RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 
227 
coverts, white streaked with black. Outer web of outer, tips, terminal portion of next pair, and inner webs of central pair, 
also barred with white and all, but the central pair, are tipped with yellowish-white. Top of head, occiput, and nape, 
scarlet-vermilion, lighter on the forehead, and extending down on the sides of the lower neck, while the feathers of the 
upper back are sometimes tinged with it. Sides of head and under parts, including under tail coverts, light-slaty over¬ 
washed with yellowish and tinged on the sides of the head, chin, along the lower breast, and on the abdomen with scarlet 
which is brightest on the latter named portions. The feathers of the under tail coverts have a central stripe of black. 
Under wing coverts, white, barred with dusky. Bill, black. Feet, greenish-brown. 
Adult female. Very similar to the male, but the top of the head is slaty like the under parts, while the occiput and 
nape are scarlet-vermilion and the forehead is tinged with it. Usually the red tinging below is not as conspicuous and 
there is rather more white on the tail. The flanks are marked with arrow-shaped spots of dusky. 
Young male. Similar to the adult but quite brown on the wings and lower back. There is very little, or no, white 
tinging below but the yellowish overwashing is quite strong and the tipping of the tail is nearly orange. The flanks are 
considerably spotted. 
Young female. Not strikingly unlike the adult, but brown above as in the young male and shows but little tinging 
below, and even the yellowish overwashing is scarcely perceptible. 
Nestlings. Birds in this plumage retain the pattern of the marking of the next stage, but they are quite yellow below 
and streaked in a band across the back with dusky. The scarlet of the top of the head is not as bright. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Specimens vary considerably in amount of red below; the highest plumaged male that I have selected out of a large 
series, is tinged with this color over the entire under parts, excepting on the throat. The primaries are usually edged with 
white, especially in the younger stages. Readily known from all others by the description as given. 
Besides those given, the following specific characters may be added: there are no laryngeal muscles, excepting the sterno- 
trachealis which is stout. The tympaniform membrane is present and although there is an os transversale, yet it does not 
support a semilunar membrane. The oesophagus is without dilatation and opens into a small proventriculus which meas¬ 
ures about ’25 in external diameter. The gastric glands are simple and placed in a zonular band which measures '40 in 
width. The stomach is rather globular in form with thin walls that measure '18 in thickness, and the lining membrane is 
soft. The fold of the duodenum is not long and incloses a wide, though short, pancreas which has only one lobe but this is 
divided by several incisions which are of varying depth. The spleen is a spherical body lying partly on the proventriculus. 
The left lobe of the liver is only about one half as large as the right. A noticeable character may be seen in the peculiar, 
lateral extension of the greater pectoral muscles which protrude very much beyond the costal border of the sternum, (see 
plate XVII). 
This species is distributed throughout the Eastern Section of the United States, from Key West to Connecticut, but is 
not common north of Pennsylvania. They are constantly resident in the Carolinas and south of them, but are migratory 
further north. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of eighteen specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 9 - 67; stretch, lfi‘1'2; wing, 4 - 65; 
tail, 3 - 37; bill, 1 • 10; tarsus, - 87. Longest specimen, 10 - 60; greatest extentofwing, 1725; longest wing, 5 - 30; tail, 3‘75; bill, 
1’20; tarsus, POO. Shortest specimen, 8 - 75; smallest extent of wing, 15'00; shortest wing, 4‘00; tail, 3’00; bill, POO; tarsus, 
•75. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed in gourd-shaped holes, usually excavated in living trees. Dimensions, diameter of external orifice, 2 - 00, 
greatest internal, 5'00. Internal depth, 14'00. 
Eggs, four or five in number, elliptical in form, pure, polished pearly-white in color, unspotted. Dimensions from 
P04x-80 to-95x-75. 
HABITS. 
The first time that I ever met with a living specimen of this fine Woodpecker, was at 
Jacksonville on the thirty-first of December, 1868, the same morning that I had the ex¬ 
perience with the Bridge Pewee which I have related; in fact, the next shot that I fired 
after killing one of those Flycatchers, brought down a male of the birds which we have 
under consideration. Thus in examining the lovely plumage of the Woodpecker, I speed¬ 
ily forgot the slight disappointment which I had felt for, as I have intimated, it was the 
