554 OltNITIIOLOdV. 



i|uir.(' ;i.s li\<-ly aiid of an t"(j!;ally playliil disjjositiou. Some of its actions, 

 liowcvor, are very curious, the most remarkable of them being a certain 

 elevated flight, performed in a peculiar floating manner, its progress ajjpa- 

 rently laborious, as if struggling against the wind, or uncertain, like a 

 bird wliieli had lost its course and become confused. At such a time it 

 presents the appearance of a Crow high in the air, while the manner of its 

 fligiit is strikingly similar to that of Clarke's Nutcracker (Picicorvus colum- 

 bidHHs — see page 51 G). After performing these evolutions to its satisfaction, 

 it descends in gradually contracting circles, often to the tree from which it 

 si arted. 



When a nest of this species in an oak tree was disturbed, the parents 

 were observed to alight ui)on a large horizontal branch, and now and then 

 cautiously look over at the intruder, at the same time uttering a faint rattling 

 or twittering note. When frolicking among the trees the notes of this 

 species are a faint shrill scream and a rattling twitter, somewhat like the 

 notes of M. erythrocephalus, but much weaker. 



List of specimens. 



76, S ad.; Sacramento City, California, Juno 22, 1807. lOJ— 20^— C§— 5A— IJ— J 

 — •'* — 13- Bill, fli'op'purplislislatc; iris, deep hazel; tarsi and toes, pale aslivblue. 



77, 9 ad. (mate of No. 70); same locality and date. 10}3— 205_(i_j0^__r)i_ly',_:| 

 — '^'i — li- Same I'emarks. 



501, <? ad.; Car.son City, Nevada, April 29, 18G8. llg_213— 7— nj. IJiil, black ; 

 ilia, hazel; tarsi and toes, olivaceous- blue. 



924, 5 at?.; Upper Humboldt Valley (Camp 24), September 12, 18GS. 11|— 21i 

 — (f) — ^^. Bill, slate black, deeper terminally; iri.s, burntsieuua ; tarsi and toes, 

 rather dark ashy. 



MeLANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS. 



Rfd-lioadcd Woodpecker. 



Picus erythrocephalus, Linn., iSyst. Nat., 1, 17(i(i, 174. 



Mclanerj>es erythrocephalus, SWAINSON, Fauna Bor. Am.,- II, 1831,310. — Baird, 



Birds N. Am., 1858, 113; Cat. N. Am. Birds, 1859, No. 94.— Coopek, Oru. 



Cal., I, 1870, 402.— CotTKS, Key, 1872, 100; (^heck List, 1S7.3, No. ;309; Birds 



N.W., 1874, 2!»().— B. 15. & ]{., Hist. N. Am. Birds, II, 1874, 504, pi. LIV, tig. 



4 — Henshaw, 1875, 398. 



A single individual of this common eastern species was seen near Salt 

 Lake City in June, 1869, the one in question being observed among the 



