PICID^ — THE WOODPECKERS. 547 



rado, shot on the 12th of March, 1861. In September, 1863, he found them 

 rather common near the summit of the Sierra Nevada, latitude 39°, where he 

 shot two. It has since been met with at Laramie Peak, and near the mouth 

 of the Klamath Eiver. 



It was found by Mr. Eidgway on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, 

 and again on the Wahsatch Mountains ; in both regions inhabiting the pine 

 forests exclusively, and in neither place at all common. It occurred so sel- 

 dom that Mr. Eidgway could learn but little concerning the peculiarities of 

 its habits, etc. Its common note is a plaintive wailing squeal, much like 

 that of S. varms (common to all the members of the genus), but other notes 

 were heard which were quite peculiar. 



Sphyropicus thyroideus, Baird. 



BROWN-HEADED WOODPECKER. 



Picus thyroideus, Cassin, Pr. A. N. Sc. V, Dec. 1851, 349 (California). — Heermann, 

 J. A. N. Sc. Ph. 2d ser. II, 1853, 270. — Sundevall, Consp. 32. Melancrpes thyro- 

 ideus, Cassin, 111. I, 1854, 201, pi. xxxii. Pilurnnus thyroideics, Bon. Consp. Zygod. 

 Aten. Ital. 1854, 8. Sphyropicus thyroideus, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 106. — 

 Elliot, 111. Birds N. Am. II, pi. — Coues, P. A. N. S. 1866, 54. — Cass. P. A. N. S. 

 1863, 204. — Gray, Cat. 52. — Elliot, B. Am. I, pi. xxxv. — Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 

 1870, 394. ? ? Picus natalim, Malherbe, Cab. Journ. f. Ornith. 1854, 171. 



Sp. Char. About the size of P. varius. Head dark ashy-brown ; general color ashy- 

 brown ; head and neck scarcely marked ; middle line of belly sulphur-yellow ; rump and 

 upper coverts pure white; rest of body apparently encircled by narrow transverse and 

 continuous bands (crossing the wings and tail) of black, the outer spaces becoming whiter 

 behind; a large round black patch on the breast. No red on top of the head. Male with 

 reddish chin. Length, about 9.00; wing, 5.00; tail, 4.10. 



Hab. Cascade and Cgast Ranges of California and Oregon ; Sierra Nevada, Wahsatch, 

 and Rocky Mountains. Localities : West Arizona (Coues, P. A. N. S. 1866, 54). 



In addition to the characters already assigned, the crown of the head is 

 indistinctly streaked or spotted with black. The under coverts are barred 

 with black. The tail-feathers are black, the inner and outer barred trans- 

 versely with white on both webs ; the shafts, however, entirely black. The 

 quills are all spotted with white on both webs. 



The jugular black patch shows more or less indication of the transverse 

 bands, and is sometimes wanting, leaving the bands distinct. In one speci- 

 men (38,285 ? , Laramie Peak) it is remarkably large and almost unbroken, 

 while the black malar stripe is decidedly indicated ; on the back the black 

 bars much exceed in width the light ones, which are nearly white. The 

 generic rictal white stripe is usually inappreciable, as also the black maxil- 

 lary one, although both can be detected in some specimens. 



A young bird is not appreciably different from the adult. 



Habits. Dr. Cooper regards this bird as quite a rare species. He has 

 never met with it, and doubts if it is ever found so far south as San Fran- 



