on some of the North American Woodpeckers. 55


tree-stem and nuts, and plenty of time and. space, in some large

aviary.


Another Woodpecker “out West” is Lewis’s Woodpecker

(Asyndesmus torquatus), a bird about 11 in. long ; the upper parts,

wings and tail are black, shaded with the rich metallic blue, green

and bronze lustre of a Magpie’s tail; a greyish collar and breast

shading to red and a red face and cheeks distinguish this bird very

easily—the red colour is rather a dark crimson, not scarlet red, as in

most of the other Woodpeckers.


We saw one of these birds in the Yosemite Valley one after¬

noon, but it was difficult to see well, as it was feeding high up in

some tall pines ; and it was also very hard to follow it, for, though

the spring was far advanced, there was deep snow on the ground in

many places.


There are a few distinctly northern species, such as the

Black-backed Woodpecker ( Picoides arcticus), a rather rare bird, and

the Banded Woodpecker ( Picoides americanus ), which has a white

stripe with black-tipped feathers the whole length of its hack, some¬

what like the stripe on the hack of a Hairy Woodpecker, only minus

the long feathers. A variety of this bird, with a pure white stripe

(var. dorsalis ), belongs to the Rockies. In flying they look practically

identical.


There are several more Woodpeckers, natives of North

America, which unfortunately I have not seen, or that I have only

caught sight of for a moment, so that I cannot describe them from

personal observation. Among these is Williamson’s Woodpecker

(Sphyrapicus williamsonii ), one of the most beautiful, a white and

glossy black fellow with a good deal of yellow on the underparts,

and a small crimson thi’oat-patch.


The Yellow-faced Woodpecker ( Centurus aurifrons) has com¬

paratively little black, and is chiefly yellow, red and white. Its

range is southwards, from Texas.


Gila’s Woodpecker ( Centurus uropygialis) is peculiar to the

Colorado and Gila Valleys. There are several more, both smartly

plumaged and interesting, but whose habitat is so very limited that

their manners and customs must be studied “ on the spot.”


All the American Woodpeckers well repay study with field-



