432 THE RKI) X AI'ED SAPSUCKER. 



coverts heavil)- barred, or marked chiefly in hastate pattern, with black. Bill and 

 feet slaty black; iris brown. Adult female: Like male but carmine nuchal patch 

 reduced or wanting; throat-patch reduced by white of chin. In young birds the 

 areas of red are much reduced (wanting except on crown?) the throat being 

 clouded with dusky instead. Length about 8.50 (215.9): wing 5.00 (127); tail 

 3.20 (81.3); bill i.oo (25.4). 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; highly variegated black, white, and red 

 (and sometimes tinged with yellow below) ; red throat-patch defined by black (or 

 white above in female) distinctive. 



Nesting. — Nest: A gourd-shaped excavation in decaying wood of live aspen 

 tree, 5 to 30 feet up; entrance i^i inches wide; hole 8-10 inches deep; no lining. 

 Eggs: 3-6, white, moderately glossed, ovate to elliptical ovate. Av. size, .90 x .67 

 (22.9x17). Season: June 1-15; one brood. 



General Range. — Rocky Mountain and adjacent ranges from Arizona and 

 New Mexico north to about Lat. 54° in Alberta and British Columbia; west to 

 eastern slopes of Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon and to the 

 Sierra Nevada: in winter south to Lower California and Mexico; casual in 

 Kansas. 



Range in Washington. — In general, in the hilly country of the northeastern 

 part of the State and in the Blue Mountains ; commonly along river bottoms in 

 Stevens County; rare or casual on eastern slopes of the Cascades. 



Authorities.— Bendire, .\uk, \'ol. Y. July, 1888, 226. Sr'. J. 



Specimens. — Prov. C. 



THE western variety of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker differs only slightly 

 from the eastern bird in appearance, and not at all in disposition. Of ivriiis I 

 have already said"* : 



Before the maple sap has ceased running, our woods are invaded 

 from the south by a small army of hungry Sapsuckers. The birds are 

 rather unsuspicious, quiet, and sluggish in their movements. Their com- 

 mon note is a drawling and petulant kcc-a, like that of a distant Hawk; 

 but they use it rather to vent their feelings than to call their fellows, for 

 altho there may be twenty in a given grove, they are only chance associates 

 and have no dealings one with another. Starting near the bottom of a 

 tree, one goes hitching his way up the trunk, turns a lazy back-somersault 

 to reinspect some neglected crevice, or leaps out into the air to capture a 

 passing insect. The bulk of this bird's food, however, at least during the 

 migration, is secured at the expense of the tree itself. The rough exterior 

 bark layer, or cortex of, say, a maple, is stripped oft', and then the bird 

 drills a transverse series of oval or roughly rectangular holes through 

 which the sap is soon flowing. The inner bark is eaten as removed and 

 the sap is eagerly drunk. It is said also that in some cases the bird relies 

 upon this sugar-btish to attract insects which it likes, and thus makes its 



'Birds of Ohio,' 



