044 



NOliTIl AMKKICAN 15IKL.^ 



aver. i;^! 11 j^' a1)uut seven tliousaiul feet ; and even wlien j)ine woods were near 

 the aspens wen* iiixaiialtly chosen as iiestiiiLi-}»hiees. Its excavations were 

 alwavs in livinij trees, and the abandoned <»nes wert^ taken possession o(" hv 

 Tiirph' Martins and \Vhite-l>ellied SwaUows {Pmnnr suhis and TiirJijuincfa 

 biiv/or) as nestinu-j»hices. In winter it was toiiiid anioiiir t)ie cottonwoods 

 and willows ot" the river valh'vs. Its hahits, inanners, and notes are de- 

 scribed as almost perfectly similar to those of tS, cartas. 



Sphyropicus varius, var. ruber, I^aikd. 



THE BED-BBEASTED WOODFECKEB. 



Picusruhrr, Cm. Syst. Nat. I, 17t*S, \-l\K - \Va(;lki:, S\,st. Av. Is27, No. 1.")!. — Aid. «>rn. 

 r.io^'. V, is:{<>, I7s>, j,l. .caxvi. — Ii!. iJinls Ann r. IV, 1^4•J, iV.l, ]•!. crlxvi. - Sin- 

 DKVAi.i., rousp. Pic. :Jl*. M^hnnrix. nihr, Um ii. List, I'r. l*>r. Asso.-. for 1835. — 

 BoNAi'. List, 1838. — Ir.. (ousji. l '-(i, n."». I'lhihiniia nibir, lioN. C'oiisj*. Zy<^. Atcu. 

 ItaL 18.')4, 8. Pirns (fftvitrnfris, ViKiii.ur, Ois. Am. Sept. H, lSa7, i\7. Sphiiropkus 

 rulHi; I)Aii:i>, Uinls X. Am. I8r.8, lu4. — ( <h.ii.i: i'v SrcKi.r.v, 1(><>. — (Jkay, Cut. 

 51. — ('(MU'EU, Orn. (al. \, 187«>, 3l»2. ('hahtsoiinis rnhrr, Cak. t't IIf.in. Mus. Jlt-in. 

 IV, 18(;3, 82. 



Sp. CiiAU. Fourth (iiiill loiiircst; third iiitornnMhatf hciweon fourth and I'll'tli. Bill 

 brown Avax-eolor. Head and nerk all round, and hrc.'ist, canninc-rtMl. Aliovc Mack, 

 central lin«; of hack iVoni najic to runij) spotted with whitish ; ruinp. \\ inir-covcrts. and 

 inner wet) of the inner tail-feat hcis white, the latter with a series of round hlack spots. 

 In-lly sulithur-yellow. streaked with hrown on the sides. Narrow space around and a 

 little in front of the evti black. A yellowish stripe from the nostrils, a short distance 

 below and hehind the eye. Lenirth, about S.."jO ; wiiiix. o.OO ; tail, 3.40. Sexes similar. 



Had Pacific slopes of the I'nited States. 



As stated in the remarks l»efore the synopsis on page ll.S.S, t^ e is . ""' 

 reason for consiilering this as merely a geoorai)hical race of ,. species, of 

 which luulndis and ntrifs are the other forms. The ditferei!ces from varius 

 consist merely in an excessive amonnt of red, this obliteratino- the normal 

 pattern of the cephalic portions ; and in an increased aniotint of black, or a 

 manifestation of the inelaiiistic tendency so often distingnishing birds of the 

 Pacific coast region from their eastern co-si>eciric representatives. 



X iuf('h((/is is exactly intermediate in all respects between >S'. ri/hr and S. 

 Tarius, — the extremes, — while each of the latter is connected with the in- 

 termediate race by s])ecimeiis combining the characters of both races. 



Habits. Tlie geographical distribution of this form seems to be restricted 

 to the Pacific coast reoioii. 



Dr. Coojier only met with these binls three times iti AVashington Territory. 

 This was in sjuing and fiiU. He speaks of them as being very shy, silent, 

 and retiring, remaining among the dense to])S of the dark forest trees. 

 Whether it resides and breeds in the Territ(^ry he liad no means of deter- 

 mining. Dr. Suckley saw but one specimen, and regarded it as confuied, for 

 the most ]iart, to the close vicinity of the coast. 



