ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 455 
North Carolina, whence it occurs to the coast of the Mexican 
Gulf, and as far to the north and west as New Jersey and 
Tennessee. It is a very active and noisy species, gliding with 
alertness along the trunks and branches of trees, principally 
those of oak and pine. At almost every move it utters a short, 
shrill, and clear note, audible at a considerable distance. In 
the breeding season its call, still more lively and petulant, is 
reiterated through the pine forests, where it now chiefly dwells. 
These birds are frequently seen by pairs in the company of 
the smaller Woodpeckers and Nuthatches in the winter sea- 
son, and they now feed by choice principally upon ants and 
small coleoptera. 
In Florida they are already mated in the month of January, 
and prepare their burrows in the following month. The nest 
is frequently in a decayed trunk 20 to 30 feet from the 
ground. In the winter season, and in cold and wet weather, 
this bird is in the habit of roosting in its old nests or in the 
holes of decayed trees, and frequently retreats to such places 
when wounded or pursued. 
The habitat of this species as at present determined is the South- 
eastern States, including North Carolina and Tennessee, and the 
bird also occurs sparingly in New Jersey. 
ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 
BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. 
PiCOIDES ARCTICUS. 
Char Only three toes. Above, black ; white stripe on side of head ; 
outer tail-feathers white ; beneath, white barred with black. Adult male 
with square patch of yellow on the crown. Length 9% to 10 inches. 
Nest, In a deep forest, an excavation in a dead tree. 
Eggs* 4-6; white and glossy ; 0.95 X 0 - 75 - 
This species is an inhabitant of the northern regions from 
Maine to the far countries, dwelling among deep forests in 
mountainous regions. Its voice and habits are indeed pre- 
cisely similar to those of the Spotted Woodpeckers, to which it 
