woodpecker 
color, the youug males resemble the female, and acquire 
their distinctive markings at maturity only.— Tricolor 
woodpeckers, the members of the restricted geims Me- 
lanerpeg, as the red-headed. See cut under Melanerpes. 
Cmies. — WMte-backed woodpecker, Picia (Dcndro- 
eoptu) leticoiwlus (originally misprinted leucotoa -Bech- 
stein, 1802X 10 inches long, having the lower back white, 
extending from northwestern Europe to Manchuria, Corea, 
and Mongolia.— White-headed woodpecker, Xenopicus 
albolarvatits. See A'e;w^iw( with cut).— White-nimped 
woodpecker, the red-headed w*o<)dpeckcr. See cut un- 
der Melanerpes. Latham. I7tt2.— Willlamaon's wood- 
pecker, the adult male of the thyroid woodpecker, for- 
merly described by Dr. J. S. Xewberiy in 1S57 as Pieus 
williariiifoni, after JJeutenant R. S. Williamson, United 
States army.— Woodpecker homblll, an Asiatic species 
of BucercUda, Bttcerog pica (of Scopoli, 1786, now Anthraco- 
cerog coroiuUwt), of a black and white color, inhabiting In- 
dia and Ceylon.— Yellow-bellied woodpecker, the com- 
mon sapsucker: so named originally by Cateshy, 17ai. 
See sapeucker (with cut), and Sphyni/ieuK. —Yellow blue- 
footed Persian woodpeckert (Pirus luteiut cyanoptis 
persicus of Aldrovandi), the popinjay. Latham, 1782.— 
YellOW-fironted woodpecker, CeHtunin aur^frotm, one 
of the zebra-woodpeckers, of Texas and southward, Iiav- 
ing the forehead and nasal plumules golden-yellow, the 
head and under parts clear ashy-gray, becoming yellowish 
on the belly, and the upper tail-coverts continuously white. 
—Yellow-necked woodpecker, Gecimis chluruluphw, a 
popinjay of Nepal, parts of tlie HinuUayas, Bengal, Mani- 
pur, Assam, Burma, and the .Malay iieninsula. Latham, 
182i — Yellow- Winged woodpecker. Sam e as fiicker'i. 
— Zebra woodpeckers. See zeUra-wuodpecker. and cut 
under Ceiiturim. 
WOOd-pewee iwuU'pe'we), ». A tyraimuliue, 
or little olivaceous flycatehor, of the genus 
Contopus, the species of which are numerous 
in the warmer parts of both Americas. The com- 
mon wood-pewee, C virewt, is the most abundant of its 
tribe in the woodlands of many parts of North America. 
It resembles the water-pewee, or pewit flycatcher (com- 
pare cuts under Cotitopus and pewU\ but is smaller (only 
t}or6i inches long, and 10 or 11 in extent), with extremely 
small feet, and broad flat beak ; the feet and upper man- 
dible are black; the lower mandible is usually yellow; 
the eyes are brown ; the plumage is olive-l»rown above, 
below dingy-whitish tinged with yellow and shaded with 
the color of the back, especially acniss the breast and 
along the sides. The nest is flatly saddled on a horizontal 
bough, stuccoed with lichens; t'he eggs are four or five 
in number, creamy-white, marked with reddish-brown and 
lilac spots usually wreathed about the larger end. The 
note is a long-drawn querulous whistle of two or three syl- 
lables, imitated in the word pewee. The western wood- 
pewee is C. c. rifhardmni. 
wood-pie (wiid'pi), n. The woodpecker: so 
called with reference to the 8i>otte(l plumage: 
locally applied to the greater and lesser spotted 
woodpeckers, Picux major aitil P. minor, and the 
green woodpecker, (iecinun viridix. See cuts un- 
der I'iciis and popinjai/. [Local, British.] 
