Notes on the habits, nests, and eggs of the genus <I>Sphyrapicus</I> (Baird)

THE AUK

:

A Q_UARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY.

VOL.

V.

July, 1888.

No. 3,

NOTES ON THE HABITS, NESTS, AND EGGS OF THE GENUS SPHTRAPICUS BAIRD.

BY

CAPT.

CHARLES

E. BENDIRE.

I.

Sphyrapicus

varius.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

The

general habits of the eastern representative ofthisgenus,

Sphyrapicus

varius^ the Yellow-belliedSapsucker,have beenso well written

up

by

Mr.

William Brewsterinthe'Bulletin'of the Nuttall Ornithological

Club

(Vol. I,

No.

3, Sept., 1876, pp.

63 to 70), andlaterby Dr.

C.Hart Merriam

inthe

same

'Bulle- tin'(Vol. IV,No. I, Jan. 1879, pp. ^{i to} 6),thatthereremains nothing

new

for

me

to state.

As some

of the readers of

'The Auk' may

nothaveaccessto theabove-mentionedarticles,Iwillsimplymentionthat,accord- ingto Mr. Brewster,thefavorite nesting-sites of S. varhis are large,dead birches,andthattheaverageheight of the excavation from the ground is at least 4.0 feet,in

some

instances consider- ablymore,and that a decided preference is manifested by this speciesfor the vicinityof water.

He

gives theeggsas

number-

ingfromfivetoseveninaset,and varyingconsiderablyinshape,

some

being oblong, others decidedly elliptical.

They

average .85 ⁱⁿ length by.60 inches in breadth, arepure whiteincolor, and,hestates,thereis

much

less of thatfinepolishthanineggs of the other species of

Woodpeckers

hehad examined.

The

average

measurement

of thefew eggsof S. variusinthe Collection of theNational

Museum,

six in

number

only,is.84

X

.65inches.

2

26

Bendireon theHabits ofthe Genus Sphyrapicus. [July

3.

Sphyrapicus

varius nuchalis.

Red-naped Sapsucker.

This lace of S. variusIhave

met

sparinglyin various por- tionsof the Blue

Mountains

ofOregon,

Washington

Territory, andIdaho,andasfarwest as the eastern slope of the Cascade

Range

inSouthernOregon, inthe

Klamath Lake

region,where, however,^it

was

rareandreplacedby SphvJ'apicnsrziber,the

two

speciesoverlapping eachother,butnotintergradingand remain- ing perfectlydistinct. I first

met

withthe nestand eggs ofthis birdinasmallaspen groveattheedge ofabeautifullittlepark- likeprairie,near the

summit

oftlie Blue Mountains,in Grant County, Oregon,on

June

I3, 1877.* ^I

was

escorting an

Army

Paymaster fromCaiion City to

Camp

Harney, Oregon,

where

I

was

then stationed. After a laborious climb to the top of the steep mountain at the foot of

which

the little mining

town

of Caiion City nestled,Istoppedfor

some

twenty minutesto restthe animals,andtoeatourlunch.

The

spot

was

a lovelyone; the little groveattheedgeof theheavypineforestcontainedperhaps halfadozenaspens, thatmeasureda foot throughormore, anda

number

ofsmaller ones. Ihad

made

myself comfortable under one of the largestones

which

stood ontheouteredgeof the grove, watchingthehorses enjoyingthe luxuriant grass, and

was

busily engagedineating

my

lunch,sharingitwithseveral

Oregon

Jays, Perisoreusobsczirus,

which were

quite tame,and absorbed

my

entire attentionfor

some

time.

A Red-naped

Sapsucker was, inthemeantime,flyingabout

my

tree, alight;i.ngonothers inthe vicinity,and keeping

up

a constantchatter. Ithoughtatfirsthe

was

jealousof the Jays,andpaidnoattentiontohim,tillheflew ontothetreeI

was

sitting under,

which

brought out his mate.

