5iS Imki.i) Museum ov Natural Hisiory — Zoology, Vol. IX. 



Wisconsin and a rci^ular winter n'sid^nt in southern Illinois. A few 

 remain tluring the winter in southern Wisconsin and northern Illi- 

 nois, but the great majority go south. 



Nests in a hole in a dead tree or stum]i. The eggs are white, five 

 or six in number, and measure about .g8 x .75 inches. Breeds in May 

 and fune. 



Genus CENTURUS Swainson. 

 ' 196. Centurus carolinus (Linn.). 



' Red-bellikd Woodpecker. 



Melanerpes carolinus (Linn.), A. O. U. Check List, 1895, p. 166. 



Distr.: Eastern and southern United States, from New York, 

 Michigan, and Ontario to the Gulf states; west to Nebraska, Kansas, 

 and Texas; not numerous in northern part of its range. 



Adult male: Top of head and nape, scarlet red, becoming pale 

 on the forehead; back and wings barred with black and white; under 



Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



parts, ashy gray, more or less tinged with olive gray on the sides; 

 middle of belly, red, and breast sometimes tinged with red; tail, black, 

 the outer feathers and inner webs of middle feathers irregularly barred 

 with white; basal half of primaries, white, marked with black; 

 terminal half, dark brown. 



