)undant on tlie Lower 

 liio Grande, as very shy, and as kee])ing chielly about the mesipiite. Lieu- 

 tenant Couch speaks of it an very common throughout Tamaidipas. 



Mr. Dresser found tlie Yellow-bellied Woodpecker plentiful from the 

 Kio Grande to San Antonio, and as far north and east as tlie (jiiadaloiipe, 

 after which be h)st sight of it. Wherever the inest^uite-trees were large, 

 there it was sure to be found, and very sparingly elsewhere. Near Sau 

 Antonio it is quite common, but not so much so as the C. caroliiius. At 

 Eiighi I'a.ss, however, it was the more abundant of tlie two. He found it 



