544 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



averaging about seven thousand feet ; and even when pine woods were near 

 the aspens were invariably chosen as nesting-places. Its excavations were 

 always in living trees, and the abandoned ones were taken possession of by 

 Purple Martins and White-bellied Swallows {Progne subis and Tachydneta 

 hicolor) as nesting-places. In winter it was found among the cottonwoods 

 and willows of the river valleys. Its habits, manners, and notes are de- 

 scribed as almost perfectly similar to those of S. varvus. 



Sphyropicus varius, var. ruber, Baikd. 



THE RED-BREASTED WOODPECKER. 



Ficusnibcr, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 429. — Waglee, Syst. Av. 1827, No. 151. —Aud. Orn. 

 Biog. V, 1839, 179, pi. ccccxvi. — Ib. Birds Am er. IV, 1842, 261, pi. cclxvi. — SuN- 

 DEVALL, Consp. Pic. 32. Melanerpes ruber, Rich. List, Pr. Br. Assoc, for 1835. — 

 BoNAP. List, 1838. — Ib. Consp. 1850, 115. Pilumnus ruber, Bon. Consp. Zyg. Aten. 

 Ital. 1854, 8. Ficus flaviventris, Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 67. Sphyrojncus 

 ruber, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 104. —Cooper & Suckley, 160. — Gray, Cat. 

 51. — Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 392. Cladoscopus ruber, Cab. & Hein. Mus. Hein. 

 IV, 1863, 82. 



Sp. Char. Fourth quill longest ; third intermediate between fourth and fifth. Bill 

 brown wax-color. Head and neck all round, and breast, carmine-red. Above black, 

 central line of back from nape to rump spotted with whitish ; rump, wing-coverts, and 

 inner web of the inner tail-feathers white, the latter with a series of round black spots. 

 Belly sulphur-yellow, streaked with brown on the sides. Narrow space around and a 

 little in front of the eye black. A yellowish stripe from the nostrils, a short distance 

 below and behind the eye. Length, about 8.50 ; wing, 5,00 ; tail, 3.40. Sexes similar. 



Hab, Pacific slopes of the United States. 



As stated in the remarks before the synopsis on page 1133, there is every 

 reason for considering this as merely a geographical race of a species, of 

 which nuchalis and varius are the other forms. The differences from varius 

 consist merely in an excessive amount of red, this obliterating the normal 

 pattern of the cephalic portions ; and in an increased amount of black, or a 

 manifestation of the melanistic tendency so often distinguishing birds of the 

 Pacific coast region from their eastern co-specific representatives. 



S. nuchalis is exactly intermediate in all respects between S. ruber and >S'. 

 q)arius, — the extremes, — while each of the latter is connected with the in- 

 termediate race by specimens combining the characters of both races. 



Habits. The geographical distribution of this form seems to be restricted 

 to the Pacific coast region. 



Dr. Cooper only met with these birds three times in Washington Territory. 

 This was in spring and fall. He speaks of them as being very shy, silent. 

 and retiring, remaining among the dense tops of the dark forest trees. 

 Whether it resides and breeds in the Territory he had no means of deter- 

 mining. Dr. Suckley saw but one specimen, and regarded it as confined, for 

 the most part, to the close vicinity of the coast. 



