SOUTHERN WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER 105 



Valley. Two have been collected at Okanagan, British Columbia, 

 one on December 20, 1911, and the other on January 24, 1914. 



Egg dates. — California : 53 records, April 24 to June 16 ; 27 records, 

 May 22 to June 7, indicating the height of the season. 



DRYOBATES ALBOLARVATUS GRAVIROSTRIS (Grinnell) 



SOUTHERN WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER 

 HABITS 



Dr. Joseph Grinnell (1902), in describing and naming the wliite- 

 headed woodpecker of the mountain ranges of southern California, 

 gave as its characters: "Similar to Xenopicus albolarvatus but bill 

 much heavier, and size in general slightly greater." He named it 

 as a distinct species, on the theory that "the material at hand does 

 not justify subspecific treatment of these two forms. Geographical 

 continuity of ranges possibly exists; but it seems quite as likely that 

 there is a broad hiatus in the vicinity of Tehachapi Pass, whence I 

 can find no record of the white-headed woodpecker." 



The range of this form includes the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, 

 San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, and Cuyamaca Mountains in southern 

 California. Dr. Grinnell (1908) found this woodpecker rather scarce 

 in the San Bernardino Mountains, and says : "They were seen only in 

 the Transition zone, none being observed above the fir belt, and but 

 very few down into pure yellow pine tracts. In the vicinity of Fish 

 creek, 6,500 feet, a few pairs were breeding in June. On July 5, 

 1905, 1 found a nestmg hole seven feet up in a dead pine stub, which 

 contained four half -fledged young. We did not see the species any- 

 where higher than 8,000 feet, except on the south slope of Sugarloaf , 

 where on July 11, 1906, one was seen among the silver firs at about 

 9,000 feet altitude. About Bluff lake they were more common than 

 anywhere else, and a few were seen on the northern slopes of Sugar- 

 loaf at about 8,000 feet, in August." 



W. L. Dawson (1923) writes: "In the San Jacmto Mountains, 

 where these white-heads outnumber all other woodpeckers combined, 

 our attention was drawn, on the 6th day of June, by a male who 

 tittered anxiously as we stumbled along the rough trail. We camped 

 on the prospect immediately, but it took a full hour to trace the 

 'damage' to a hole fifty feet up in a yellow pine stub, which was tlu'ee 

 feet through at the base. * * * 



"We found a clean-cut round hole, one and a half inches in diameter, 

 which gave admission to a cavity ten inches deep, and which had for 

 its outer wall only the thick bark of the tree." 



Frank Stephens wrote to Major Bendire (1895) : '■'■Xenopicus albo- 

 larvatus is a resident of the pine regions of southern California, but 

 is not common excepting possibly in a few localities. I have never 



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