376 CLIMBING BIRDS— SCANSORES. 



Male, with a niiclial scarlet ci-est eoviTing the white of the back of the head ; want- 

 ing in the female. Iris bruwnish-red ; bill slate-colored ; feet dark gray. 



Young, with whole top of head red. 



Ilah. From the Pacific Coast to the eastern slope of the Rocky Slountains. 



This is chiefly a Northern bird, frequenting the forests of all kinds up to 

 the summits of the Sierra Nevada, but also resident as far south as Santa 

 Barbara, descending to the eastern Ijranches of the Colorado Eiver in winter 

 (Kennerly), and to Tejon Pass. 



I found a pair excavating a burrow in a stump not more than four feet 

 above the ground. May 4, 186.3. I enlarged the opening, hoping to find 

 eggs, as the old liirds were very solicitous, but was disappointed, and did not 

 examine it again, supposing tliat they would certainly desert the place. I 

 found them more common in the higher Coast Range near Santa Cruz, but 

 they become still more so towards the Columbia Ei\'er. 



The cry of this species is louder tlian that of most of the small wood- 

 peckers, and it is rather shy, especially if it thinks itself pursued. Like 

 most other .species, it feeds at time.s on fruits and berries, and sometimes 

 visits gardens. It is one of the " sap-suckers " also, though, like P. Gdinlmri 

 it probably does more good than harm in the orchard liy destroying the 

 larvffi of insects burrowing in the bark, and also the perfect insects that are 

 depositing the eggs from which the larvre are hatched. 



It is much to be questioned whether this species is any more than a West- 

 ern variety of Picns rillosvs, the common hairy woodpecker of the Eastern 

 States, differing from it in the absence of many of the white spots of the 

 winos. 



