124 Merriam on Birds of Lewis County, New YorJc. 



this State from the South in the early part of May, and, after breeding, 

 leaves us again in September ; occasionally a few remain during the win- 

 fer." * Hence it is not to be wondered at that when, during the winter of 

 1871 - 72, 1 mentioned to one of our leading ornithologists the fact of their 

 wintering with us in Northern New York, my statement was received 

 with surprise and, as I thought, no little incredulity. I therefore wrote 

 to my friend, Mr. C. L. Bagg, asking him to send me a lot of Ked-headed 

 Woodpeckers as soon as possible, and in a week's time received a box con- 

 taining over twenty specimens, — all killed in Lewis County and when 

 the snow was three feet deep I This was proof positive. Notes kept by Mr. 

 Bagg and myself during the past six years show that they were abundant 

 here during the winters of 1871 - 72, 1873 - 74, 1875 - 76, and 1877 - 78 ; 

 while they were rare or did not occur at all during the winters of 1872 - 73 

 and 1876- 77. Their absence was in no way governed by the severity of 

 the winters, but entirelj' dependent upon the absence of the usual supply 

 of beechnuts. While the greater portion of nuts fall to the ground and 

 are buried beneath the snow far beyond the reach of the Woodpeckers, 

 yet enough remain on the trees all winter to furnish abundant subsistence 

 for those species which feed on them. 



I have previously called attention to the fact that in this locality " they 

 subsist almost exclusively on beechnuts, of which evidently they are ex- 

 tremely fond, eating them, apparently with equal relish, whether green or 

 fully matured. It is truly a beautiful sight to watch these magnificent 

 birds, together with their equally abundant cousins, the Yellow-bellied 

 Woodpeckers {Splujraincus varius), creeping about, after the manner of the 

 Warblers, among the small branches and twigs, which bend low with their 

 weight while picking and husking the tender nuts, — the bright crimson 

 of the head, neck, and breast, the glossy blue-black back and creamy- white 

 belly, together with the scarcely less striking colors of their yellow-bellied 

 companions, contrast handsomely with the deep green foliage," * — a scene 

 suggestive of the oft-dreamed-of avian paradise amidst the rich verdure 

 of the tropics rather than the cold forests bordering the Canadian Fauna. 

 Then, as they spread their beautiful wings and in graceful undulatory 

 flight pass from wood to wood, their bright plumage glistening in the sun, 

 and, alighting on the farther side of some convenient tree, peep cautiously 

 about to see if intruders are near, one is so wrapped in admiration that he 

 wishes the days of sorcery and magic had not yet gone, tliat he might be 

 transformed into one of these splendid birds. 



They are suspicious creatures, and if danger threatens, utter a hoarse 

 rattling cry, not at all in harmony with their pretty exterior, and are ofif 

 in an instant. If slowly and stealthily approached, they sometimes hesi- 



* Ornithology of New York, p. 185, 1844. 

 t Birds of Connecticut, p. 66, 1877. 