wood-pigeon (wiid'pij'on), n. 1. The wood- 
culver, wood-quest, cushat, or ring-dove, Co- 
lumba palumbus ; also, sometimes, tlie stock- 
dove, 6V aenas. [Eng.] — 2. In the western 
United States, tlie band-tailed pigeon, Columbii 
fasciattt. This is one of the few American pigeons 
congeneric with an Old World type (that Hgured under 
whUe-<r(nened being another). It is a large stout species 
(16 inches long and about 27 in extent), the adult male hav- 
ing the head, neck, and under parts vlnaceous, fading to 
white on the erissum, the sides of the neck iridescent, a 
sharp white half-collar on the back of the neck (whence 
also called tchite-cfUtared pijeoti), the tail marked with a 
light terminal and dark subtenninal bar (whence batul- 
tailed pvjeon). the bill yellow tipped with black, the feet 
yellow with black claws, and a red ring round the eye. It 
is of common but irregular distribution, chiefly in wood- 
land, from the Rocky Mountains to the Paciflc, feeds main- 
ly on mast, nesta in trees and bushes, and lays (as usual in 
this family) two white eggs. 
woodpile (wud'pil), H. A stack or pile of wood, 
especially of wood for fuel. 
And, take it in the autumn, what can be pleasanter than 
to spend a whole day on the sunny side of a barn or a wwhI- 
pUe, chatting with somebody as old as one's self? 
llaicth'trne, Seven (iables, iv. 
wood-pimpernel (wud'pim "per-nel), II. A 
European species of loosestrife, Lysiiiiachiii 
nemoriim, somewhat resembling the common 
pimpernel. 
WOod-pUCeront (wiid'pu'HC-ron), II. [< wooill 
+ F. jiureroii, < piu-c, Of*, jiiilcc — It. pnh-i-. 
< L. jnilcx, flea.] A kind of aphis or plant- 
louse. 
wood-pulp (wud' pulp), II. Wood-fiber reduced 
to a pulp, either mechanically or chemically. 
for use in the manufacture of paper. Almost any 
wood may be used ; the amount of cellulose varies from 
:i0.41 per cent, in oak to ^.90 per cent, in ttr. The easi- 
ly worked woods are preferrcl, cottonwood and other 
poplars being largely used in North America. The amount 
thus consumed in .America and continental Europe is very 
large. Compare icwnl-iiaper. 
WOOd-qnail (wiid'kwal), ». Any bird of the 
genus Uolliiliis; a roulroul. See cut under Hol- 
luliis. 
wood-quest (wVid'kwest), «. The ring-dove, 
Coluniha puliimhus: same as i/iirr.ft. 
Me thought I saw a stock-dove, or WiHKl quixt, I know 
not how to tearme it, that brought short strawes to build 
his nest on a tall cedar. 
Lyly, Saphoand Phaon, iv. :i. {Xaren.) 
6969 
wood-rabbit (wiid'rab'it), n. The common 
gi-ay rabbit of the United States, Lepui sijlvati- 
eiiii. See cut under cottontail. 
wood-rat (wiid'rat), /(. Ally species of Aco- 
toiiia, including large wood"land rats of the 
United States, etc., of the family Miiridie, sub- 
family Murinse. and section Siymodoiites, such 
as the Florida wood-rat, N. floridaiia; the 
Kocky Mountain wood-rat. A', ciiierea ; the Cali- 
fornia wood-rat, N. fuscipes ; the Texas wood- 
rat, A', micropuii ; the ferrngineous wood-rat 
of Mexico and Central America, X.ferrityiiiea. 
See pack-rat (under ro^l), and cut under Xc- 
otoniii. 
wood-reed (wud'red), u. See ccefA. 
woodreeve (wiid'rev), ii. In England, the stew- 
ard or overseer of a wood or forest. 
wood-robin (wud'rob"in), 11. The American 
wood-thnish, Tiirdus iiiustelinus. [Local, U. S.] 
wood-rock (wud'rok), «. Ligniform asbestos. 
woodruff, WOOdroof(wud'ruf, -rof), H. [Early 
mod. E. woodrofe; < ME. wodruffe, witderoir, 
icoderorc, < AS. wudiirofe, icudcrofc, < inidii. 
wood, -I- "rofe, of uncertain meaning.] A rubi- 
aeeous herb, Asperiila odorata, of Europe and 
Asiatic Russia, more fully named siecet icoodniff. 
It has a creeping rootstock sending up erect stems, the 
leaves whorled, chiefly in eights, the flowers small, white, 
in loose cymes. The plant, from the presence of couniarin, 
is scented like the sweet vernal-grass and sweet-clover, and 
in parts of Europe it is used to flavor the spring beverage 
called May-drink (which see). Woodrnfl is sometimes 
found growing near German settlements in the United 
States. The name is extended to the other species of As- 
peruld— Dyers' WOOiniS,Aiiperulu lincturia, ot Europe, 
whose roots sometimes serve in place of madder. — Quin- 
sy-Woodruff. .Same as quirufyivort.— Sweet WOOarUff. 
