CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 35 1 



about Sitka, Alaska, in the dense forest a mile or more back from 

 the beach. (Grinnell.) While cafer seems to be exclusively an 

 eastern species, saturaiior cannot be said to confine itself to the 

 coast; examples from local areas of great rainfall in the interior 

 being indistinguishable from ordinary Vancouver island specimens. 

 (Rhoads.) 



Hybrid Flicker. 



All the Colaptes of the Upper Missouri, Yellowstone and Milk 

 rivers appear to be of the hybrid race in which there is every degree 

 of departure from the characters of typical auraiiis. The change 

 begins on the Middle Missouri, as low down, I think as Fort Randall, 

 and certainly as low as old Fort Pierre. It is a point of interest 

 that this mongrel style overruns into the Saskatchewan region; 

 for of two specimens secured at the eastern base of the mountains, 

 one had the red quills and ash throat of mexicanus, and the cheek- 

 patch mixed with red, while the other was nearly pure auratus. 

 (Coues.) 



This form was found breeding in the same locality and under 

 the same conditions with pure auratus, in holes in Acer Negundo on 

 Walsh ranch, near the mouth of Old Wives creek. May 30th, 1895. 

 The nest contained four eggs indistinguishable from those of the 

 eastern species. Others were seen at Medicine Hat, Sask., in 1894 

 and a number shot. Specimens were taken at Sucker creek, west 

 end of Cypress hills, July ist, 1895; later in the season it was seen 

 at Castellated Rocks in southwestern Saskatchewan, in the Milk 

 river valley; on July 26th others were seen at Lee creek, near 

 Cardston, Alta., and still later at Waterton lake, almost where 

 Dr. Coues saw the species in 1874. Numerous specimens were 

 taken at Revelstoke, B.C., in the spring of 1890. These varied 

 from almost pure auratus to pure cafer collaris. Two specimens 

 were shot having all the characters of collaris, but each had a cres- 

 centic patch of red on the nape of the neck. 



Two of the so-called hybrid flickers have been taken at Toronto, 

 Ont. ; one is in the collection of Mr. Ernest Seton, the other is in the 

 collection of Mr. Geo. E. Atkinson. (/. H. Fleming.) In the spring 

 of 1897 I collected several specimens of flicker at Portage la Prairie 

 that were clearly hybrids showing the markings of C. cafer very con- 



