230 Bendire on the Habits of the Gniiis Sphyrapictts. [Julv 



Range in Oregon and Washington Territory, passing tlience 

 northward through British Columbia well into Alaska. In the 

 winter it is found in the mountains of Southern California, but I 

 do not believe that it breeds there. In my various travels 

 throughout the interior of Oregon, Nevada, Washington and 

 Idaho, covering over fifteen years, I never met with this bird till 

 the summer of 18S2, when I was ordered to take station at Fort 

 Klamath, located near the northern end of Klamath Lake, in the 

 southwestern part of Oregon. Here I found the Red-breasted 

 Sapsucker an abundant summer resident, and I have no doubt a 

 few of these birds winter in the more sheltered portions of the 

 deep canons of the lower Klamath River region. They are 

 among tlie earliest birds to arrive in the spring. The first bird 

 of this species shot by me in the spring of 1SS3 ^^'^ obtained on 

 March 13, and I have seen a few as late as November. On one 

 of my collecting trips, the morning of April 4, 1883, while riding 

 through a patch of pine timber near Wood River, the principal 

 stream running through the centre of Klamath Valley, I noticed 

 a flock of these birds, at least twenty in number. They were 

 very noisy, apparently glad to get back to their summer homes, 

 and seemed to have an excellent time generally, ftying from tree 

 to tree and calling to each other. 



As I wanted a couple of specimens, I was compelled to disturb 

 their jollification ; those procured were both males, and pre- 

 sumably the entire flock belonged to this sex. By April 20 

 they had become very common, and some pairs at least were 

 mated and had already selected their future domiciles — in every 

 case a good-sized, live aspen ti'ee. The males miglitat that time 

 be heard in almost all directions drumming on some dry limb, 

 generally the dead top of one of these trees. They scarcely 

 seemed to do anything else. At least five pairs nested within 

 half a mile of my house, and I had excellent opportunities to ob- 

 serve them. vSome birds, apparently more industrious than 

 others, would not be satisfied with one burrow, and excavated 

 several, sometimes all in the same tree ; others contented them- 

 selves with a single one. It is possible that the extra ones, after 

 being begun, were abandoned, either being found to be too damp 

 inside, or for some other cause unknown to me, or they may 

 have been made by the male for his own use to pass the nights 

 in, and be close to his mate in case of danger, or again, just to 