Their

burrow was

directlyover

my

head,abouttwentyfeetfrom theground,andImight havenoticeditsooner,bythe freshchips dropped bythe birdsinexcavatingtheirburrow, and

which were

lyingallaround me, hadInotbeen entirelyabsorbed inwatch- ing the Jays, or 'Meat Birds,'as they are called there by the huntersandtrappers. Itdid not takelongforoneof

my men

to climb

up

to the

burrow

and chopasufficientlylarge hole in the tree to insertthehand.

The

entrancetothe

burrow was

exceed-

*ButIhadpreviouslyfound anest withyounginJune, 1875,inthesamelocality,as well as severalin 1876,

iSSS.] BeNdire on the Habits ofthe Genus Sphyrapicus.

227

ingly small, not over i:^ inchesindianieler,aboutS inches deep, and about

4

^incheswideatthebottom. Itcontained three eggS5 nearly fresh, lying partly

imbedded

in a layer of fine chips.

About

a year afterwards,

when

passing the

same

spot,

June

2, 1878, Itookanotherset of threefresheggsofthisspeciesout of a

burrow

in another,

somewhat

smalleraspentree,inthe

same

grove.

Although

aspens of suitable size

were

to befound in several placesintheimmediatevicinityof

Camp

Harney, Oregon,

which

islocatedatthefootand on thesouthern slope of theBlue Mountains,atanaltitude ofabout 4S00feet, Ifailed tofindany of these birds nesting there,although theywere

met

withby

me

atvarious timesinthevicinity,andsometimes even quite a dis- tance

away

from the mountains.

They

are only

summer

resi- dents in that region,but an occasional stragglerdoes remainin sheltered locationsthroughoutthewinter. I

am

inclinedtothink that this bird is

much more common

in the

Rocky Mountain

region.

An

esteemedfriend ofmine,

Mr.

Denis Gale,anenthusiastic naturalist in thefullest sense of the term,and acloseobserver, residing in the mountains of Colorado,has at

my

requestfur- nished

me

withthefollowing observationsregardingthisspecies.

He

writes as follows^:

—

"My

observations have been, that this species invariably selectsforits nesting-site a living aspen tree. Ihave never

met

with it inanyother. This tree favors the mountain gulches, andlowsheltered hillsides atanaltitudeoffrom 7000to 10,000 feet.

Above

thispoint theydonotattain sufiicient size,andare mostlydwarfed and scrubby.

Here

in Colorado

Sphyrapicus

varius nuchalis is seldom found above

9000

^feet, or

much below

8000feet.

The

aspentreeisshortlived,andere

much

of a

growth

is attained across-section in the majority of instances will

show

adiscolored centre of incipient decay, involving half or two-thirds ofitsentirediameter,withasound white sap zone on

tiieouter circumference, next the bark. This soundhealthyzone nourishes the tree, until the decayed core discovers itself in

some

witheredlimbs,andfrequently the top of thetreemanifests thecanker.

"Such

trees the

Red-naped

Sapsucker selects foritsnesting- site, and with great perseverance chisels through this tough, soundzone, from aninchto an inchandahalfthrough

— com-

2

28

Bendire071 theHabits of^the Ge7ins Sfhyrapicns. [July

mencing

with a very small hole and gradually extending its

circumference with each stage of the deepening process,work- ing from the lowest centre out,till the exact circumference of the intended aperture of entrance is attained. In thus radiat- ing in circles from the central point, the minute chips are chiselledoutwith considerableease. This

mode

of

working

is

observeduntilthetough zoneis

worked

through;

what

remains thenis comparativelyeasy

work

; the soft,soggy,lifeless inside is

worked

into and

downwards,

with greater facility, and a roomy, gourd-shaped excavation quickly follows, the female doingthe excavatingfrom beginning to end,and,according to exigencies,completesitinfromsix totendays.

"Some

ideaof thevitalityand toughnessofthiszoneof sapin aliveaspentree

may

berealized,

when

in a tree used consecu- tivelythree or four years,

which

if undisturbed is the general customof S.variusmickalis, theentireaperture willbe almost closed

by

the recuperative agent in the sapof thetree toheal

and

close

up

the

wound. No

other

Woodpecker

will face such a formidable task. Piciis villosus harrisii

comes

next as a borer; then follows

Sphyrapicus

thyroideus.

