THE RED~BELLtED WOODPECKER. 105 



sad errand. A dear friend, and in every way a most noble 

 man, has been instantly killed by a falling tree, and, deSir^ 

 ous to know every possible particular concerning the event, 



"THfi EED-EELLIED WOODPECKER. 



I am carefully studying the spot. Looking up into the tall 

 tree-tops, whence came the fatal limb, my mind is, if 

 possible, momentarily diverted by the sight of a bird seldom 

 seen in this locality, or in any of the more northern districts, 

 though it is said to be very common south of 35°. It is 

 the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Centurus carolinus), the most 

 beautiful of all the smaller species of its tribe in this 

 locality. This is a fine male. Somewhat larger than the 

 Hairy Woodpecker, some 10 long and 17 in extent, he has 

 a broad strip of glossy crimson, extending from the bill 



