278 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



the northern wilds, seemingly very rare, (Knight). Washington; not un- 

 common, rare summer resident, (Boardman). 



Though seemingly more rare than the preceding species 

 in Maine it occurs in about the same places under practically 

 the same conditions. This species is rather silent and does 

 not give utterance so constantly to the peculiar "w-e-e-a" or 

 "w-e-e-k" with which the Arctic species announces its coming 

 and going. 



In general its nesting habits and food do not differ from 

 the former. Three to five glossy white eggs are laid in a hole 

 excavated in some tree or stub, the time of laying being in 

 late May. Major Bendire gives the average dimensions of 

 the eggs as 0.91 x 0.70. 



Genus SPHYRAPICUS Baird. 



402. V( Sphyrapinis varius (Linn.). Yellow-bellied Sap- 

 sucker; Yellow-bellied Woodpecker; Red-throated Sapsucker; 

 Squealing Woodpecker; Whining Woodpecker. 



Plumage of adult male : top of head and the throat red ; above black or 

 blackish, barred irregularly with much yellowish white on back, and the 

 wings white spotted ; wing coverts nearly white ; outer tail feathers with 

 white margins, inner ones white with broken black bars ; white line from 

 bill to below eye ; breast black and sides streaked with black ; belly yellow. 

 Plumage of adult female: throat white; outer tail feathers with partial 

 white bars ; otherwise much like male. Immature plumage : crown blackish, 

 breast brownish gray, black barred, throat whitish; otherwise similar to 

 adults. Wing 4.90 ; culmen 1.00. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America ; breeding range from Massachusetts 

 northward to Quebec, Great Slave Lake, Fort Simpson, North and South 

 Dakota, Indian Territory and Texas ; wintering from New York (rarely) and 

 southern Missouri to the West Indies and Central America; accidental in 

 Greenland. 



County Records.— Androscoggin; fairly common summer resident, (John- 

 son). Aroostook ; very general and quite common summer resident, (Knight). 

 Cumberland; common summer resident, (Mead). Franklin; common sum- 

 mer resident, (Swain). Hancock; common summer resident, (Knight). Ken- 

 nebec; common summer resident, (Sanborn). Knox: migrant, (Rackliff). 

 Oxford; breeds commonly, (Nash). Penobscot; common summer resident 

 of proper localities, common migrant, (Knight). Piscataquis; abundant 

 summer resident, (Whitman). Sagadahoc; common migrant, (Spinney). 