Both

of these species nestsometimes also in apparentlylive aspens,but

upon

closeinspection suchtreeswillbefoundtobe badly decayed.

"6". varius nuchalls usually insists

upon

a

new

excavation each year.

The

height of nesting-sitesfrom the

ground

varies

from

five tothirty feet; thefullsetofeggsisfour orfive in

num-

ber,sometimesasmaller

number

ofeggs

mark

afull set,

presum-

ably the nest ofoneoflast year's

young

birds. Fresh eggs

may

be lookedfor inColorado from

June

i to 15,and should the firstset be taken,asecond one

may

generallybe found infrom ten to fifteendays later; and as a rule the second nesting-site will notbe greatly distantfrom thefirstone. Several nests of thisspecies

may

befound withinashort distance ofeach other inthe

same

aspen grove."

Two

setsof foureggs each ofthisspecies,taken by

Mr.

Gale and kindly presented to the National

Museum, Washington,

D.

C,

measureasfollows: ist set,taken June, 18S4, four eggs, .91

X

.675.90

X

.685.89

X

.68,.88

X

^.64inches; 2ndset,taken

June

I, 1SS7, .90

X

.69, .90

X

.69, .90

X

.68,and.89

X

.65.

A

set ofthree eggs takenbythewriterinthe Blue Mountains, Grant County, Oregon,

June

12, 1877, measures, .90

X

.^<,i

iSSS.] Bendire on theHabits ofthe Genus Sphyrapictis. 2

20

.90

X

.64, .88

X

^{.66 inches.}

A

secondset, taken at the

same

phice a year later, on

June

2, 1878, measures .89

X

^{'^'^1}

.84

X

^{-(i^-,}-82

X

^{'(^'>(^ inches.}

A

^{third set,} taken

by me

near

Fort Khmiath, Oregon, on

June

3, 1883, contained five eggs partlyincubated;

two

of these

were

broken in chopping

them

out; theremaining three measureasfollows; .84

X

^{-68, .84}

X

.6(i^.83

X

^{-^^inches.}

A

^single

egg

taken also near Fort Kla-

math,Oregon,

June

5, 1883, measures,.89

X

^-64

^The

^average

measurement

is.88

X

^{'^^inches.}

^These

^{eggs,like thoseof all}

Woodpeckers,

are pure whiteafterblowing; they are generally ovateinshape,andbut moderatelyglossy or lustrous.

My own

limitedobservationsduringthebreeding season bear outMr.Gale'sstatementscompletely,viz.,that thisspeciesbreeds exclusivelyin liveaspentrees. Dr._J. C. Merrill,U.S.A.,in Bull.Nutt. Club, October, 1881,states,however,that he found a nest of these birdsin a deadCottonwoodtreein

Montana.

In Southwestern Oregon, in the mountain parks of the

Klamath Lake

region, these birdsbreed sparinglyatas

low

analtitude as 5000feet,and ^itis

more

thanprobablethatatahigherone,near the

summit

of theCascade Range,they

may

be quite

common.

In theBlue

Mountain

region,ineasternOregon,I onlyfound

them

breeding in the single locality already mentioned,at an altitude from 6000 to 7000feet.

During

the winter

months

I

haveoccasionallyobserveda

Red-naped

Sapsuckerinthe

Harney

Valley in Oregon,busilyengaged in hunting for food

amongst

tirewillowthicketsfound

growing

alongthebanks of the small streams, in thatsage-brush-covered region, often long distances

away

from timber ofanysize. In the

young

birds of theyear of

Sphyraplcus

variiis michalis^ the red or crimsonmarkings found abouttheheadandthroat of adult birds are usuallywant- ing orelsearereplacedbyapale clai"et-coloredtingeonthecor- responding parts.

The

black on the back and wings is also dullerandnot so deep,andthegeneral patternless distinct.

