I'ICID.K -TlIK WOODl'KCKlOltS. 545 



Mr. Audubon assigns to it the siime (lislriliution, but is only alilo to givu 

 tlio information in regard to its lialiits whicli lio derived I'roni tlie ol)serva- 

 tions of Mr. Xuttall, wldeli, however, do not corres])onil with those lA' Dr. 

 Coojjer. Mr. Xuttall states that tins s])eeies, seen in the forests of the Co- 

 hindiiu and the lUue Mountain.s, has most of the habits of the eoninion IJed- 

 headed species, lie concedes that it is less i'ainiliar, and that it keeps gen- 

 erally among the tall tir-trees, in tiic dead trunks of which it burrows out a 

 hole for a nest, sometimes at a great elevation. On ap])roaching one that 

 was feeding its young in one of the.se situations, it uttered a h»ud reviM'ber- 

 ating <'/•?•, and seemed angry and .solicitous at ids apjiroach. He adds tliat 

 this species also iidiabits California, as well as the northwest coast up to 

 Nootka, and that it is found eastward as far as the cential chain of the 

 Ilocky ^lountains An egg taken from a nest whicli contained four was 

 1.2") in length and .7"' of an inch in breadth. It was smootii, e(|ually 

 rounded at both, ends, though somewhat elongated, and jiure white. 



We aro contident that there must be some nustako in this statement. 

 The dis])roportion between the length and the breadth is unprecedented, 

 liven in the most oblong egg there is rarely so much as twenty-live per cent 

 difference. 



Dr. (.'ooper, in his Uirds of California, speaks of it as rather a nortliern bird, 

 having seen none south of Santa Clara, and there only in the mountains of 

 the Coast Ifange in early s]iring. 



Dr. Heermann found tiiis form not at all rare in the Sierra \evada ^Moun- 

 tains, and occasionally met a stray one among the valleys. Their call-note 

 was similar to the cry of a child in distress, and was very disagreealde. 

 In their quick, restless motions, and their untiring diligence in quest of food, 

 they resemble the rest of the Woodpecker family. 



It was noticed by Mr. liidgway only on the Sierra Nevada, and he 'S not 

 certain that lie saw it on the eastern slope of that range. 



Sphyropicus williamsoni, Baiud. 



WILLI£.MSON'S WOODFECKEB. 



7" IS villiKmsnni, Nf,\vi!k1[1!Y, Zoiil. Calirorria ami Oicfioii Hortc, 80, P. li. R. Rcpts. 

 VI, 1S57, 111. x.\.\iv, lif{. 1. — .SrNL)i'.v.\;.r. Coiisp. ;i'J. J/i'/fMcc/K'.s' ndiriijulin-Jx, >Sci.. 



. !s iiiid Mag. X. II. 3(1 scries, 1, I'Vli. ISO.S Vll. — I'r. Zoiil. tSdc. ISfiS, 2, pi. ixxxi. 



,Si>li!/ivj)iciis iril/mtn.wiii, liAOtn, lUiil.s N. Am. IS.'iS, lO.'i, ]t\. xxxiv, f. 1. -('iiri;s, I'r. 

 ISCC), n-l. — Ca.ss. p. a. X. S. l.'<0:i, -JOi. — CiiiirKl:, Oni. Cal. 1, 1S?(I, :!<);!. i'/<(,lo- 

 scoiiua williiiiiiwiii, ('All. .'(c IliMN. .Mils, llt'iu. IV, iiHi'i, 82. Mduncqus uil/iatn- 

 soiii, OuAV, Catal. lir. Mils. 18li8, IKi. 



Sp. CiiAi!. Itjpli Mack ; initMlc line ul' lirlly yellow; oiMitr.il lino of uliiii ami lliroal 

 above red. .V laiyr palcii on llic wiiii;', niiii|i, ami iippci- lail-i;ov('ils, iv liiu' I'luin liic loic- 

 licad lii'iioatli the eyo, ami anotlici- IVoiii ils upper bonk'r. white. Tail entirely Mark. lv\- 



VOl.. II. (iii 