See def. 
wood-rush (wud'rush), II. [< icood^ + rusli^, 
H.] A plant of the genus Lii-ula : also called 
ilhiirKoriii-ijraas. The field wood-rush, Lruula cam- 
pegtris, is an extremely conmion low plant of Europe and 
North America, having clusters of brown chatty flowers 
appearing early in spring : in Great Britain it is locally 
calleil blackhead- or cuckoo-yrass and chiviney-mveeps. A 
larger species, L. sylvatica, has the names wood-blades and 
xcood-yratm. 
wood-sage (wud'saj), n. See saye"^. 
wood-sandpiper (wud'sand"i)i-pcr), n. A com- 
mon tattler of Europe and much of the Old 
World, Totaiiii.i glnreoia, of tlie family Scolopa- 
Wood-sand piper ( Totaniis glareola). 
ridie, nearly relat(>d to the redshank and green- 
shank, and also to the American solitary sand- 
piper. 
WOOd-sanicle (wud'san"i-kl), II. See naiiicle. 
wood-saret, ». A kind of froth seen on herbs; 
cucko<)-si)it. 
'ITie froth which they call woodsrare, being like a kind 
of spittle, is found but upon certain herbs, ... as laven- 
der, . . . sage, etc. Bacon, Nat. Hist, § 407. 
wood-saw (wud'sa), «. Same as 6«c7i-Aai(;. See 
cuts under s-air. 
wood-sawyer (wud'sa "yer), «. In cutout., same 
as miii/cr, 4. 
wood-screw (wtid'skro), n. A screw specially 
inad(' for use in fastening together jiarts of 
wooden structures or structures of wood and 
metal. The modern wood-screw has generally a conical 
point, like that of a gimlet. See cuts under comitcrsink, 
Kcrew, and xerew-thread. 
WOOd-seret (wiid'ser). It. and a. [Also icood- 
Kccr; < itiiodl + xcrc^, .w-«fl.] I. n. The time 
when there is no sap in a tree. Ttis.ter, May's 
Husbandry, st. (>. 
II. ('. Dry; barren. 
Tlie soil ... is a poor wnitrt-nere land, very natural for 
the production of oaks especially. 
Aui/rey, .Misc., p. 211. {Davies.) 
Wood's fusible alloy. See nVon. 
woodshed (wud'shed). It. A shed for keeping 
wood for fuel. 
She looked so much like one of Elfle's own little dolls 
which she had thrown into the woodghed, out of the way, 
that she felt Mhamed. St. .Vicholag, XVIII. 2«8. 
wood-stamp 
WOOdshock ( wiid'shok), II. [See woodchuck^, ap- 
plied to a different quadruped.] The pekan, 
fisher, or Pennant's marten, Mtistela pcitnanti 
or 31. canadensis, also called blark-citf and black- 
tox\ It is the largest and darkest^colored species of the 
genus, inhabiting North America approximately between 
35° and 65° N. lat., in wooded regions of the country ; it is 
from 2 to 3 feet long, the tail over a toot in length ; the 
general color is black or blackish. See pekan, and cut un- 
der jiaher. 
WOOd-shrike (wud'shrik), n. 1. The wood- 
chat. — 2. An African shrike of the genus Pri- 
oitiipn. 
WOOd-shrimp (wud'shrimp), n. A boring or 
terebrant amphipod, of the family Clieltiiidse. 
See cut under Clielura. 
Woodsia (wud'zi-a), n. [NL. (E. Brown, 1815), 
named after Joseph Woodfi, a British botanist.] 
A genus of delicate polypodiaeeous ferns, na- 
tives of high temperate or boreal latitudes. 
They ai-e tufted ferns with the stipes often jointed and 
separating at the joint, and round sori borne on the back 
of simply forked free veins. Tlie indusium is inferior, 
thin, eitlier small and open or early bursting into ilTCgular 
lobes at the top. There are 15 species, of which number 
7 are found in North America. See cut under iiidiadiim. 
wood-skin (wtid'skin), «. A large canoe, used 
by the Indians of Guiana, made from the bark of 
the purple heart -tree and the simari or locust- 
tree. Some of these canoes are large eiiough 
to caiTy from twenty to twenty-five persons. 