3.

Sphyrapicus

ruber.

Red-breasted Sapsucker.

This

handsome

representative of thegenus Sphyrapic7is seems tobestrictlyconfinedtothePacificCoastregion,occurringonly as fareastwardasthe eastern slopes of the Sierra

Nevada Moun-

tains in Central and Northern California, and the Cascade

230

^{Bendireon the} Habits ofthe Gniiis Sphyrapictts. [Julv

Range

in

Oregon

and

Washington

Territory, passing tlience northward through British

Columbia

well intoAlaska. In the winteritisfoundinthemountains of SouthernCalifornia,butI

do not believe that it breeds there. In

my

various travels throughout the interior of Oregon, Nevada,

Washington

and Idaho, covering overfifteen years,^Inever

met

withthisbird^till the

summer

of 18S2,

when

I

was

ordered to take station atFort Klamath,located near thenorthernend of

Klamath

Lake,inthe southwestern part of Oregon.

Here

Ifound the Red-breasted Sapsucker an abundant

summer

resident,and Ihave no doubta

few

of these birds winter in the

more

shelteredportions of the deep canons of the lower

Klamath

River region.

They

are

among

tlie earliest birds toarriveinthe spring.

The

firstbird ofthisspeciesshotby

me

inthespring of 1SS3 ^^'^ obtained

on March

13,andIhaveseenafew as late as

November. On

one of

my

collectingtrips,the

morning

ofApril_4,1883,whileriding throughapatch ofpine timber near

Wood

River, the principal streamrunning throughthe centre of

Klamath

Valley,Inoticed aflock of these birds, at least twenty in

number. They were

very noisy,apparentlyglad to get backtotheir

summer

homes, and

seemed

tohave anexcellenttime generally, ftyingfromtree totreeandcallingtoeachother.

As

I

wanted

acoupleofspecimens,I

was

compelledtodisturb their jollification; those procured

were

both males, and pre-

sumably

the entire flock belonged to this sex.

By

April 20 they had

become

very

common,

and

some

pairs at least

were mated

andhad already selectedtheirfuturedomiciles

—

inevery caseagood-sized, liveaspenti'ee.

The

malesmiglitatthattime be heard in almost all directions

drumming

on

some

dry limb, generally the dead top of one of these trees.

They

scarcely

seemed

to do anything else.

At

least five pairs nested within halfamile of

my

house,and^Ihadexcellent opportunitiestoob- serve them. vSome birds, apparently

more

industrious than others,

would

not be satisfied with one burrow, and excavated several, sometimes^allin the

same

tree; others contented them- selveswithasingle one. Itispossible that the extra ones, after being begun, were abandoned,eitherbeing foundtobetoo

damp

inside, or for

some

other cause

unknown

to me,or they

may

havebeen

made

by themaleforhis

own

use to pass the nights in,and becloseto hismate in case ofdanger,or again,just to

iSSS.] Bendire on the Habits of^the GenusSfhyrapiciis.

2X1

keep his bill in practice, chiselling. I

am

myself inclined to thinkthatthefemale doesnearly,ifnot quiteallthe

work

onthe

burrow

in

which

she deposits her eggs.

These

birds are notatallshy during the breedingseason,al-

lowing

you

to approach

them

closely, but they liaveanextra- ordinarily keensense of hearing, I frequentlytried tosneak

up

to atreecloseto

my

^house

which

I

knew

had beenselectedby a pair ofthese birds,to watch

them

atwork,butI

was

invariably tietectedbythebird,no matter

how

carefullyItried tocreep up, beforeI

was

abletoget withinthirtyyards,even

when

she

was

at

work

onthe insideof the

burrow

and could not possibly see me.

