MELANEIIPES FORMrCIVOIlUS— JI. TOHQUATUS. 553 



MeLANERPES FORMICIVOUUS. 

 Cnlifoi-iiiu Woodpecker. 



Picusfotmicii-orus, SWAIKSON, Svuo|). liiids MfX , I'liilos. Ma;;., I, l.SliT, 4;j'J. 



Melanerpes formieivorus, BoNAP., Cousp., 1, 1850, 115.— Baikd, B. N. Aui., 1858, 

 114 ; Cat. N. Am. B., 1859, No. 95.— Cooper, Orii. Cal., 1, 1870, 403.— CouES, 

 Key, 1872, 197; Check List, 1873, No. 310.— B. B. & It., Uist. N. Am. B., 11, 

 1874, 5GG, pi. Liii, figs. 1, 2.— liENSHAW, 1875, 399. 



This handsome Woodpecker was observed only among the oaks in tlie 

 Sacramento Valley, where it sported among- the trees along with Yellow- 

 billed Magpies and Valley Jays {C'ljanocitta californica). We had no oppor- 

 tunity to observe its habits closely. 



Melanerpes torquatus. 



Lewis's Woodpecker. 



Pic%i8 torquatus, Wilson, Am. Orn., Ill, 1811, 31, pi. 30, fig. 3. 



Melanerpen torquatiiii, Bonap., Coiisp., f, 1850, 1 15. — Baird, B. N. Am., 1858, 115; 

 Cat. N. Am. B., 1859, No. 90.— Cooper, Oin. Cal., 1, 1870,400.— B. B. & R., 

 Hist. N. Am. B., 11, 1874, 501, pi. Liv, fig. 5.— Uenshaw, 1875, 397. 



Asyndesmus torquatus, CoUES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18G6, 5G; Key, 1872. 197; 

 CbecU List, 1873, No. 31 1 ; B. N.W., 1874, 291. 



This very remarkable Woodpecker was found along the entire route, 

 from Sacramento eastward, but only in certain widely-separated localities. 

 It prefers the scattered trees of plains, or the mere edge of the denser 

 forests, and was consequently found most abundantly among the oaks of 

 the Sacramento Valley and the scattered pines along the eastern base 

 of the Sierra Nevada. None were seen among the cotton-woods of the 

 Truckee or Carson Rivers, Avhile only a few were noticed among the very 

 large aspens in the lower canons of the East Humboldt Mountains, as well 

 as in similar groves along the streams of the Upper Humboldt Valley. 

 None were observed in the Wahsatch or Uintah Mountains, nor in the Salt 

 Lake Valley. We cannot account for this apparent irregularity of its dis- 

 tribution, which is somewhat parallel to the case of Pica hudsonica in the 

 same region. 



In its general habits and manners this beautiful species resembles quite 

 closely the eastern Red-headed Woodpecker (ilf. cnjthrocvphalus), being 