Siininoiidn. 
wood-slave (wud'slav), n. A Jamaican lizard, 
MahiiHija iii/ilis. 
woodsman(wudz'man), n.; pi. uoodsmeii (-men). 
One who dwells in or frequents the woods, as a 
wood-cutter, sportsman, hunter, or the like. 
The sturdy wood^maji. 
J. F. Cooper, Last of Mohicans, xxv. 
Things that are common to all woodsmen. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 202. 
An (Iwl and a Duck will resort to the same nest-box, set 
up by a scheming woodsman for his own advantage. 
Emyc. Brit., III. 772. 
The h>g was white birch. . . . H'oodSHWH areat aloss to 
account for its intense and yet chaste flame, since the bark 
has no oily appearance. 
C. D. Warner, Backlog Studies, p. 23. 
Wood's metal. See metal. 
wood-snail (wiid'snal), n. A common snail of 
Gi-eat Britain, Ihlijc ncmoralis. 
wood-snake (wiid'snak), n. Any serpent of the 
family Drtjophidie. 
wood-snipe (wud'snip), «. l. The European 
woodcock, SciiUipax runticnla: so called as dis- 
tinguished from the common snipe of England 
(daHiiuHio media). See first cut under wood- 
cock. [Local, Eng.] 
The wood-xm'pe was considered a stupid bird. 
SI. Jamex Gazette, March 14, 1SS7. (Encyc. Diet.) 
2. The American woodcock, Pliilohela minor. 
See second cut imder icoodcock. [Virginia.] 
wood-soot (wiul'sut), n. Soot from burnt wood. 
It has been found useful as a mamire. 
Wood's operation for inguinal hernia. See 
opcrtilion. 
wood-sorrel ( wud'sor''el), ». A plant of the ge- 
nus t}j-alis. The common wood-sorrel is 0. Acetosetla. 
Tliis is a low steniless species, found in damp deep shade 
through the north temperate zone. Its peduncles bear 
single delicate flowers, the petals white wiMl light-red- 
disli veins. It has the old or local names allehna. cuckoo- 
bread, gtubwort. etc., and it is regarded by some as the 
original Irish shamrock. The violet wood-sorrel, 0. vio- 
lacea, is a similar somewhat smaller American plant with 
violet petals, growing in less sliaded ground. (See cut 
under Oxalii.) O. eorniculata, the yellow wood-sorrel, 
having slender leafy brancliiiig stems which are erect or 
procumbent, with small yellow flowers, grows nearly 
everywhere. 'I'he leaves In this genus contain oxalic acid, 
and have a sonrisli taijle. Several Mexican and South 
American species yield edible tuberous roots. (See oca 
and arracdcha.) Several exotic species are cultivated in 
greenhouses, as O. purpiirala, var. Boitiei, with abundant 
flowers of a deep i-ose-coUir, (K Jtava with yellow flowers, 
and O. renricotor with flowers exhibiting a pink exterior 
when closed, white within, opening only in sunshine ; 
these are all from the Cape of Good Hope. 
wood-sour (wild 'sour), it. [.Also icood-sore, trood- 
xotccr.'i 'J'lio wood-sorrel, (halia Acctosellu ; 
sonietiines, the common barberry, Bcrberis ctd- 
i/ftrin. [I'rov. Eng.] 
wood-spack (wiid'.spak), n. Same as irood-spite. 
[I'rov. Eng.] 
wood-spirit (wiid'spir'it), II. Same as pijroxijiir 
xjiirit. See jti/roxtilic. 
wood-spite (wud'spit), it. [< n-ood^ -i- spife, var. 
of .•ipiii/lil.] The green woodpecker, tlccinusri- 
ritlis. Also \roiid-spavh-. liilliit/ldii/; Ittttj. See 
cut tu\i\er pojiiiijai/. [Prov. Eng.] 
wood-spurge (wud'sp<r,j). 11. Sec .^jittri/c^. 
wood-stamp (wud'sfamp), II. A stamp, en- 
gravcil (11- carved i]i wood, for impressing figures 
or coliirs on fabrics. 