The

bird

would

cease

working

atonce, her head

would pop

out of the holeforaninstant,andthesurroundings be surveyedcare- fully. Iflkeptout of sight and perfectly still,she

would

pro- bably begin w^orking again a few minutes afterwards, but ifI

moved

ever solittle,without even

making

theleastnoise,in

my own

estimation,she

would

noticeit and stop

working

again at once. Ifthetree

were

approachedtoo closeshe

would

fly ofl",

uttering at the

same

time a note resembling the

word jay

or cJilie, several times repeated,

which

would invariably bring the male around also,

who

had in the

mean

timekept himself busyin

some

other tree, either

drumming

or hunting for food.

While

thefemale

was

at

work

on the inside of the burrow,the male

would

fromtimeto time fly to the entrance and look in,

probably asking his mate

how

her

work was coming

on.

how

soonthey miglit begin housekeeping,etc.; andatother timeshe

would hang

forliveor tenminuteseven,justiielow the entrance to the burrow, in a

dreamy

sort of stutly,perfectly motionless and seeminglydazed, evidentlythinking of the f;imily responsi- bilitiesthat

were

soontocome.

I

am

inclined to think that thisspecies does not indulge in the halMt of girdling trees for the sap,and the soft inner l)avk

(cambium)

tothe

same

extentthatSphyrapic7is varinsdoes,at anyratenotduringthe breeding season.

These

birdswere, as I said before, extremely abundant in the vincinity ofFort Kla- math, andthisbeingthecase,evidenceoftheir

work

inthisdirec- tionshould have beenrather

common.

Idon't

remember

having seen

more

than

two

instances,

showing

extensive and svstem- atic signs of girdling; one, a medium-sized Cottonwood limb,

showed

the punctures all over for a distance of three feet,the

232

^{Bendire on the} Habits ofthe Genus Sphyraptcus. [July

Other,aspecies ofmountain ash,

on which

none of the shoots

were

overthreeinchesthrough,had beenriddledalloverby the birds.

These

mountain ash shrubs,noneof

which grow

toany size,

were

rare, however,inthatvicinity.

In its range, I think this species breeds at a lower altitude than ^6*. varius nuchalis. Fort

Klamath,

however, although but4200feet above sea level,has a very cool

summer

climate, frosts occurring almost in every

month

of the year.

The

sur- rounding country isvery beautiful at that time.

Heavy,

ojoen forests of stately pines and firs,

amongst

these thegracefuland beautifulsugarpine, arefoundonthemountainsidesand reach- ing well

down

into the green park-like valleys. Interspersed hereand there are aspen grovesof various extent,their silvery trunks and light green foliage blending artistically with the

sombre

greenof the pines.

These

aspen grovesare the

summer home

of theRed-breastedSapsucker.

x\s far as

my own

observations go, healthy, smooth-barked aspensarealwaysselectedassuitablenesting-sitesbythesebirds.

The

treesused vary from 13 to 18 inches in diameter near the ground,andtaperverygradually.

The burrow

isusually exca- vated

below

thefirstlimbof thetree,sayfrom 15 to25 feetfrom theground.

The

entranceseemstoberidiculouslysmallforthe size of the bird,perfectly circular, from _\\ to i^ inches in diameter only, so small indeed thatit seemsas ifit took con- siderable effort forthe bird tosqueeze himselfin,and wriggle out of the hole.

The

gourd-shaped

burrow

varies in depth from six to ten inches,anditisfrom three inches, near the top, tofour or five inches wide at the bottom.

The

finer chips are allowed to remainin the burrow, forming the nest proper,on

which

the eggsare deposited. Frequentlythey are

more

thanhalfcovered bythese chips.

The

interior of the entire excavation is most carefull}'

smoothed

^oft',

which must consume

considerable time, considering the tough,stringyand elastic nature of the

wood, when

filledwithsap,

making

iteven

more

difficultto

work when

partlydecayed,

which

seemstobethecasewithnearlyallaspens ofanysize. Probablyeightor tendaysare

consumed

in exca- vating a satisfactory nesting-site. All the larger and coarser chips aredroppedout of the

burrow

andscatteredaboutthebase of thetree.

From

the quantityof thesefound under every tree,

iSSS.] Bendire on theHabits of^{the Gcniis}Sfhyraficus.

