A Gataloguue of Birds obtained in Navarro County, Texas. 227 



and sometimes in the narrow belts of timber upon the prairie, but 

 even then nothing can exceed their watchfulness. The few nests 

 which I saw were placed at a great height in tall old cotton woods, 

 generally overhanging water, and quite unattainable. 



Centurus carolinus (Linn.) Red-bellied Woodpecker. — This 

 is undoubtedly" the most abundant of our sap-suckers, and is 

 resident, though like the other members of its family, less often 

 seen during the breeding season, owing to their retirement in 

 great measure to the denser woodlands at that time, while in the 

 colder months they appear commonly in the creeks and scattered 

 coppices upon the prairie ; sometimes however they form their 

 nests remote from any trees, as in a post supporting the corner of 

 an outhouse upon a prairie farm. They seem to pair for life 

 since even in the depth of winter two are generally found together. 

 Their note is a shrill disagreeable scream which may be heard 

 ringing incessantly from the woods, at all hours of the day, and 

 seasons of the year. During the spring and summer months they 

 feed entirely upon insects, grubs and caterpillars, but in the fall 

 and winter they consume quantities of seed and berries, and are 

 especially partial to the wild grapes. 



Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.) Red-headed Wood- 

 pecker. — By no means a common bird in our district, to which 

 it appears to be mainly, if not entirely, a summer visitor, at 

 least I never observed it except from April to September inclusive ; 

 and even then much more often during the fall than at other times. 

 They frequent open woods and clearings in the timber, and being 

 unsuspicious venture into towns, where they may not unfrequently 

 be seen searching for insects upon the roofs of houses, church - 

 spires and such-like. 



CoLAPTES AURATUS (Linn.) Yellow-shafted Flicker — An abun- 

 dant winter visitor, arriving in. considerable flocks about the last 

 week of September ; these flocks soon break up into pairs or small 

 parties which remain associated during their stay, but before their 

 departure in March they again collect together into large bands 

 for the purpose of migrating. They are entirely frequenters of 

 the more open lands, preferring the thinly-wooded districts on the 

 outskirts of the river bottom and prairie creeks bordered by mes- 

 quite flats, to the dense timber, in which they are rarely seen, and 

 only where old clearings occur. They are very shy and difficult 



