■«1 



214 NESTS AND EGGS OF 



Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army, states that this bird was first observed 

 in the vicinity of Fort Klamath, Oregon, November 9 ; by December 

 it became rather abundant, and so continued until the latter part of Feb- 

 ruary, but after the middle of March none were seen. Careful search 

 during the breeding season failed to reveal its presence near the Fort, 

 nor was it found in the higher mountains in July and August. Dr. 

 Merrill rarely heard this Woodpecker hammer, and even tapping is 

 rather unusual with it. The bird uses its bill as a crowbar rather than 

 a hammer, prying off the successive scales and layers of bark in a very 

 characteristic way, which explains the fact of its being a quiet worker. 

 As a result of the great abundance of food which these birds obtained, 

 the specimens killed were loaded with fat — scarcely surpassed in this 

 respect by some Sandpipers in autumn.* 



Capt. B. F. Goss has a set of three eggs of this species, taken 

 May 17, 1882, near Crockers, California. The nest cavity was in a 

 small rotten stub, thirteen feet from the ground. The eggs are pure 

 crystalline white, exhibiting the following sizes : .96X.75, .98X.74, 

 .98X. 77. Set No. 253 (oological collection of Walter E. Bryant), con- 

 sisting of four eggs, was taken at Blue Canon, Cal., by C. A. Allen, 

 May 27, 1879. ^^^ nest was in an excavation of a pine stump, five 

 feet from the ground. The eggs measure respectively 23x17.5, 23.5 x 

 18.5, 24x18, 24xi8.5mm.t Set No. 815 in Mr. Bryant's collection 

 was taken at Big Trees, Cal., by Chas. W. Knox. This set contains 

 five eggs ; they were taken from a hole in a dead pine stump, eight 

 feet from the ground. Their sizes are: 25x19, 23.5x18.5, 25x19, 

 24X 19, 24 X 19.5 mm. I 



400. Picoldes arcticus (Swains.) [367.] 



Arctic Tkree-toed 'Woodpecker. 



Hab. Northern North America, south to northern border of the United States, and farther on high 

 mountain ranges. In the mountains of the West (Sierra Nevada, etc.,) south to about 39°, where it breeds. 



The Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker has an extended dis- 

 tribution from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the northern bor- 

 der of the United States northward to the Arctic regions. Its favorite 

 haunts are the pine woods of mountainous country. In some portions 

 of Northern New England it is a rare summer resident. Audubon 

 says that it occurs in Northern Massachusetts and in all portions of 

 Maine covered by tall trees, where it resides. It is found as far south 

 as Northern New York, where Dr. Bachman was of the opinion that it 

 nested. Dr. Merriara states that this bird is not an uncommon resi- 



»Auk, V, p.253. 



t .91 X .69, .93 X .73, .94 x .71, .94 x .73. 



t .98 X .75, .93 X .73, .98 x .75, .94 x .75, .94 x .77. 



