554 OIJNITHOLOGY. 



quite as lively and of an eijtialh- playful disposition. Some of its actions, 

 liowever, are \<tv curious, the most remarkable of them being a certain 

 elevated flight, [)erfornied in a peculiar floating manner, its progress appa- 

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

 bird which 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 

 flight is strikingly similar to that of Clarke's Nutcracker (Picicorvus colmn- 

 bianus — see page 516). After performing these evolutions to its satisfaction, 

 it descends in graduall}' contracting circles, often to the tree from which it 

 slarted. 



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

 were observed to alight upon a large horizontal branch, and now and then 

 cautiously look over at the intruder, at the same time uttering a foint 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 31. erythroceplialus, but much weaker. 



List of specimens. 



7G, i ad.; Sacramento City, California, June 22, 18G7. lOf— 203_G|— 5J— 1^— f 

 — 3i — Ig. Bill, deep purplisbslate; iris, deep hazel; tarsi and toes, pale asb.v-blue. 



" 77, ? ad. (mate of No. 7G) ; same locality and date. 10f|~20|— 6y9__5j_i^3^_a 

 — 3| — li. Same reraark.s. 



5G1, i ad.; Oarsou City, Nevada, April 29, 1868. llf_213_7— 5§. Bill, black ; 

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



i)2i, Sad.; Upper Humboldt Valley (Camp 24), September 12, 18G8. Hf— 21.J 

 — (?) — 511. Bill, slate black, deeper terminally ; iris, burnt-sienna ; tarsi and toes, 

 rather dark ashy. 



MeLANERPES ERYTHROCEPnALUS. 

 Red-headed Woodpecker. 



Picus erythroccphalus, Linn., Syst. Nat., I, 176G, 174. 



Melanerpes erythrocephalus, SwAiNSON, Fauna Bor. Am., II, 1831, 31G. — Baird, 



Birds N. Am., 1858, 113; Cat. N. Am. Birds, 1859, No. 94.— Cooper, Orn. 



Cal., I, 1870, 402.— COXTES, Key, 1872, 19G; Check List, 1873, No. 309; Birds 



N.W., 1874, 290.— B. B. & R.,'nist. N. Am. Birds, II, 1874, 5(i4, pi. Liv, fig. 



4.— Henshaw, 1875, .398. 



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

 Lake City in June, 1«69, the one in question being observed among the 



