168 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



borne back into the mouth, struggling helplessly. 

 The saliva is secreted by a pair of enormous glands 

 on each side of the head. The head of Woodpeckers 

 is set in a peculiar manner, being at right angles with 

 the body — a natural position, considering that the 

 bird must remain upright in feeding, when the head 

 is used as a hammer. 



Nearly all Woodpeckers have a crest at the back 

 of the head, which may be slightly raised or lowered. 

 This crest is usually a brilliant red, and in many 

 species it is the only spot of bright colour on the bird. 



America is peculiarly rich in Woodpeckers, about 

 one half of the three hundred and fifty known species 

 occurring in this continent and displaying a wonderful 

 diversity of plumage. These birds, however, are 

 found all over the world, except in "the Australian 

 region, Madagascar, and Egypt. 



The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is the largest of the 

 American species, measuring twenty inches in length. 

 The general colouring is black and white, and there 

 is a large scarlet crest. Running from the eye down 

 the neck and half way down the back on each side is 

 a conspicuous white stripe. The lower half of the 

 primaries is white, and the imder parts are a glossy 

 black. The bill is ivory white. This handsome bird 

 is extremely shy, and is found only in the forests of 

 the Gulf States and in the Lower Mississippi Valley. 

 See Plate 6, Fig. 25. 



The Great Black Woodpecker is a large European 

 species, in which the plumage is entirely black except 

 for the red crest. Attempts have been made to 

 acclimatise these birds in the British Islands, but with- 



