ee "THE RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. 
coverts heavily barred, or marked chiefly in hastate pattern, with black. Bill and 
feet slaty black; iris brown. Adult female: Like male but carmine nuchal patch 
reduced or wanting; throat-patch reduced by white of chin. In young birds the 
areas of red are much reduced (wanting except on crown?) the throat being 
clouded with dusky instead. Length about 8.50 (215.9); wing 5.00 (127) ; tail 
3.20 (81.3) ; bill 1.00 (25.4). 
Recognition Marks.—Chewink size; highly variegated black, white, and red 
(and sometimes tinged with yellow below) ; red throat-patch defined by black (or 
white above in female) distinctive. 
Nesting.—Nest: A gourd-shaped excavation in decaying wood of live aspen 
tree, 5 to 30 feet up; entrance 11% inches wide; hole 8-10 inches deep; no lining. 
Eggs: 3-6, white, moderately glossed, ovate to elliptical ovate. Av. size, .go x .67 
(22.9x 17). Season: June 1-15; one brood. 
General Range.—Rocky Mountain and adjacent ranges from Arizona and 
New Mexico north to about Lat. 54° in Alberta and British Columbia; west to 
eastern slopes of Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon and to the 
Sierra Nevada; in winter south to Lower California and Mexico; casual in 
Kansas. 
Range in Washington.—In general, in the hilly country of the northeastern 
part of the State and in the Blue Mountains; commonly along river bottoms in 
Stevens County; rare or casual on eastern slopes of the Cascades. 
Authorities.—Bendire, Auk, Vol. V. July, 1888, 226. Sr?. J. 
Specimens.—Prov. C. 
THE western variety of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker differs only slightly 
from the eastern bird in appearance, and not at all in disposition. Of varius I 
have already said*: 
Before the maple sap has ceased running, our woods are invaded 
from the south by a small army of hungry Sapsuckers. The birds are 
rather unsuspicious, quiet, and sluggish in their movements. Their com- 
mon note is a drawling and petulant kee-a, like that of a distant Hawk; 
but they use it rather to vent their feelings than to call their fellows, for 
altho there may be twenty in a given grove, they are only chance associates 
and have no dealings one with another. Starting near the bottom of a 
tree, one goes hitching his way up the trunk, turns a lazy back-somersault 
to reinspect some neglected crevice, or leaps out into the air to capture a 
passing insect. The bulk of this bird’s food, however, at least during the 
migration, is secured at the expense of the tree itself. The rough exterior 
bark layer, or cortex of, say, a maple, is stripped off, and then the bird 
drills a transverse series of oval or roughly rectangular holes through 
which the sap is soon flowing. The inner bark is eaten as removed and 
the sap is eagerly drunk. It is said also that in some cases the bird relies 
upon this sugar-bush to attract insects which it likes, and thus makes its 
ae) Binds sof Ohio,2) |p. 350: 
