BIEDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 291 



hb. Rump (sometimes upper tail-coverts also) barred or spotted with white; back 

 mostly white, this with usually a longitudinal instead of transverse disposi- 

 tion; sides and flanks less heavily barred; forehead with whitish prevailing, 

 or at least conspicuously spotted with white; white supra-auricular streak 

 distinct, usually conspicuous, 

 c. Smaller (wing averaging 116.8 in adult male, 113 in adult female); white of 

 back more or less broken by black bars; white spots on inner web of inner- 

 most secondaries smaller. (Hudsonian zone of Alaska and Mackenzie and 

 southward over Hudsonian highlands of British Columbia and western 



Alberta.) Picoides americanus fasciatus (p. 295). 



cc. Larger (wing averaging 123.3 in adult male, 121.5 in adult female); white of 

 back continuous, not broken (or very rarely and to slight extent) by black 

 bars; white spots on inner web of innermost secondaries larger. (High 

 coniferous forests of Rocky Mountains, from southern Idaho and Montana 



to New Mexico and Arizona.) Picoides americanus dorsalis (p. 297). 



aa. Back wholly black. (Northern New England, northern New York, northern 

 Michigan, and northern Minnesota to southern Ungava, central Keewati'n, south- 

 ern Mackenzie, central Yukon, and southern Alaska, west, through higher 

 mountains of western South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada, to the 

 Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges.) Picoides arcticus (p. 298). 



PICOIDES AMERICANUS AMERICANUS Brehm. 



THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 



Adult male. — Crown yellow (light wax yellow or dull light gamboge 

 to saffron); forehead black, more or less spotted with dull white, 

 especially on posterior portion (next to yellow of crown); rest of 

 piieum, together with loral, orbital, and auricular regions and hind- 

 neck, unifonn glossy blue-black, sometimes with an indication of a 

 narrow postocular or supra-auricular streak of white, often with 

 whitish spots or streaks on occiput (next to yellow of crown); rest 

 of upper parts dull black or sooty black, the lower hindneck mth 

 more or less of white (sometimes forming a rather distinct but broken 

 collar), back and upper rump barred or transversely spotted, along 

 median portion, with white, the outer webs of remiges also spotted 

 with white, except proximal secondaries, the innermost of which 

 have white spots along edge of inner web; two lateral normal rec- 

 trices, on each side, with distal half or more white, the third exten- 

 sively white terminally, this white more or less stained with brownish, 

 especially on distal portion; nasal tufts Hght grayish brown, finely 

 streaked with black, this sometimes predominating on lower or ter- 

 minal portion; a more or less distinct rictal streak or narrow stripe 

 of white, passing beneath orbital and auricular regions; beneath this 

 a more or less broad malar stripe of glossy black or blue-black, usually 

 more or less broken by white tips to the feathers; under parts white, 

 the sides and flanks broadly barred with black, the anterior portion 

 of sides (sides of breast) with bars more irregular, sometimes broken 

 into spots and streaks; bill grayish horn color, -the mandible paler 

 (pale yellowish gray) ; feet dark grayish horn color (in dried skins) ; 



