368 LAND BIRDS 
The bird uses its bill as a crowbar, rather than as a hammer 
or chisel, prying off the successive scales and layers of bark 
in a very characteristic way. This explains the fact of 
its being such a quiet worker, and, as would be expected, 
it is most often seen near the base of the tree, where the 
bark is thickest and roughest. It must destroy immense 
numbers of Scaly tide, whose larvee tunnel the bark so 
extensively, and of other insects that crawl beneath the 
scales of bark for shelter.” 
400. ARCTIC xTHREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 
Picoides arcticus. 
Famity: The Woodpeckers. 
Length: 9.00-10.00. 
Foot with three toes, two pointing forward and one backward. 
Adult Male: Crown patch yellow ; upper parts iridescent bluish black ; 
wings finely spotted with white; outer tail-feathers white; under 
parts white; sides barred with black ; forehead and sides of head 
black and white. 
Adult Female: Like male, but without yellow on crown. 
Young: Like adult, but crown patch smaller; under parts brownish ; 
upper parts dull black. 
Geographical Distribution: Northern North America from the arctic 
regions through the Northern United States. 
California Breeding Range: In the Sierra Nevada as far south as Lake 
Tahoe. , 
Breeding Season: May and June. 
Nest: Usually in dead trees, 8 to 10 feet from the ground. 
Eggs: 3to 4; white. Size 0.95 X 0.71. 
“THE Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker is essentially a 
bird of the pine, spruce, fir, and tamarack forests, and 
is rarely seen in other localities. It is generally a resi- 
dent, rarely migrating to any distance, and probably 
breeds wherever found. . . . Its sharp shrill ‘ chirk, chirk ’ 
