230 Birds of Colorado 
east casually to western Kansas, breeding chiefly from Colorado 
northwards. 
In Colorado the Red-naped Sapsucker is « common summer bird 
in the mountains, breeding in the aspens chiefly from 8,000 to 10,000 
feet. It occasionally extends up as high as 12,000 feet, at which eleva- 
tion it was observed by Rothrock in South Park (Henshaw). It 
appears to be only found on the plains on migration, arriving from 
the south towards the end of April (April 25th, Gale), and departing 
again in September. 
The following are some breeding notices: Estes Park (Bendire), 
Boulder co. (Gale), Breckenridge (Carter), Twin Lakes (Scott), Fort 
Garland (Goss), Mesa co., 8,000 to 9,000 feet (Rockwell), and La 
Plata co. (Morrison). It was noticed on migration at Barr (Hersey & 
Rockwell), in El Paso co., in April and May, by Allen and Brewster, 
and there is an example from the same county taken in September 
in the Aiken collection. 
Habits.—The Sapsuckers get their name from their 
habit of boring tiny gimlet-holes through the bark of 
trees, in order to allow the sap to run; this not only 
attracts insects but is itself greedily drunk. Sometimes 
trees are entirely girdled by rows of small holes, and 
considerable injury is caused, especially to fruit trees. 
This bird is seldom found among the pines; it keeps 
to the deciduous trees, especially to the groves of 
“ quaking aspens’”’ (Populus tremuloides) which clothe 
patches of the mountain sides. 
Gale investigated and took a very large number of 
nests and eggs in the hills of Boulder co. In almost 
every case the nest-hole was bored in a live aspen tree. 
These, though apparently sound, are nearly always 
decayed in the centre. The bird has to chisel through 
the tough outer zone of two or three inches, after which 
its task is an easy one. The cavity is usually gourd- 
shaped and is completed in six to ten days, chiefly by 
the female bird. It is situated from five to thirty feet 
up from the ground, at elevations of from 7,000 to 
10,000 feet. Four or five pure white ovate eggs, 
