-,32 NOItTlI A^^EI{lCAN lUIiDS. 



wiiitiT or ill Mai'L'li. Twu wen; takoii near Saloiu in November. It is also 

 a rare winter visitant near Hamilton in Canada. 



Mr. Ilidt^way met with liut a single individual of this species during his 

 We.-;terii exidoiations. This was sliot in Feliruary, near ( 'arson City, Xevada ; 

 it was Imsily enga,gcd in [lecking upon the trunk of a large pine, and \vas 

 peri'ectly silent. 



Mr. -lohii K. Lord obtained a single sjiecinien of this bird on tlie summit 

 of the Cascade Mountains. It was late in Sej)U'm1ier, and getting cold ; the 

 bird was living restlessly from tree to tree, but not searching lor insects. 

 Both when on the wing and when clinging to a tree, it was continuiiUy 

 uttering a shrill, ])liiini ive cry. Its favorite tree is the I'iiuis (■(iiifurtu, Mdiich 

 grows at great altitudi^. It is found chicily on hill-tops, while in the val- 

 leys and lower plains it is reidaced by the I'lmiiJis Jiirxntns. 



Kggs of this species were obtained liy Professor Agassiz (Ui the northern 

 shore of Lake .Superior. They were sliglitly ovate, nearly s|)liorical, rounded 

 at one end and abrui)tly pointed at the other, of a crystal wiiiteness, and 

 measured .'Jl of an inch in length by .70 in breadth. 



An egg received from j\Ir. Krieghofl' is small in proi)ortioii to the size 

 of the bird, nearly spherical in form, and of a uniform dull-white color. It 

 measures .1)2 of an inch in length by .76 in breadth. 



Picoides tridactylus, var. americanus, Brehm. 



THE WHITE-BACKED THBEE-TOED WOODPECKER. 



Picus hirsntiia, Vikili.ot, Ois. Am. Si']it. II, 1807, 08, jil. c.xxiv (Europcnii .specimen). — 

 Waolkii, Syst. Av. 1827, Xo. '27 (iiiixi'd witli ii,iilii!(ih(s). — An>. Oni. liio;,'. V, 1839, 

 184, pi. tcicxvii. — In. liiids Aii.'r. IV, 1M2, pi. trlxix. — NriT.u.i,, Mmii. I, (2di'd.,) 

 18 40, 022. A/ilcniKuJtii-sii/iii), Iki.v. List. I'iniiilfn Idrmtlitu, lUllin, Hinls N. Am. 1858, 

 98. — S.\Mi'El,.s, 9"). f Pnim iiiiduhilim, ViEll.Lin', Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 09 (Ijnsed 

 on PI. cnl .")"i3, fictitious .siiccii's ?) PicK.i muhitiiK, TicMM. Pkus uitdomi.t, Crv. R. A. 

 1829. -151 (all liascd on .saiiio figure). Triiladiiliu undahitu, V\n. k IIi.iN. Mils. Ilein. 

 IV, 2, 1803, 28. Piciia Iridnclifhi.i, Sw. F. Hoi-. Am. 1831, 311, iil. hi. Pkokbs 

 timi-riciiiiii.i, ni!i:iiM Viif,'i'l Dciitsililiiiid.s, 1831, 195. — M.vi.iiF.Kiii:, .Mmi. Picidit, I, 

 170, pi. xvii, 30. — .Sii.AiKi;, Catiil. — (iii.w, t'at. Br. Mus. Ill, 3, 4, 1808, 30. Jp- 

 (criiiin niiifrkuiiii.'i, Swainson, Class. II, 1837,300. Picii.i (imciicuiiii.i, i^\simv.\U,, 

 C'oiisp. Av. Pirin. 1800, 15. Pimides dursalis, Baiiu), Birds N. Am. 1858, 100, jil. . 

 Ivxxv, f. 1. — CiKii'Kl!, Oiu. Cal. I, 18/0 (under P. (iiiirn'cdniis). Tridtictijlia dorsaUs, 

 ('All. & III IN. PiniK dorsal' . Srsiir.VAI.L, C'oiisp. 1800, 14. 



Sp. CiiAii. Tilarli aliDvi'. Tlio back iiiaikiiiL's of while, traiisvor.se in summer, and 

 longitudinal in winter; tlip.so extend to tlic rump. wliicU i.>< sninetinie.s almost wholly 

 white. A white line Ironi hehind the I've, wideninu' on the nape, and a broader one 

 under the eye i'roni the loral reffion, but not extending on the forehead ; oeeipiit and sides 

 of head unirorin black. (,tuills. but not coverts, sjiotted on l)otli wel)s with wjiite. .seen on 

 inner wclis of inner sccDndarie.s. I'lider parl.s. ini-iiiding erissuiii, white : the sides, iiiehid- 

 iiig axillars and liniiii; lA' wing, banded transversely willi black. Expo.si'd portion of outer 

 three tail-feathers white ; that nf tiiird niiicli less, and simietinies with a narrow tip of 

 black. T'p])er lail-eoverls .soiiieluiies lip]ied with white, and oeeasioually, but very rarely, 



