RED-SHAFTED WOODPECKER. 291 



little concave, the dorsal straight, the ridge narrow, the sides convex, the 

 edges inflected, the tip acute. Nostrils basal, oblong, about half-way between 

 the ridge and the margin, and concealed by the feathers. 



Head of moderate size, ovate; neck rather short; body rather full. Feet 

 very short; tarsus short, compressed, anteriorly feathered one-third down, 

 covered with six large scutella in the rest of its extent, thin-edged, with an 

 internal series of small scutella behind; toes four; first small, third and fourth 

 about equal, second and third united at the base; claws large, curved, com- 

 pressed, laterally grooved, very acute. 



Plumage very soft, full, blended. Feathers at the base of the upper man- 

 dible stiflish and directed forwards. Wings of moderate length, the fifth 

 quill longest, the fourth one-twelfth of an inch shorter, the third three- 

 twelfths shorter than the fourth, and exceeding the second by one inch, the 

 first only one inch and nine-twelfths long. Tail of moderate length, cuneate, 

 of twelve feathers, all pointed except the outer, which is only an inch and 

 three-quarters in length, the next one inch shorter than the middle. 



Bill dusky above and at the tip, light greyish-blue beneath. Iris light 

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

 purplish-grey; forehead and a band over the eye dull red; the sides and fore 

 part of the neck ash-grey, with an oblong patch of bright carmine from the 

 base of the lower mandible. The upper parts generally are light greyish- 

 brown, transversely spotted with black; the hind part of the back white; 

 the upper tail-coverts black, barred with white. The shafts of the quills and 

 their coverts are orange-red; the smaller coverts coloured like the back; 

 primaries and their coverts brownish-black, most of them externally spotted 

 with greyish-brown; secondaries brownish-black, spotted on both margins 

 with greyish-brown. Tail-feathers brownish-black, the two lateral on each 

 side with several light brown spots along the margin, the rest faintly edged 

 with yellowish-white, the shafts of all toward the base, and the greater part 

 of their lower surface orange-red, tinged with vermilion, as is the lower 

 surface of the wings. On the fore part of the breast is a crescentic patch of 

 black; the rest of the lower parts are reddish-white, with numerous round 

 black spots. 



Length to end of tail 13^ inches; bill along the ridge 1^, along the edge 

 of lower mandible 1^; wing from flexure 6-^f; tail 4jf; tarsus l^\ first 

 toe ff, its claw T %; second toe T 8 2, its claw ff ; third toe ~f, its claw ^ 

 fourth toe yf , its claw -?%. 

 Adult Female. 



The female resembles the male; but has the tints somewhat duller, and 

 wants the red patch on the cheeks, that part being merely tinged with red. 

 An individual, marked by Mr. Townsend "Female, Columbia river, April 



