522 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



continuous across, sometimes tlie others ; always interrupted along the 

 shaft, and even reduced to rounded spots of black on one or both webs. No 

 distinct bands are visible on raising the crissum. The black patch on inner 

 web of outer tail-feather near the base increases on the second and third, 

 on the latter leaving the end oidy with an oblirjue white patch. The bands 

 on the under surface have a tendency to a ti-ansvei*sely cordate and inter- 

 rupted, rather than a continuous, linear arrangement. 



Young birds have the wliole top of head red, as in P. scalnris, witli or 

 without white at the base of the red. The white nasal tufts and otiier 

 characters will, h()we\er, distinguish them. 



This bird, thougli widely different in appearance from smlaris, may never- 

 theless, witlujut any violence, be regarded as but one extreme of a species 

 of which the lighter examples of sccdaris (hairdi) are the other, the tran- 

 sition towards nuttalli being tlu'ough var. scalaris, var. graysoni, and var. lu- 

 casanus, each in that succession showing a nearer approach to the distincti\-e 

 features of mdtalli. We have not seen any intermediate sjiecimens, how- 

 ever. The ijure white instead of smoky-brown nasal tufts, and their greater 

 development, are the only characters which show a marked difference from 

 the varieties of seed avis ; but the other diiferences are nothing more than 

 an extension of the black markings and restriction of the red in the male, 

 the result of a melanistic tendency in the Pacific region. 



Habits. This species was first discovered by Dr. Gambel near Los An- 

 geles, Cal., and described by him in the Proceedings of the Philadeljihia 

 Academy. Afterwards, in his ])aper on the birds of California, published in 

 the Academy's Journal, mistaking it for the P. sccdaris of "Wagler, he fur- 

 nished a fuller description of the bird and its habits, and gave with it illus- 

 trations of both sexes. So far as now known, it appears to be confined to 

 the regions in California and Oregon west of the Coast Range, extending as 

 far south as San Diego, representing, in its distribution on the Pacific, the 

 P. borecdis of the Atlantic States. One specimen in the Smithsonian collec- 

 tions was obtained on Umjiqua Eiver, in Oregon Tenitory ; the others at 

 Santa Clara, San Francisco, Petaluma, Bodega, and Yreka, in California. Dr. 

 Woodhouse says, in his Peport on the birds of the Zuiii and Colorado expe- 

 dition, that he has only seen this bird in California, from which region he 

 has examined numerous specimens. Dr. Heermann, in his EejJort on the birds 

 of Lieutenant Williamson's expedition, states that tliis AVoodpecker is occa- 

 sionally found in the mountains of Northern California, but that it is much 

 more abundant in the valleys. Dr. Gambel found it abundant in California 

 at all seasons. He describes it as having the usual habits of Woodpeckers, 

 familiarly examining the fence-rails and orchard-trees for its insect-fare. 

 He found it breeding at Santa Barbara, and on the 1st of May discovered a 

 nest containing young in the dead stump of an oak, about fifteen feet from 

 the ground. The hole for entrance was remarkably small, but inside appeared 

 large and deep. The parents were constantly bringing insects and larva?. 



