BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 129 



GENUS SPHYRAPICTJS. RAIRD. 

 402. Sphyrapieus varius (LINN.). 



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 



DESCRIPTION. 



First primary shortest ; fourth longest ; third a little shorter ; general color above 

 black, much variegated with white ; leathers of the back and rump brownish-white, 

 spotted with black ; crown scarlet, bordered by black on the sides of the head and 

 nape ; a streak from above the eye, and another from the bristles of the bill, passing 

 below the eye and into the yellowish of the belly, and a stripe along the edges of 

 the wing coverts white ; a triangular broad patch of scarlet on the chin, bordered on 

 each side by black stripes from the lower mandible, which meet behind, and extend 

 into a large quadrate spot on the breast ; rest of under parts yellowish-white, streaked 

 on the sides with black ; inner web of inner tail-feather white, spotted with black ; 

 outer feathers black, edged and spotted with white. Female, with the red of the 

 throat replaced by white. Young male, without black on the breast, or red on the 

 top of the head. 



Length, 8.25 inches ; extent about 16 ; wing about 4.75 ; tail, 3.30 inches. 



Hab. North America, north and east of the Great Plains, south to the West In- 

 dies, Mexico, and Guatemala. 



The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, although mentioned by some 

 writers as a resident in Pennsylvania, very rarely, I think, breeds 

 here. Occasionally a few of these birds ^re found in winter. Gen- 

 erally speaking, however, the Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers are to be 

 observed as somewhat common spring and fall migrants, which arrive 

 in this region early in April, and soon disappear to return again, but 

 not earlier than the last week in September. During their visits in 

 the spring these birds are much less abundant than in the autumn, 

 and are seen principally in the woods, although I have, in many in- 

 stances, observed them in apple orchards. While they sojourn with 

 us in the fall, they evince a strong disposition to frequent apple trees; 

 often as many as six or eight of these birds, can be secured in a small 

 orchard. All Woodpeckers have a common habit of hiding behind 

 limbs, or sometimes in holes, etc., as you approach a tree on which 

 they are feeding, and usually they continually shift their positions to 

 escape notice. When hunting in apple orchards, particularly in the 

 fall, I have repeatedly seen the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker slip be- 

 hind a limb, and remain perfectly motionless, as if he understood 

 that the color of his back, not unlike the general appearance of the 

 bark or lichens, against which he rested, might aid him in eluding ob- 

 servation. Oftentimes I have made two or three circuits about trees 

 where these birds were thus hiding, and generally noticed that they 

 would not move until convinced by my actions that they had been 

 discovered. Of all our Woodpeckers, the subject of this present 

 sketch is probably the most expert in capturing insects on the wing; 

 9 BIRDS. 



