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General Notes . 
Colaptes auratus. 
Golden-winged Woodpecker. (General.) 
Yellow-ska f ted Woodpecker. (General.) 
Flicker , or Yellow-shafted Flicker. (General.) 
Yellowhammer. (General.) 
High-hole or High-holder. (General.) 
Pigeon Woodpecker. (New York and New England.) 
English Woodpecker. (Long Island ; Newfoundland.) 
Yiicker. (Western New York.) 
Ydwup. (New York ; Pennsylvania.) 
Clape. (New York.) 
Wakeup or Wacup. (Massachusetts ; Long Island.) 
Shad-spirit. (New England coast.) 
Hittock , or Hittuck. (Canada.) 
Fiddler. (Cape Cod.) 
Yellow Jay. (Wisconsin.) 
Piute , or Pee-tit. (New England.) 
Pique-bois jaune. (Louisiana.) 
Yaffle. (Connecticut.) 
Sapsucker , or Sucker. (Florida.) 
Gel Specht] Specht. (Pennsylvania, German.) 
Examining this list, one sees how several of the names might arise. 
The expressions “golden-winged,” “yellow-shafted,” the French “ pique- 
bois jaune,” and the Pennsylvania German name (pronounced gail speycht), 
refer of course to the color of the wing quills, which are very conspicuous. 
“Yellow-hammer” was among the very first names given by the colonists to 
this bird, and, like “ Yellow Jay,” alludes to the color utterly irrespective 
of likeness of form to the namesake in each case. “ English Woodpecker,” 
perhaps, belongs to the same, category. The word “ Flicker” undoubt- 
edly designates its well-known wavering manner of flight, to which the 
alternate appearance and disappearance of the yellow quills gives a twink- 
ling, flickering look. As for “ Pigeon Woodpecker,” I think it arises from 
the peculiar Pigeon-like attitude of this species, which perches across the 
branch, instead of lengthways along it as do other more genuine Wood- 
peckers. “ Highhole,” “ Highholder” and “ Woodwall ” (of which I have 
a note, but no location for) describe the bird’s home, of course; and Sap- 
sucker states the popular idea that that is what all Woodpeckers are doing 
when they move about tree-trunks in search of insect-food. What “Yaffle” 
and “ Fiddler” signify I have no idea. Dr. DeKay remarks concerning 
“Clape” : “some provincial word introduced by the early English colonists.” 
“ Hittock,” though now a Canadian term, appears to have been handed 
down from the Delaware Indians, since Heckwelder says that hittuck was 
the Lin-Lenape word for tree; and also that the Swedes who colonized 
the lower Delaware Valley in the seventeenth century gave the name 
“ Tree-pecker ” to this whole race of birds. In the name “Shad-spirit” 
is embodied a half-superstitious idea of the New England fishermen of 
former days (and it may be until now) that this bird came up from the South 
