561 W O O D P E C K E R .
9*
REDBREASTED*
W.
D eJCRIJPXION.
of acorns. In Virginia and Carolina they flay the whole year, but
are not feen in fuch numbers as in fummer. During the winter
they are very tame, and' are frequently, known to come into ths
fioufes, in the fame manner as the Redbreaft is wont- to. do in
England.
It is obferved that this fpecies is found chiefly in old trees; and
the noife they make with their bills may be heard above a mile
diftant. It builds the earlieft o f all the Woodpeckers, and generally
pretty high from the ground. It is accounted by many
people very good eating.
Buffin * is of the opinion that it is neceffity alone that caufes
thefe birds to feed on the vegetables of any kind,,as it is. contrary,
to the nature of the genus..
gOM EW H A T lefs than the laft. The bill is'an inch long, and
of a brownifh horn-colour : the head, neck, and breaft, crimfon
: from each noftril is a-line of buff, paffing.under the eye,
where it finifhes : the back part of the neck mixed with dufky:
back and wings black :- feveral of the leffer wing coverts, near tire
outfide of the wing,-are tipped with white, and.others of the greater
coverts have the outer webs white,.making a ftreak of this colour
parallel to and near the edge of the wing :- tnoft of the fcaptr-
lars marked with an obfeure yellowifh.fpot at the tip : the firft
quill feather black, marked on the inner web half way from the
bafe w-ith round fpots of white; the others-fpotted. on both webs
with white; the fecondaries fpotted on the inner web only : under
wing coverts black and white mixed:-the- middle of the belly
* Hiß. <6/ 0*/!-vii.-p. 56*'
- dufky
— iü h w u ii'i'i 'ii 'in I" 1 .......... I, iHi'nn'iiii i i ..... ................ w m i w " a n
duflcy yellowifh white: the Tides of this Iaft colour, mixed with
dulky : the tail and legs were wanting.
This fpecimen came from Cayenne, and is in the colledlion of
'Capt. Davies.
£ I Z E of the greater fpotted Woodpecker: length nine inches. Bill
an inch and a quarter, and of an horn-colour : the head, throat,
-and all the upper parts of the body, are dulky ; the feathers tranf.
•verfely ftreaked and waved with dirty white': the ch in' the fame,' but
paler: the leffer wing ceverts.are like the back, but the greater
ones plain black : the greater quills' are duiky blacky the° outer
■ edges fringed with cream-colour, and the tips of feveral whitilli:
>the fecondaries white, except at the ends, where there are two irregular
bars of black on each-feather; but thefeare not the fame
■ m all, as on fome of the inner ones the fecond bar is wantino- on
the outer webs: the rump, belly, upper and under tail coverts,
are white: the legs are black.
'This is in the collection of Capt. Davies, who received it from
Long IJland. It has, till now, nevfer come under my infpeftion
I have fome-opinion of it being a.female, but of what fpecies cannot
afeertain; am therefore conftrained to place it as a diftinft
Ipecie?, at leaft for the prefent.
£r. Muf.
J^ ENG TH eight inches. Bill one inch, and of a yellow horn-
colour : crown and nape crimfon :. between the bill and eye
red; juft rougd the eye white: fides of the head ftriated black
4 C 2 and
P lace,
io.
WHITE-.
RUMPED
W.
D escription,
Place.
ii.
STRIPEDBELLIED,
w.
D escription.