BIRDS — PICIDAE — CENTUEUS UEOPYGIALIS. 



Ill 



and better defined. The white of the under parts is of a more smoky tinge, with a general 

 yellowish shade. The gamboge of the abdomen is darker. The tibia is finely barred trans- 

 versely with black. The rump and upper coverts are white, the inner web of the inner feather 

 barred with white. The female is similar, but lacks the anterior half of the crimson of the 

 crown. 



A skin (No. 9085) labelled Centurus hypopoUus, (Wagl.) by Verreaux, agrees perfectly with 

 the present species. It is, however, very distinct from the true hypopolius of Wagler in the 

 original description in Isis. 



List of specimens. 



CENTURUS UROPYGIALIS, Baird. 



Gila Woodpecker. 



Centurus uropygidis, Baird, Pr. A. N. So. Ph. VII, June, 1854, 120. (Bill Williarae' river, N, M.) 

 Centurus hypopolius, (B^.) Pochkran, Rev. et Mag. J853, 163. (Not Picus {Centurus) hypopolius, Wagler.) 

 Zehrapicus kaupii, Malherbe, 1855.' — (Sclater in letter.) 

 Centurus sulfureiventer, Reichenbach, Handbuch, vi, Picinae, Oct. 1854, 410, figs. 4411, 4412. 



Sp. Ch. Third, fourth, and fifth quilla longest, and about equal. Back, rump, and upper tail coverts transversely barred 



with black and white, purest on the two latter. Head and neck all round pale dirty brown, or brownish ash, darkest above. A 

 small sub-quadrate patch of red on the middle of the crown, separated from the bill by dirty white. Middle of the abdomen 

 gamboge yellow ; under tail coverts and anal region strongly barred with black. First and second outer tail feathers banded 

 black and white, as is also the inner web of the inner tail feather ; the outer web of the latter with a white stripe. Length, 

 about 9 inches ; wing, 5. 



Female with the head uniform brownish ash, without any red or yellow. 



Hab. — Lower Colorado river of the West. 



This very distinct species combines the peculiar characteristics of both C. caroUnus and 

 flaviventris. The tail is marked almost precisely like the former, except that the first a \d second 

 outer feathers are banded across with black and white, instead of this being confine I to the 

 outer and less distinct. It differs in the yellow belly and restricted small patch on the crown. 

 It agrees viiih. flaviventris in the color of the abdomen and in the small quadrate patch of red 

 on the crown ; it differs, however, in lacking the orange ' yellow patch on the nape and the 

 gamboge band before the eyes. The rump and upper coverts are banded white and black, not 

 pure white ; the innermost tail feather is banded and streaked with white, not uniform black. 

 The region about the thighs and arms is much more strongly barred. The head and under 

 parts are more smoky brown in tinge. The bill is considerably more slender. 



Specimens do not vary much. Sometimes there is a smoky brown wash on the back. In one 

 female from the Gila river the head is considerably lighter, with a tinge of yellow. 



