PHILLIPS'S WOODPECKER. 187 



Plumage very soft, full, and blended. A tuft of reversed stiffish 

 feathers on each side of the base of the upper mandible, concealing the 

 nostrils ; the feathers in the angle of the lower mandible also stifl&sh, 

 and directed forwards. Wings rather long ; the first quill very small, 

 the second five-twelfths of an inch shorter than the third, the fourth 

 longer than the latter by one-twelfth, but scarcely exceeding the fifth ; 

 secondaries broad and rounded. Tail of moderate length, cuneate, of 

 twelve feathers, of which the lateral are only an inch and a quarter 

 long and rounded, the next an inch and two-twelfths shorter than the 

 middle, the rest worn and slit at the tip. 



Bill dusky, its margins pale at the base. Iris red. Feet bluish-grey, 

 claws dusky. The tufts of feathers covering the nostrils are yellowish- 

 white ; the fore part of the head to a little beyond the top orange-yel- 

 low ; the occiput and hind neck glossy black ; over each eye is a band 

 of white passing to behind the am-iculars ; a black band from above the 

 angle of the mouth to the eye, and behind it, including the auriculars ; 

 below this a white band from the angle of the mouth joining that over 

 the eye ; and lastly, a narrower black band from the lower mandible. 

 The upper parts are black, tinged with brown behind ; the feathers 

 along the middle of the back tipped with white ; some of the wing-co- 

 verts are tipped with white, and the quills spotted with the same, there 

 being on the four largest primaries seven spots on the outer, and five 

 on the inner web. The four middle tail-feathers are glossy black, the 

 rest black towards the base, that colour gradually diminishing so that 

 the outermost is almost entirely white. The lower parts are white. 



Length to end of tail 10^ inches ; bill along the ridge l/u, along 

 the edge of lower mandible 1^^^ ; wing from flexure 5 ; tail 3j% ; tarsus 

 fl ; inner toe f |, its claw /g ; second toe j%, its claw || ; third toe A, 

 its claw ^2 I fourth toe ^|, its claw j%. 



This species is about the same size as P. canadensis, which it also 

 resembles in colour, but is distinguished by the yellow patch on the 

 head, and its thicker, and more pointed bill. 



