550 THE BIRDS OV' MANITOBA — THOMPSON. 



137. Picoides americanus. American Three-toed Woodpecker. 



Very rare, but probably general in the north and east. Winnipeg : 

 very rare (Hine), I have taken this bird on the Brokenhead River, 

 also on the Winnipeg (R. H. Hunter). Rat Portage, October 21, 1880, 

 saw what I took for Picoides americanus (Thompson). This bird exists 

 in all the forests of spruce-fir lying between Lake Superior and the 

 Arctic Sea, and it is the most common woodpecker north of Great 

 Slave Lake (Richardson). Severn House (one specimen), the common 

 Three-toed Woodpecker (Murray). Hudson's Bay (Hutchins). 



138. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bell iod Sapsucker. 



Common summer resident of wooded section ; plentiful at Pembina, 

 where it was breeding in Jane ; again seen on the Mouse River; not 

 observed furtlier north (Ooues). Winuipeg: Summer resident ; abun- 

 dant (Hine). Shoal Lake: May 20, 1887 (Christy): Abundant around 

 Lake Manitoba and westward; specimen shot at Manitoba House, and 

 Swan Lake House, June and July, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry : Com- 

 mon summer resident ; breeding (Thompson). Shell Riv^er: 1885, first 

 seen a pair on May 3; a transient visitor; not breeding (Calcutt). 



On June 20, 1883, at the spruce bush, I found the nest of a Sap- 

 sucker. It was in a new hole in a green poplar tree, about 30 feet 

 from the ground. It contained five newly hatched young, and in the 

 chamber with them were some of the shells, out of which I recon- 

 structed two eggs. The male, length 8^, stomach full of ants, the fe- 

 male, length 8|, stomach full of ants, her bill also, was full of black 

 ants, intended probably as food for the young ones, excessively fat, 

 no red feathers at all except three or four scattered on the front of 

 . the crown, which was black. The eggs were each {'^ by | and pure 

 white. 



On July 3, in spruce bush, with M. C. found the nest of a Sap- 

 sucker. It was about 20 feet from the ground in a poplar, and facing 

 the southeast. Just over the hole was a large limb, which would 

 doubtless be of some service as a shelter from the rain. I shot the 

 female ; her crown was black, with but a very few red feathers in the 

 front, and some of these were tipped with yellow. The gizzard was full 

 of wood ants (Fornica rufa). 



139. Ceophlceus pileatiis. Pileated Woodpecker. Cock of the woods. 



Rare; resident in heavy timber. Winnipeg: Summer resident ; toler- 

 ably common at Lake Winnipeg and Lake of the W^oods (Hine). Sel- 

 kirk (Gann). Swami)y Islands: Tolerably common resident; breeds 

 here(Plunkett). Nelson River (Brewer). Veryrare summer resident; 

 saw one that had been shot in the woods near the White Mudd River 

 at Westbourne in 1887 (Nash). The species was seen on Swan River, 

 September 2, 1881 (Macoun). Common in the woods between Winni- 



