Natural History 343 



by its pigeon-like look, and its long wedge-shaped tail, 

 with black and white marks on the feathers. Its breast 

 is soft purplish gray. Its extinct relation, the once plentiful 

 Passenger Pigeon, was eighteen inches long and had a 

 reddish breast. 



Downy Woodpecker {Dryobates pubescens). About six 

 and and a half inches long, black and white. In the male 

 the nape is red, the outer tail feathers white, with black 

 spots. Carefully distinguish this from its large relation the 

 Hairy Woodpecker which is nine and a half inches long 

 and has no black spots on the white outer tail feathers. 

 A familiar inhabitant of orchards the year round, it is 

 found in woods throughout eastern North America. 



Flicker or Highhole (Colaptes auratus). This large and 

 beautiful woodpecker is twelve inches long. Its head is 

 ashy gray behind, with e^ red nape in the neck, and brown- 

 gray in front. On its breast is a black crescent. The 

 spots below and the little bars above are black, and the 

 under side of wings and tail are bright yellow. The 

 rump is white. Its beautiful plumage and loud splendid 

 "clucker" cry make it a joy in every woodland. It is 

 found throughout North America, east of the Rockies up 

 to the limit of trees. 



Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Trochilus colubris). Every 

 one knows the Hummingbird. The male only has the 

 throat of ruby color. It is about four inches long from tip 

 of beak to tip of tail. This is the only Hummingbird 

 found in the Northern States or Canada east of the 

 Prairies. 



Kingbird (Tyranmis tyrannus). This bird is nearly 

 black in its upper parts, wliite underneath, and has a 

 black tail with white tip. Its concealed crest is orange 

 and red. It is eight and a half inches long. Famous 

 for its intrepid attacks on all birds, large and small, that 



