544 NOUTH AMKUICAN 151 UIK 



avci'iijiiiij^' a1)oiit seven thnusiiiul toot ; and ovon wliou pine woods wore near 

 tlic ii.spL'U.s wori! imiiriiilily clioson as iiostiiig-placos. Its excavations wore 

 always in living trees, and tlie abandoned oni's were taken intssession of by 

 riu'iile .Martins and Wliite-lielliod Swallows {Proi/iir siibis and Tacliijcincia 

 hicolor) as nestiiii^-jilaces. In winter it was i'onnd amoiij^ the eottonwoods 

 and willows of the river valley's. Its haliits, manners, and notes are de- 

 scribed as almost perfectly similar to those of *S'. curias. 



Sphyropicus varius, \ar. ruber, IJaikd. 



THE BED-BSEASTED WOODFECKEB. 



Pku^ riihn: Om. Syst. Nat. I, 17t<!^, tii'.i. - WAia.Ki;, Syst. Av. 1S27, No. 1.")!. — Aid. Oni. 

 liidj,'. V, l.s:i'.), 17!', 111. (ifc.wi. In. Minis Aiiiri'. IV, 1S42, -JC)!, )il. cclxvi. Sr.s- 

 ])KVAI.l., Cdiisp. I'll'. :V1. Mr/diirr/iis niliii; lilcll. Ij.st, I'r. I!r. Assor. I'oi' lS:!."i. — 

 IJoxAl'. I.i.st, 1S38. — 111. ('iiiLsp. IN'iii, ll.'i. I'ihnimm riibi-r, Ho.v. t'oiisp. Zvf,'- Atcii. 

 Ital. 18.')-), 8. I'i'-HS Jhiviiriitrh, Vll'.M.l.oT, Oi.s. Am. Sept. 11, 1S(l7, (17. SiiliitrapicitK 

 riihn; It.vntii, liiids X. Am. lti,')><, 1U4. -('(mpi'i.I! .^ SirKi,i;v, liiii. (Jkay, Cut. 

 ;')!. — ('oiil'Kl!, (till. Cal. I, lf<7(i, 'M'l. ('/ni/iisrii/iiix riihi-r, ('All. .t IIkin. .Mii.s. Ilcin. 

 IV, l.S(i3, S-.'. 



Sp. CiiAH. I'duitli (piill loiiLTc.'^t ; third iiilciiiiiMliati' lictwccii loiirlli anil I'll'th. JJill 

 brown wa.x-colcii-. Ilcml ami ncrk all round, and liri'a.-^t, (;arininc-r('d. Almvi' blai-k, 

 (•(•nirai lim^ ol' hack Iroin nape to riiin|) .•^potted witii wliiti.sji ; iiiinp. \vinu'-i'ovci't.<, and 

 inner wcl> of (he inner tail-leal liers white, the latter with a .series ol' ronml black .spots. 

 IJellv siilphnr-yellow. streaked with brown on the sides. Narrow .space around and a 

 little in I'ronl ol' the I'ye black. A yellowi.sh stripe tioiii the nostrils, a sborl distaiieo 

 below and behind the eye. Lenj;tli, about S..'jO; winj;, 5.1)0 ; tail, .'i.lO. .Se.\cs similar. 



IIaii Paeilic .slopes of the riiiled Slale.s. 



As stated in the remarks before tlie synopsis on pa^e ll.'iS, tliore is every 

 reason for eonsiderinjf this as merely a geooraphieal race of a .species, of 

 wliieli nnc/i(i/is and rurii's are the other form,« The dilferences from ran'iny 

 consi.'^t merely in an e.xeessivo amonnt of red, this oiditeratino- tlit! normal 

 ])attern of tlie cephalic i)ortions; and in an inerea.sod ammmt of black, or a 

 manifestation of the melanistic tendency .so often distino-ni.sliiiio- birds of tiic 

 racifie coast ri\i,non from their eastern eo-siieci(ic rei)re.sentatives. 



(S'. iiHrli(t/ix is e.Kaetly intermediate in all respects between >S'. nihrr and »S'. 

 Tiiriiis, — the extremes, ^ wliile eacii of the latter is connected with the in- 

 termediate race by sjiecimeiis comliinino; tin; eliaracters of botli raises. 



llAinrs. Tiie oeoiri';i])hical dislril)iition of tiii;; form seems to be restricted 

 to the I'acitic coast region. 



Dr. ('oo])er only met with these ')irds three times in Wasliin^ton Teriitory. 

 This was in sprino and AiU. He si)eaks of them as beiiie; very shy, siU'iit, 

 and retirini,', remaining among the dense tojjs of the dark forest trees. 

 Whether it resides and liret^la in the Territory he had no means of deter- 

 mining. Dr. Snckloy saw but one .specimen, and regarded it as coiiliiied, for 

 the most part, tu tlio close vicinity of the coast. 



