RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 417 



birds had chiseled through the live wood, which was usually only from one to two 



inches thick, the remainder of the work w^as comparatively easy." 



DESCRIPTION: Sexes alike. "Feathers on the under parts bristle-like. Above, dark glossy-green. Breast, 

 lower part of neck, and a narrow collar all round, hoary grayish-white. Around the base of the bill 

 and sides of the head to behind the eye dark criihson. Belly blood-red, streaked finely with hoary- 

 whitish. Wings and tail entirely uniform glossy-green. Female similar," (B. B. & R. II, p. 561.) 

 Length 10.00 inches; wing, 6.65; tail, 4.55 inches. 



RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



Melanerpes carolinus Ridgway. 



Plate XXXVI. Fig. 3. 



pN THE sylvan retreats, far from the noise and bustle of man, many of our most 

 (a beautiful birds find quiet and happy homes. A large number of them have been so 

 much persecuted, that they only feel safe in the remotest parts of extensive forests. The 

 large and unique Ivory-billed Woodpecker as well as the "King of the Woods" {Ceophlceus 

 pileatus) , the Carolina Parrot and several other birds are in many places of their habitat 

 confined to vast forests and swamps in thinly settled regions. The latter two birds 

 will soon be extirpated, if steps are not taken to stop the senseless killing of these beau- 

 tiful inhabitants of our woods. In densely populated districts most of the Woodpeckers 

 are constantly pursued malignantly in the false supposition that they damage the trees. 

 This is all erroneous. The Woodpeckers are true benefactors to man, never doing any 

 serious harm. They fully earn all the Berries and fruits they may take, and therefore 

 deserve the protection of every horticulturist and agriculturist. They are exceedingly 

 beautiful, enlivening the woods all the year round by their loud call-notes and their 

 drumming on dry "resonant branches. The lover of Nature as well as the farmer and 

 fruit grower cannot miss these birds in the concert of the woodland choir. 



Ope of our most beautiful species is the Red-bellied Woodpecker, of the Southern 

 States. It is the predominating species in the post oak woods of Texas, where it is a 

 constant resident, and I found it equally numerous in Louisiana and Florida. It is also 

 known as the "Carolina Woodpecker," and in Texas it is frequently called the "Checkered 

 Woodpecker," and the "Zebrabird" and "Zebra Woodpecker," in allusion to its peculiar 

 black and white checkered coloring of the back. In Florida, where it relishes the sweet 

 juice of the orange, it is sometimes called the "Orange Woodpecker," and "Orange Sap- 

 sucker." 



Although. accidentally found as far nprth as Massachusetts, New York, and north- 

 ern Illinois, etc., it is not a numerous bird north of Arkansas and southern Illinois. In 

 the Ozark region of south-western Missouri I found it only fairly common. I have never 

 seen it in Wisconsin, and I know only of one pair that nested in Lincoln Park, Chicago, 

 many years ago. It is pre-eminently a bird of the Gulf region, occurring from the 

 Atlantic west to the eastern half of Texas, the Indian Territory, and Kansas. 



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