233

occupied bythesebirds,duringthe nestingseason of 18S3,I

am

inclinedtobelieve that they are onlysatisfied with an entirely

new burrow

every year,andnotsimply with anoldonerepaired to answer the purpose.

These same

chips are an extremely simpleand sureguidetotheir nest.

In hunting for

them

I looked for the chips on the ground

first,andafter finding theseitdid not take longtofindthehole from

which

theycame. In this

manner

it

was

an easymatter tofindtheir nest,and I took no less than fifteen setsoftheir eggsinasingle season,and might have taken

more

hadIbeen so inclined, especiallybyfollowing

up

the birdsfor their second

set,

where

they had been robbed previously. Ordinarily but onebroodisraised inaseason.

The number

ofeggsvaries from fivetosix to aset. Fullsets offresh eggs

may

be lookedfor in that localit}'from

May

20to

June

5, andIhave taken nearly fresh eggs as late as

June

13;

Itook

my

^firstseton

May

33,1883. Itcontainedsix fresh eggs, andthe

burrow was

aboutseven inches deep, the entranceabout eightinches below and directlyunderthe first limbof thetree, asusual aliveaspen,about18feetfromtheground.

While

the nest

was

beingrifledofits contents,bothparents flewaboutthe upper limbsof thetree, utteringa

number

ofdifferent sounding plaintive cries, like peeya, pinck, and peurr,

some

of these resembling

somewhat

the purring of a cat

when

pleased and rubbing against yourleg. I usedto note the difl^erent sounds in a small note

book

atthevery time, but scarcely everput

them down

alike; each time they appeared a trifle different to the ear,and^itisahard mattertoexpress

them

exactlyonpaper.

The

eggs,

when

fresh and before blowing,like those ofall

Woodpeckers, show

the yolk through the translucent shell, giving

them

a beautiful pinkish appearance,aswell as a series of straightlinesor streaksofa

more pronounced

white than the restof theshell, running towards and convergingatthesmaller axis ofthe egg. After blowing,the pink tintwillbe foundto have disappeared,andtheeggchangedtoapuredelicatewhite, the shell

showing

amoderate

amount

oflustre.

There

iscon- siderable variationintheirshape,running throughallthediffer- ent ovatestoanelongated ovate.

The

averagemeasurementsof sixtyspecimens

now

before

me

are.94

X

.68inches; thelargest egg in the lotmeasuring i.oo

X

.70,the smallest .^6

x

.6S inches.

2

34

^{Bendike on theHabitsof Ihe} Genus Sphyrapicus. [July

Both

sexes assist in incubation,

which

lasts from twelve to fourteen days,Ithink. Theirfood consists principally of grubs, larvaj of insects, various species of lepidoptera

which

they catchonthewing, likeFlycatchers, andberries.

Of

the latter quite a

number

ofdifierentedible species are found about Fort Klamath, andthey

seem

tobeespecially fond ofwildstrawberries,

which grow

therein abundance.

The young

after leaving the neststick tothetree in

which

they

were

hatchedforthefirstday ortwo, without venturingtofly.

The

beautiful carmineor crimson on thehead and breastin the adults is replacedby claret-browninthe young, varyingin

amount

and intensityin different individuals; in

some

itisvery distinctandprevalent.

The

yellowso plainly noticeableonthe bellyof adult birdsis also wanting in the young.

The

colors throughout are

much

dullerandthe general pattern lessdistinct.

By

thelatterpartofSeptember,the majority of these birds leave fortheirwinterhaunts, onlyafewstragglersremaining.

These

are possibly birds that breed further northward and winter in the

warm

valleys ofNorthern California,and are then

compara-

tivelynear theendoftheirmigration,remaininginthe

Klamath

Valleyregion

where

thereisalways an

abundance

of food for the

Woodpecker

family,judging from the

number

ofdifferent species of these birdsfound there throughout the year,tillthe heavy winter

snows

drive out thelesshardy,

amongst which

the Red-breasted Sapsucker

must

beincluded.

