THE ALPINE THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 81 



Mountains and neighboring ranges. It is readily distinguishable from the two 

 preceding forms by the continuous white middle line of the back, with few, if 

 any, black bars, the markings being mostly longitudinal, and smaller white spots 

 on the quills. The top of the head is much less streaked with white than the 

 Alaskan race, and the bill is also more slender than in the latter. It is probably 

 resident and breeds wherever found. It has been met with in the Black Moun- 

 tains, at Cantonment Burgwin, near Taos, New Mexico; in the White and San 

 Francisco Mountains, in Arizona; and in the higher ranges in Colorado, etc., as 

 well as in the Eocky Mountains, and the Selkirks in Alberta, and eastern British 

 Columbia northward to about Fort Liard and Cassiar, near the northern bound- 

 ary of this province, Avhence it straggles occasionally along the coast ranges 

 into southern Alaska (Fort Kenay). It rarely occurs north of latitude 62°, 

 however, where it is replaced by the preceding subspecies. Comparatively little 

 has yet been recorded about the nesting habits, etc., of this subspecies. 



Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States Army, in his paper on "Arizona 

 Mountain Birds," says: "The Alpine Three-toed Woodpecker breeds commonly 

 throughout the pine belt, seldom ascending far into the spruce woods of the 

 highest peaks. On the northwestei'n slope of San Francisco Mountain I dis- 

 covered a nest of this species on June 8, 1887. The female was seen alone, 

 pecking at a large yellow pine, which, although dead, still retained its bark and 

 was quite solid. While feeding- she uttered a peculiar, harsh, nasal cry. I shot 

 her, and then noticed a small, neatly bored hole in the south side of the pine 

 trunk, about 30 feet from the ground and away from branches. With the aid 

 of a rope, and taking- a start from the saddle, I Avas scarcely able to climb to the 

 nest, which the male did not quit until I was well up; then he came out and 

 uttered a sudden, sharp 'whip-whip-whip' in a menacing tone, remaining hard 

 by while I worked with saw and chisel. It took me nearly half an hour to 

 make an opening sufficiently large to admit the hand, as the burrow was situ- 

 ated so extraordinarily deep. Two young-, male and female, with feathers just 

 sprouting, were found on a bed of small chips at the bottom of the burrow, not 

 more than 8 inches lower than the entrance, but in the very heart of the tree, 

 the cavity being oblique and pear-shaped, and having the strong odor character- 

 istic of WoodjDeckers' nests in general. Both parents and their progeny were 

 preserved, and are now in the American Museum collection. The irides of the 

 adults were dark cherry red; their feet, claws, and basal half of mandible 

 plumbeous, the rest of the bill being plumbeous black." ^ 



Mr. W. G. Smith writes me: "I found this bird quite common in Arapahoe 

 County, and have also met with it in summer in Estes Park, Larimer County, 

 Colorado, and have reason to believe that it breeds there; I never saw it at 

 low elevations." Mr. Gr. F. Breninger informs me that he found a nest of this 

 siibspecies in the beginning of May, at an altitude of about 6,500 feet, west of 

 Fort Collins, Colorado; the nesting site was located in a burnt spruce stump, 

 about 15 feet from the ground, and contained five eggs. 



1 The Auk, Vol. VII, 1890, p. 252. 



