THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 265 



the interior in summer. Many spend the winter in the Southern and 

 Western Districts. 



Adult Male. 



Bill longish, straight, strong, tapering, compressed towards the end, 

 slightly truncated and cuneate at the tip; mandibles of equal length, both 

 nearly straight in their dorsal outline, their sides convex, excepting at the 

 base. Nostrils basal, lateral, elliptical, open, covered by the feathers, and 

 having a sharp ridge passing over them to the edge of the bill near the 

 middle. Head of moderate size, neck rather short, body rather robust. 

 Feet rather short; tarsus compressed, anteriorly scutellate, laterally covered 

 with hexagonal scales, sharp behind; two toes before, united as far as the 

 second joint; two behind, the first very small, the second equal in length to 

 the third, claws strong, much curved, compressed, with a short deep groove 

 on each side, very acute. 



Plumage soft, rather blended, slightly glossed, that of the head shining. 

 Wings long, the first quill extremely small, fourth longest, third nearly 

 equal, second shorter than fifth; secondaries slightly emarginate. Tail of 

 ordinary length, cuneate, of ten pointed feathers, having very short shafts. 



Bill brownish-black. Iris brown. Feet greyish-blue. Forehead and 

 crown, chin and sides of the throat blood-red, the two patches margined 

 with greenish-black, of which colour is a broad band on the occiput, and a 

 large space on the lower neck and fore part of the breast, a broad band of 

 white from the eye margining the back of the occiput; another from the 

 base of the upper mandible down the side of the neck, the interspace black. 

 Scapulars black, tinged with green. Wing-coverts and quills black, the first 

 row of smaller coverts white, excepting at the base, those of the outer 

 secondary coverts are white on the outer webs, and the quills, excepting the 

 first, are spotted on the outer and inner edges, and more or less tipped with 

 the same. The back is variegated with black and brownish-white. Tail- 

 feathers black, the outer margined with white towards the tip, the two inner 

 spotted with white on the inner web. Middle of the breast yellow, sides 

 dusky yellow, variegated with brownish-black. 



Length 8^ inches, extent of wings 15; bill along the ridge y-f, along the 

 edge ly 1 ^; tarsus y§. 



Adult Female. 



The female resembles the male, but the throat is white, and the yellow of 

 the lower parts less pure. 



Vol. IV. 37 



