112 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
I am informed by Mr. Sclater, by letter, that Malherbe lias recently described this species as 
Zebrapicus haupi. I have not been able to find this description, but it is subsequent to my 
own. It is again indicated by Pucheran as Centurus hypopolius of Wagler ; but a comparison 
with the description in Isis shows that this is not the case, as there is nothing corresponding to 
the black superciliary streak there indicated. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex and 
age. 
Locality. 
When collect¬ 
ed. 
Whence obtain¬ 
ed. 
Orign’l 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Remarks. 
3 
o q 
3 
9 
9 
Bill Williams’ Fork, N. M 
_do_ . . 
Feb. 16,1854 
Feb. 13,1854 
Lt. Whipple... 
__do. 
Lt. Parke_ 
171 
99 
Dr. Kennedy_ 
Mollhausen __ 
9.50 
9.50 
Eyes, black.. 
Eyes, brown. 
6127 
4568 
6129 
Gila river_do_ 
Dr. Heermann. 
_do_do_ 
Maj. Emory... 
22 
A. Schott_ 
Gila river, Fort Yuma.. 
MELANERPES, Sw inson. 
Melanerpes, Swainson, F. B. A. II, 1831, (type M. erythrocephalus.) 
■Melampicos, (section 3,) Malherbe, Mem. Ac. Metz, 1849, 365. 
Bill about equal to the head ; broader than high at the base, but becoming compressed imme¬ 
diately anterior to the commencement of the gonys. Culmen and gonys with a moderately 
decided angular ridge ; both decidedly curved from the very base. A rather prominent acute 
ridge commences at the base of the mandible, a little below the ridge of the culmen, and pro¬ 
ceeds but a short distance anterior to the nostrils, (about one-third of the way,) when it sinks 
down, and the bill is then smooth. The lateral outlines are gently concave from the basal 
two thirds; then gently convex to the tip, which does not exhibit any abrupt bevelling. 
Nostrils open, broadly oval; not concealed by the feathers, nor entirely basal. The outer pair 
of toes equal. Wings long, broad ; third and fourth quills longest. Tail feathers broad. 
The species all have the back black, without any spots or streaks anywhere. 
The species of Melanerpes found in the United States all differ from each other very much in 
color—thus, while the M. torquatus has a much more compressed and curved bill than M. erythro¬ 
cephalus, the wings are much longer, reaching to within half an inch of the end of the tail; 
the entire under plumage has the fibrils stiffened and separated, except at the base—a feature 
I have never seen in other species, ill. formicivorus agrees again with torquatus in length of 
wing, but the bill is even stouter than that of erythrocephalus. 
The species may be distinguished as follows : 
Head and neck all round red; rump and belly white ; a broad white band across the 
middle of the wing. M. erythrocephalus. 
Crown red. Forehead and rump white. No white on the wings. Sides of head, chin, 
• and a broad pectoral band black. A collar on the throat, passing up in front of the 
eyes into the frontal band white, tinged with sulphur yellow. M. formicivorus. 
Above greenish black. Forepart and sides of the head, with belly, red; breast hoary 
gray, extending round on the back of the neck.,. .. M. torquatus. 