While

stationed at Fort

Klamath,

Oregon, ^I took especial painsto collecta

good

seriesofboth adult and

young

birds of thisspecies,aswellas a

number

ofsetsoftheireggs,and devoted considerable time,atnolittleinconveniencetomyself,toobserve theirgeneral habits closely.

Although my

personal observations differ materiallyfrom those of other natui-alists(see 'History of

North American

Birds,'

by

Baird, Brewer, and

Ridgway,

Vol.

II,pp.544 and 545), ^I

am

confident that theywill be found substantially correct

by

future observers.

The egg

described in the above-mentioned work, purporting to belong to this species, certainlydoesnot,andIalso doubtvery

much

^{that these}

birds everbreedinconiferousti-eesofanykind.

iSSS.] BendIreoil ike Habits ofthe Ge/iii!^ Sphyrapiats.

235

4.

Sphyrapicus

thyroideus.

Williamson's Sapsucker.

Thisinteresting speciesissouniqueintheentiredifterenceof coloration of the sexes,that for a longtimethey

were

considered anddescribed as separate species. Itremainedfor

Mr. H. W. Hen

shaw,then attachedasNaturalisttoLieut.

George M.

Wheeler's expedition,engaged

upon

the geographicalexploration ofColo- rado and

New

Mexico,in 1873,^to establish their identity,he finding thesupposed

two

species pairedand breedingnear Fort Garland,Col., in

June

^{of thatyear.} Like Sphyrapiczis varhis rmchalis^ithasan equally

wide

and extended range, reaching fromthe eastern slopes of the

Rocky Mountains

to the western spurs of the Sierra

Nevada

and Cascade

Ranges

inCaliforniaand Oregon. Initshabits,however, it differsconsiderablyfrom the threeother speciesof thegenusSphyrapicus^ allof

which seem

to preferregionsabounding in deciduoustrees,and using these as far as at present

known,

exclusively for nesting jourposes, while Williamson's Sapsuckergives the preferencetoconiferous forests,selecting pines to

burrow

in, at least as frequently as aspens,and according to

my own

observations oftenerthan the latter.

Although

itundoubtedlyoccursin theregion intervening be- tweentheRockies

on

theeast,and theCascadeson thewest, I

cannotpositivelyrecalla singleinstance

where

Ihave seen this birdinthe entiremountain system,beginningat the Bitterroot

Range

in

Montana

intheeast, following the continuation of this throughthe Blue

Mountains

of

Washington

Territoryand Ore- gon,as well as mostof the

Salmon

River mountain countryin IdahoTerritory,^tillI firstmet with itonthe easternslojoesof the Cascade

Range

nearFortKlamath, Oregon,inthe

autumn

of 18S2.

It

was

hereDr.

Newberry

obtained the type of the so-called Sphy- rapicusvjilliatnsoiii.

Here

I

saw

itforthefirsttimeon

Septem-

ber 23, and as late as

November

8, of the

same

year, taking specimens on bothdates. Strangetosay,allthe birdsI

saw

and secured foraperiodcoveringaboutfiveweeks, at thattime,

were

females, and I only succeeded, on October 28, in seeing and obtaining

my

firstmale ofthis species. It

was

obtained under rather peculiar circumstances. I had only to

walk

a couple ofhundredyardsfrom

my

house to find myselfin a fine

open

pineforest.

Gun

in hand I,as usual, took a short stroll that

236

^{Bendire ofithe}Habits ofthe Getius Sphyrapicus. [July

morning, followingclosealongthebanksofFort Creek,directly eastofthe post, towardsitssource,andIhadnotproceeded

more

thanhalf a milefrom

my

house

when

I

saw two

males chasing eachotheraboutadead pine stump, and uttering at the

same

timeshrillcries; thisis

what

attracted

my

attentiontothem. I tried toget withinordinaryshooting distanceof them, but they tookalarm and flew in opposite directions before I

was

near enough. NeverthelessItookasnap shotat the one nearest to me, but it continued its flight apparently uninjured, crossing the creek,

which was

toodeepand cold for

me

to ford,about sixtyyardsinadvanceof

me,

and

much

to

my

disgustdisappeared intheheavierpinetimber ontheoppositeside,without stopping whileit

was

insight.

