91 [Bryant. 



It differs in no respect from the other specimens examined by me, and 

 determined to be identical with Swaimonii and Bairdii. It is smaller 

 than the average, but in the ]-)roportions of the primaries and in color 

 almost identical with No. 13,228. Another specimen in the cabinet 

 of the Institution, No. 22,567, from the head waters of the Anderson 

 River, is stiU darker and smaller than any specimen previously seen by 

 me, but does not differ in its proportions from the others. 



The following is a description of the color of this specimen : 



Above dark purplish brown, the base of the feathei's whitish on 

 the forehead, showing as a narrow, ill-defined white line next the bill. 

 The borders of all the feathers on the back and scapulars paler without 

 any purphsh gloss; upper tail coverts barred with paler; primaries 

 dark brown with a shght purphsh gloss, almost black towards the tips of 

 the outer ones, rather hoary on the outer webs and becoming lighter on 

 the inner webs towards the base and faintly barred with hghter ; sec- 

 ondaries and tertiaries brownish with numerous irregularly broadly 

 V-shaped marks, the angle towards the base ; tail hoary brown, 

 barred with darker, and tipped with lighter, the subterminal bar quite 

 broad, the number of bars seven. 



Beneath purplish brown, the margins of the feathers of the throat 

 whitish at the base, showing slightly through the dark ; tibiae purplish 

 brown very distinctly barred with purplish rufous ; crissum du'ty white, 

 barred with brown and with the tips of the feathers pale rufous ; tail 

 hoary with the brown bare very distinct ; under surface of wings slaty 

 brown, becoming nearly white towards the base of the quiUs and barred 

 with lighter except towards their tips. 



This bird has as good a claim for specific rank, if color in this genus 

 is considered as a rehable test, as B. insignatus or Bairdii ; this however 

 is not my opinion, and the examination of the additional specimens 

 received by the Smithsonian Institution since the publication of the 

 paper referred to only serves to strengthen the theory there advanced 

 that Harlani ?, Swainsonii, Bairdii and insignatus are all varieties of one 

 species. 



Remarks on Sphyropicus varius Linn. By Henry Bryant, 

 M. D. 



It has long been known that some of our smaller woodpeckers pick 

 out portions of the sound bark of trees, particularly of apple trees, 

 where there are no larvae and apparently no inducement for them to 

 do so. What their object is has never been satisfactorily established. 

 In Massachusetts I am not aware that tlicse holes are ever sufficiently 

 large or numerous to cause any material injury to the apple trees; they 

 are generally seen in circles round the limbs or trunks of small irregu- 

 larly rounded holes, and in this vicinity are made almost exclusively by 



