WOO DPECKE IS. 235

This is a common bird in our Southern States. It inhabits alike coniferous and deciduous growths, but prefers the latter. It ascends a tree in a curious, jerky fashion, accompanying aicli upward more by a hoarse ell tilt—6111211.

412. Colaptes auratus (Lin/1.). FLieitt-zn; llllHl-IIULE; Craps; YI‘ILLUW—ILLHMHRg UoLiiex—wixoim \Voooriceitim. .lvl. (5 .s—Top of the h and ashy gray,a bright scarlet band across the back of the neck; hack, wine‘— coverts, and cxposed part of secondaries brownish gray, barred with black; rump white: primaries black externally, the inner surface of the win}: and

the shafts of the athers yellow; upper tailscm'crts barred or streaked with black and white; tail black abch, yellow tipped with black below, the outer edges of the feathers slightly margined or barred with white: sides of the

ide

head. throat, and upper breast \‘inaeeous; a broad black stripe on either of the throat from the base of the bill, and a broad black crescent across the breast; rest of the, under parts while. more or less tinged with Vinaceous. and thiekly spotted with black. .i«/. 9 .~.<imilar, but without the black streaks on the side of the throat. L., lg‘oo; \\'.. 6'00: T., 4'00; l’)., 14”.

[rumors—sExceptional specimens have a few red feathers in the throat stripes. A male from Louisiana has this mark entirely red and the head gray- ish brown, while another specimen from Toronto has half the tail oran‘re—nsd. These unusual markings are supposed to he d tie to hybridization of our 1‘ lickcr with the western or lied-shafted Flicker, which resembles the eastern species in pattern of coloration. hilt has the crown brownish gray or grayish brown, the throat stripes scarlet, the throat and breast gray. the, under surface of wings and tail dull red. and lacks the red nuehal hand. i.\'ee an impm‘tant paper on the relationships of these birds by Dr. J. A. .\llen, in the Bull. Am. Mus Nat. llist.. i\', 1632. pp. 2144!.

li‘rmg/trvNorth America, west to the eastern slope of the lloeky Mountains and Alaska: breeds throughout its range, and winters from Illinois and Massa—

chusetts southward. \Vusliitlu‘iml, common S. 12., rare “K V. Sing Sing. common 8.1%.. Melt. 2,3 to Oct. 3“: a few winter. (Janihridge. Very common N. 1‘,. common W. \X N's-l, in trees. about ten feet front the ground, frequently in orchards. Eggs, tire to nine, 1‘10 x ‘86.

The habits, notes, and colors of this well-known bird are reflected in the popular names which have been applied to it throughout its wide range. No less than thirty~six of these aliases have been re— corded, and many have doubtless escaped the compiler.

The Flicker is a bird of character. Although a Woodpecker, he ' is too original to follow in the footsteps of others of his tribe. They do not frequent the ground, but that is no reason why he should not humor his own terrestrial propensities, and we may therefore fre- quently flush him from the earth. when. with a low chuckle, he goes bounding off through the air, his white rump showing conspicuously as he flies.