164 RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER. 
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER. —PICUS QUERULUS. — 
Fic. 64. 
Peale’s Museum, No. 20°7 
DENDROCOPUS QUERULUS. —Kocn. 
Picus.querulus, Bonap. Synop. p. 46. 
Tis new species I first discovered in the pine woods of North 
Carolina. The singularity of-its voice, which greatly resembles the 
chirping of young nestlings, and the red streak on the side of its head, 
suggested the specific name I have given it. 1. also extends through 
South Carolina and Georgia, at least as far as the Altamaha River. 
Observing the first specimen I found to be so slightly marked with 
red, I suspected it to be a young bird, or imperfect in its. plumage; 
but the great numbers I afterwards shot, satisfied:me that this is a 
peculiarity of the species, It appeared exceedingly restless, active, 
and clamorous; and every where I found its manners the same. 
This bird seems to be an intermediate link between the Red-bellied 
and the Hairy Woodpecker, represented in Nos. 26 and 37. It has 
the back of the former, and the white belly and spotted neck of the 
latter; but wants the breadth of red. in both, and is less than either. 
A preserved specimen has been deposited in the Museum of Phila- 
delphia. 7 
This Woodpecker is seven inches and a half long, and thirteen 
broad; the upper part of the head is black; the back barred with 
twelve white transversely semicircular lines, and as many of black, 
alternately ; the cheeks and sides of the neck are white ; whole lower 
parts, the same; from the lower mandible, a list of black passes towards 
the shoulder of the wing, where it is lost in small black spots on each 
side of the breast; the wings are black, spotted with white; the 
four middle tail-feathers, black; the rest white, spotted with black ; 
rump, black, variegated with white; the vent, white, spotted with 
black ; the hairs that cover the nostrils are of a pale cream color; the 
bill, deep slate. But what forms the most distinguishing peculiarity 
of this bird, is a fine line of vermilion on each side of the head, sel- 
dom occupying more than the edge of a single feather. The female 
is destitute of this ornament; but, in the rest of her plumage, differs 
in nothing from the male. The iris of the eye, in both, was hazel. 
‘The stomachs of all those I opened were filled with small black 
insects and fragments of large beetles. The posterior extremities of 
the tongue reached near y to the base of the upper mandible. 
