BIRDS— PICIDAE — PICUS NUTTALLI. 93 



PICUS NUTTALLI, Gambel. 



Nnttall's Woodpecker. 



Pleus nultalli, Gambel, Pr. A. N. Sc. I, April, 1843, 259, (Los Angeles, Cal.) 



Pints scalaris, (Wagl.) Gambel, J. A. N. Sc. Ph., 2d ser. I, Dec. 1847, 55 ; pi. 9, f. 2, 3, (not of Wagler.) 



Picus wilsmiii, Malherbe, Rev. Zool. 1849, 529. — Bonap. Conspectus, 1850, 138. 



Piciis (TricAopicus) wilsonii, Bonap. Consp. Zyg. Aten. Ital. 1854, 8. 



Sp. Ch. — Back blaek, banded transversely with white ; not, however, as far forward as the neck. Crown black, with 

 white spots. Occiput and nape crimson. Tufts of leathers at the base of the bill white. Sides of the head black with two 

 white stripes, one above the eye and passing down on the side of the neck, the other below and interrupted by the black. 

 Under parts smoky yellowish white, spotted on the sides of the head with black. Predominant character of the three outer tail 

 feathers white, with three, two, or one spots on the outer web near the end. Length about 7 inches ; wing, 45. Female with 

 the top of the head uniform black. 



Hab. — Coast region of California. 



Third, fourth, and fifth quills nearly equal and longest ; second intermediate between the 

 seventh and eighth. General color above black, barred transversely with white on the back, 

 rump, and flanks ; the upper surface of tail and tail coverts, and a broad patch on the upper 

 part of the back about half an inch long, pure black. The white bands measure about .12ths 

 of an inch, the black about twice as much. The top of the head is black, each feather with a 

 short streak of white ; on the extreme occiput and the nape is a transverse patch of crimson, 

 each feather having a white spot just below the crimson. The crimson patch is usually as far 

 from the base of the bill above, as this is from its point. The sides of the head may be described 

 as black ; a white stripe commences on the upper edge of the eye, and passing backwards 

 margins the crimson, and extends on down the side of the neck to a patch of white, apparently 

 connected with its fellow on the opposite side by white spots. Another narrow white stripe 

 commences at the nostrils, (the bristles of which are whitish,) and passes as far as the occiput, 

 where it ceases in the middle of the black of the cheeks. There are thus two white streaks on 

 the side of the head bordering a black one passing through the eye. The under parts generally 

 are white, with a dirty yellow tinge. The sides of the breast and body are faintly streaked with 

 black ; the flanks barred with the same. The under coverts are barred with black. 



The three outer tail feathers are yellowish white, with two or three interrupted bars of black 

 on the posterior fourth. The other feathers are black. ■ 



The female has the crown entirely black, without red" or white spots. In one specimen only, 

 (4471,) possibly a young male, the black of the crown is spotted with white. In another, 

 (6116,) doubtless a young male, the whole crown is red, spotted with white. 



One specimen (5400,) from Petaluma, has the black of the back and sides of the head much 

 more intense, encroaching very greatly on the white markings, which are much reduced. The 

 spots on the sides of the breast are also larger and darker. 



Specimens vary a good deal in the length of the wing. 



This species has some resemblance to Picus borealis, in the transverse white bands on the 

 back and the black spots of the breast. The latter is, however, much larger ; the sides of the 

 head white, with a black stripe from the bill, the crown pure black, with only a slight trace of 

 crimson on the side of the occiput. 



The immature bird, apparently of both sexes, has the feathers of the crown tipped with red, 

 as in most young woodpeckers, with or without white at the base of the red. In this stage of 

 plumage it has much resemblance to Picus scalaris, but is otherwise distinct. The light 



