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Range (Eastern North America breeds) (V)

Eastern North America; breeds from Massachusetts northward, and winters from Virginia to Central America.

Washington, common T. V., Mch. and Apl.; Oct., occasional in winter. Sing Sing, common T. V., Apl. 5 to May 13; Sept. 18 to Oct. 23; casual in winter. Cambridge, not uncommon T. V., Apl. and Oct. Nest, about forty feet from the ground. Eggs, five to seven, 87 x 67. As migrants, Sapsuckers are rather inconspicuous. They frequent living trees, where they are concealed by the foliage and their weak call-note is not likely to attract attention.

On reaching their summer homes in the spring their character changes, and Dr. Merriam speaks of them as "noisy, rollicking fellows; they are always chasing one another among the trees, screaming meanwhile at the tops of their voices" (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, iv, 1879, p. 2). Mr. Brewster describes the note of the adults at this season as "a clear, ringing cleur, repeated five or six times in succession"; while young and old utter "a low, snarling cry that bears no very dis- WOODPECKERS. tant resemblance to the mew of the Catbird" (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, i, 1876, p. 69).

The Sapsucker feeds largely on the juices of trees, which it obtains by perforating the bark. (See Bolles, Auk, viii, 1891, p. 256; ix, 1892, p. 110.) 405. Ceophlœus pileatus (Linn.). PILEATED WOODPECKER. Ad. 8. -Upper parts blackish fuscous; whole top of the head scarlet, the feathers lengthened to form a crest; a narrow white stripe bordering this crest separates it from the fuscous ear-coverts; a stripe beginning at the nostril and passing down the sides of the neck to the shoulders is tinged with yellow before the eye and is white back of the eye; it is separated from the white throat by a scarlet stripe at the base of the lower mandible; basal half of the wing-feathers white; under parts fuscous, the feathers sometimes lightly margined with white; bill horn-color. Ad. 2.-Similar, but without red on the fore part of the crown or at the base of the lower mandible. L., 17:00; W., 8-90; T., 6-20; B., 1.85.

Range.-"Formerly whole wooded region of North America; now rare or extirpated in the more thickly settled parts of the Eastern States." Washington, rare P. R.

Nest, twenty-five to eighty feet from the ground. Eggs, four to six, 1.30 x 94.

This species is common only in the wilder parts of its range. In the hummocks and cypress swamps of Florida it occurs in numbers. There, contrary to the experience of Audubon, I found it by no means a wild bird. Indeed, Flickers were more difficult to approach. On the Suwanee River, in March, I have called these birds to me by simply clapping my slightly closed palms, making a sound in imitation of their tapping on a resonant limb.

The flight of this species is rather slow, but usually direct, not undulating, as in most Woodpeckers. When under way the white markings of the wings show conspicuously. Their usual call-note is a sonorous cow-cow-cow, repeated rather slowly many times, suggesting a somewhat similar call of the Flicker's. Like the Flicker, they have also a wichew note uttered when two birds come together. 406. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.). RED-HEADED WOOD-