618 : OHIO BIRDS. 
oppose our views, for, though quite varied in plumage, their range during the breed- 
ing season is nearly coextensive. 
Of the remaining Families, the Blue-bird, Sialia sialis, resembles the Robin in develop- 
ing color areas from the spotted type. The Brown Creeper, C. familiaris, Shore 
Lark, H. alpesiris, Vitlark, A. ludovicianus, retain the streaked type of plumage and all 
breed north of us. 
In some instances interesting comparisons may be made between two species of the 
same or allied genera. In Family Laniide we have two species and one variety. The 
Northern Shrike, C. borealis, differs in color from the Loggerhead, C. ludovicianus in 
having its under-parts waved, the black bar of the side of the head not meeting its 
feliow across the forehead and bordered above by a hoary white line, the extreme fore- 
head in the Loggerhead Shrike being black, not bordered above with white, and the 
under-paris unbarred white. The young of ludovicianus, however, like the young of 
borealis, is barred above and below. This barring disappears first from the upper parts, 
but specimens otherwise in adult plamage are sometimes plainly barred below. Young 
ludovicianus often lacks any indication. of the black frontlet, and sometimes it is de- 
veloped on one half the forehead only. The base of the bill is light colored below, 
and altogether the young of the Loggerhead bears a greater resemblance to the adult 
Northern Shrike than to its own parents. 
In a comparison between the Red-headed Woodpecker. M. erythrocephalus, a species of 
southern distribution, and with the exception of the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, P. varius, 
the most migratory in habit, and the Flicker, C. auratus, a species of more northern 
distribution, and more nearly resident with us, we find some unexpected points of resem- 
blance. The adult Red-headed Woodpecker has well defined color areas and both sexes 
are alike. The Flicker presents a spotted plumage below and bars above, both types in 
their most perfect development. In the young of the Red-headed Woodpecker we find 
the under-parts spotted and the upper-parts obviously barred. The spots and bars soon 
disappear trom the under and upper-parts of the body but on the distal half of the 
secondaries the bars remain for one or two years, acquiring the individual perfection at- 
tained by the bars on the secondaries of the Flickers, the most distal bar being the lasi to 
disappear. The red of the Red-headed Woodpecker first appears as a narrow crescent 
on the nape, which is followed by a spot on the breast, and another extending from 
the auriculars a short distance down the side of the neck. These red spots occupy 
respectively the situation of the nuchal crescent, the pectoral crescent and the maxillary 
patches of the male Flicker. Soon after this developement of plumage the young leave 
for the south and the changes immediately following are unknown to me. In the 
spring the birds return with a red head and more or less perfect black pectoral cresent, 
traces of which are seen until it arrives at its highest plumage, if not sometimes per- 
manently, and one or two black bars on the secondaries. So that it appears the Red- 
headed Woodpecker passes through a pattern of plumage similar to that which is per- 
manent in the Flicker. 
We have considered the relation of the spotted, barred and streaked patterns of plum- 
age in connection with young and adult birds, and northern and southern birds. The 
question may now be asked, Is there a similar relation of developement between the 
patterns themselves? We have examined them in the order of the families in which we 
found the most extensive presentation of each pattern. Is tbere anything to indicate 
that the spotted pattern is a more highly developed pattern than the streaked? 
In other words is there any reason, from the pattern of plumage alone, why the typical 
thrushes with ten primaries should s'and first in the arrangement of our birds, or should 
