No. V.] 



ZOOLOGY. 



677 



the sides of the throat, which distinguish the male bird. Wilson's description is 

 full and perfect ; it can be mistaken for no other American species of Woodpecker, as 

 the peculiar formation of its bill, and the golden colour of the shafts of all its quill- 

 feathers and of part of those of the tail, make it known at first sight. It is a hand- 

 some bird, the small round black spots on the under parts, the large black crescent 

 on the breast, and the smaller scarlet one at the back of the head, are striking 

 beauties. 



Picus Villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. 



The Hairy Woodpecker has also an extensive range, being found as far southward 

 as Georgia, and was described by Forster from Hudson's Bay. Hearne mentions a 

 Woodpecker with a red head, which frequents the eastern and southern parts of 

 Hudson's Bay, which is probably this species. It is every where abundant, and is 

 not migratory. Latham, in his Supplement, supposed it to be a native of Great 

 Britain, on the authority of specimens belonging to the Duchess of Portland, said 

 to have been killed near Halifax ; but, though taken up by British writers, it is not 

 included in the European catalogue of M. Temminck. It is not improbable that the 

 specimens alluded to by Latham were from Halifax in North America. Wilson has 

 given a perfect description of the bird, but in the figure the tail is not correct ; 

 the under part, which has white feathers, is represented as the upper part, the 

 feathers of which are black. The name is derived from the plumage on the back, 

 which has some similitude to fine hairs. Our specimen is that of a male bird, 

 having the red mark on the back of the head, and is ten inches in length ; Wilson 

 gives nine inches as its usual length. 



Picus V arius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. 



The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker continues permanently in all parts of North 

 America where trees are found, and is abundant. It is of small dimensions, varying 

 in length, according to different writers, from seven to nine inches. The specimens 

 received were those of a male and a female, and were intermediate in size between 

 the above extremes ; there seems to be some variation in the black and white mark- 

 ings, not only between the sexes, but between different males. The male bird now 

 under notice has very little white on the back, but the female is elegantly marked 

 with cross waving bars of black on the white; the yellow colouring which gives the 

 name to the species is very slight ; the red on the throat and head of the male is very 

 rich. 



Alcedo Alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. 



This is the only species of Alcedo found in the whole of North America ; it is, 

 however, an inhabitant of every part of it, from the north to the south, and from the 



