246 BIRDS OF ONTAllIO. 



PICOIDE8 AMERICANU8 Brkhm. 

 174. American Three-toed Woodpecker. (401) 



Three-toed ; entire upper parts glossy, l)luish-l)lack with a few spots of 

 white on the wing quills ; below, white frf>ni the bill to the tail ; the sides, 

 flanks and lining of the wings, barred with black ; four middle tail feathers 

 black, the rest white. Male : — With a s(^uare patch of yellow on the crown, 

 wanting in the femaJe ; bill and feet, dull blue. Length, 9-10 inches. 



Hab — Northern North America, from the Arctic Regions southward,- in 

 wintei', to the Xoilhern States. 



Nest, a hole in a tree at no great height above the ground. 



Eggs, four or five, creamy white. 



This is a more northern species tliaii the precefHiii,', and is nowhere 

 «o abundant. Tlie two are sometimes seen in company, an«l were 

 found liy Dr. Merriam bree(Hng in the same district in nortliern New 

 York, hut, strange to say, the present species has not been found 

 breeding in Muskoka, where the other is common and resident. 

 During the past two years my friend Mr. Tisflall lias l)een much in 

 the woods in that district, and though he has seen scores of the 

 Black-backed during that time, he has onl}' once met the other. 



Since the above was written, a hunter who was shooting grouse in 

 a diti'erent section of Muskoka from that referred to, promised to 

 .send me any Three-toed Woodpeckers he came across fluring a day's 

 excursion. In due course he sent me sixteen, five of which were of 

 this species. It was late in October, and he most likely came upon a 

 group that had just arrived from the north. Both species are quite 

 rare at Ottawa, Mr. White having obtained only twcj of each. In 

 Manitoba the present .species is said to be very rare. Kicliardson 

 .says it is the most common woodpecker north of the Great ■ Slave 

 Lake. In Alaska the northern form is very common and generally 

 distril)uted, but here again the w ork of subdivision has been going on 

 with vigor. Up to the time of wilting, three species have been made 

 out of the one, and how many more will be producer! time will show, 

 but we are likely to have only tiie original njufrirntnis in Ontario. 



