THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 987 



to repair the injury were not attended by the result that we desired. Upon 

 a subsequent visit the whole brood was found cold and dead; and if the 

 parent birds had ever re-entered their prostrate nest, it was merely to 

 witness the devastation we had wrought, and then to abandon it for ever." 



Gold-winged Woodpecker, Picus auratus, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 45. 



Picus auratds, Bonap. Syn., p. 44. 



Colaptes adratus, Golden-shafted Woodpecker, Swains, and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., 



vol. ii. p. 314. 

 Flicker or Golden-winged Woodpecker, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 561. 

 Golden-winged Woodpecker, Picus auratus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 191; vol. v. 



p. 540. 



Male, 121, 16. 



Breeds from Texas to Nova Scotia, and the Fur Countries. Generally 

 distributed in the United States. Eastern bases of Rocky Mountains. 

 Extremely common. Resident in the Southern States. 



Adult Male. 



Bill slightly arched, strong, nearly as long as the head, compressed at the 

 tip, which is a little abrupt; upper mandible convex on the sides, with acute, 

 overlapping edges; lower mandible with acute, inflected edges, the dorsal 

 outline nearly straight, a little convex towards the end. Nostrils basal, 

 lateral, oval, partly covered by recumbent feathers. Head of ordinary size. 

 Neck shortish. Body ovate. Feet short, rather robust; tarsus scutellate 

 before, compressed; two toes before, and two behind, scutellate above; 

 claws compressed, arched, acute. 



Plumage rather compact and imbricated, blended on the head and neck. 

 Wings longish, the third and fourth quills longest, the second much shorter, 

 the first very small. Tail of ordinary length, rounded, consisting of ten 

 broad feathers, worn to an elongated tip by being rubbed against the bark of 

 trees. 



Bill brown above and at the tip, light blue beneath. Iris light brown. 

 Feet greyish-blue. Upper part of the head and hind neck light purplish- 

 grey; a transverse band of scarlet on the lower part of the occiput. Upper 

 parts generally light greenish-brown, spotted with black; the lower back 

 white, the tail-coverts of the same colour, spotted with black. Primaries 

 brownish-black, their shafts, as are those of all the large feathers, orange. 

 Tail brownish-black. Sides of the head and fore neck light brownish-red, 

 tinged with grey. A black streak along each side of the throat, and a 

 lunated patch of the same across the fore part of the breast. The rest of the 

 breast reddish-white, spotted with black, as are the lighter coloured abdomen 

 and under tail-coverts. Under surface of the wings and tail of a fine rich 

 yellow. 



