132 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 12 



Dryobates scalaris cactophilus Oberholser 

 Cactus Woodpecker 



Common resident of the willow and mesquite associations along 

 the whole of the explored portion of the river. In but one place was 

 the species seen outside of the riparian strip. The exceptional case 

 was on the Arizona side above Mellen, where several individuals were 

 seen over a mile up the Sacramento Wash, affecting' dead or sickly 

 palo verde trees. At Needles, February 17 and the few days follow- 

 ing, this woodpecker was common in certain portions of the river 

 bottom, where, however, its habit of working near the ground in 

 young growth, together with its winter quietude, rendered it very 

 inconspicuous. Within a month later, those seen along down the river 

 had become noisy, and the presence of the species was readily detected, 

 even as we floated along from one station to another. 



On April 11, on the California shore twenty miles north of Picacho, 

 a nest was found situated twelve feet above the ground in a willow 

 stub, the upper part of which was dead and centrally decayed. The 

 excavation freshly made in this by the birds opened on the under side 

 of this slanting terminal section. There were three eggs on the point 

 of hatching, and one newly hatched young, showing the date of egg- 

 laying to have been toward the last of March. 



On the California side below Potholes parts of the willow area had 

 been burned over as a preliminary to clearing the land. The wood- 

 peckers here were much discolored ventrally by contact with charred 

 tree trunks, yet they appeared to be thriving quite as well as if arrayed 

 purely in their normal colors. 



Fourteen specimens of the Texas woodpecker were secured, nos. 

 1271-4-12727. Besides these there are in the Museum six skins (nos. 

 4315^320) taken by J. G. Cooper at Fort Mohave, December 31, 

 1860, and in January and February. 1861 ; and another taken at 

 "Mineral City" (=Ehrenberg) March 10. 1864. collector not recorded. 



For the use of the name cactophilus in replacing the older name 

 bairdi, formerly in general use for this woodpecker, see Oberholser 

 (1911, p. 152). 



Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis Baird 

 Red-naped Sapsucker 

 Evidently a winter visitant to the Colorado Valley, where we found 

 it for a time common among the willow thickets. Localities of capture 



