102 BIRDS. 



/. COCCYGUS, Vieillot. Ameeican Cuckoos. 



1. C. americanus, (L.) Bon. Yellow- Billed Cuckoo. 

 Bill yellow below; wings with much cinnamon red; 

 middle tail feathers like the back; outer ones black with 

 broad white tips; L. 13; W. b\; T. 6. U. S. 



2. C. erythnophthalmus, (Wils.) Baird. Black-Billed 

 Cuckoo. Bill chiefly black; wings with little or no ' 

 reddish; tail feathers all brownish, obscurel" whitish at 

 tips; L. Hi; W. 5; T. 6^. E. U. S. 



FAMILY XLII. — PICID^. 



{The Woodpeck&ra.) 



Bill stout, usually straight, with the tip truncate or 

 acute, fitted for hammering or boring into wood. Tongue 

 long, flattish, barbed, capable of great protrusion, adapted 

 for securing insects (except in /Sphyrapicus) ; hyoid appa- 

 ratus peculiar, its horns generally quite long, curving 

 around the skull behind. Feet zygodactyle, outer toe 

 permanently reversed; hind toe present (except in Pico- 

 ides); claws compressed, sharp and strong. Tail feathers 

 12, rigid and acuminate, outer part short, concealed ; tail 

 never forked; nasal tufts usually present. 



Chiefly arboreal; all (except Sphyrapieus, which is 

 truly a " Sap-Sucker,") are pre-eminently insectivorous 

 and hence they are of the greatest service to the farmer. 

 Voice loud and often harsh. Colors generally bright, 

 the male at least having almost always red on the head; 

 sexes usually slightly different. Species two hundred 

 and fifty, abundant almost every where. 

 ♦Conspicuously crested ; length 18 or more. 



— Bill dark Htlotomus, 1. 



— Bill and nasal feathers pale. . Campephiltis, 3. 

 ** Not crested ; toes 3 only, hallux wanting. . Picoides, 4. 

 *** Not crested; toes 4, length less than 14. 