As

it

was

useless aswellasimpracticable tofollowthisone,Ikeptoninthe direction the otherhadtaken, butfailed tosee^itagain. Fullyanhour afterwards,on

my way

returningtothe post,and

when

withina

few

yardsof the place

where

I first noticed the

two

birds, tired out and disgusted,I sat

down

on anold logand

was

takingarest,absorbedin reflec- tionson

my

bad luck,

when

from quite adistance,I noticed a black-lookingbird flyingtowards

me, coming

fromthe opposite side ofthe creek,and

from

the

same

directiontheoneI shotat

had

takenearlier in themorning. Its flight

was

sopeculiar

and

strange,constantly sinking, thatIrefrained from shooting

when

itfirst

came

within range.

No wonder

; it

was

its lastexpiring effort,anditactuallydroppedwithinayardof

where

I

was

sitting.

It

was

unquestionablythevery bird Ihad shotat

more

thanan hourbefore;noone else

was

outhuntingatthe time, asnoother shots

were

heard.

A

^single

No.

12 pellet had penetrated the lungs,andthe birdinits dying struggle had evidentlytried to reachthe same

stump

againon

which

Inoticed itatfirst.

My

^earliestrecordfor 18S3,on

which

Iobtained a specimen, amale,

was March

20. It seems to

me

tobe a

more

solitary

birdthan ^6".ruber. I never

saw more

than

two

together orin

closeproximityofeachother. It isalso

more

shy,and doesnot allowitselftobe approachedso readily as either of thepreceding species. Itsbreeding range extends, near Fort Klamath, from an altitude ofabout 5000feet tothehigherpeaksof theCascade

Range, which

attain inthat vicinity aheightof about 9000feet.

On

themountainslopesabout CraterLake,^it seemstobe

most

abundant, butnot as

much

so as S.ruberisinthelowervalley,

iSSS.] Bendire on tlicHabits of^the Genus Sphyrapicus. 2'X*1

where

almosteveryaspen gr(ive harborsa pair of these birds.

Crater

Lake

itself is such a strangely interesting and unique freak of nature, the peer in sublime grandeur of the

Yosemite

ValleyinCalifornia,and theYellowstone Park, with its grand canons and geysers, in

Wyoming,

and so little

known

withal, thati

am

surethereaders of'The

Auk'

willforgive

me

thetrans- gression of interlarding ashort description of itinthis paper.

The

lakeisaboutsevenandahalf mileslongand six wide,and unlikeanything foundinthisoranyother country. Itissituated onthe

summit

of theCascade Range, about twenty-five miles north ofFort Klamath,at an altitude of about 7500feet; the highestpeakinthevicinityreaches

up

to 9000feet.

The

rocky walls surrounding it on all sides are

nowhere

less than 1000 feet,and in places

more

than

2000

feet high, in

many

points almost perpendicular, so that a stone can be

thrown

without strikinganything on its

way

^till itreaches the water,fully2000 feetbelow. It is said to be

some

1800feetdeep,andinplaces is probably more.

One

cannot realize the magnitude of this hole in the ground without seeing it.

A

mountainthesizeof Mt. Washington,the highest peak of the

White

Mountains in

New

Hampshire,might be

dumped

in, and not fill it

up

then.

The

waterisbeautifullyclear,and deep azureblue incolor; the theonly living thing seenonitonavisittothelake on July27, 1SS2,

was

a solitary female

Wandering

Tatler {Heteractitis incanus)^ apparentlyvery correctly

named. An

island,covered withgood-sizedtrees, risesoutof thewaterto aheight of nearly athousandfeet,on the west side of the lake. It is

composed

mostlyof volcanicscoritBand pumice, and evidently

was

the prin- cipalcone of the

now

extinctcrater,traces of

whose

activity in former times,in the shape of heavy

pumice

deposits, can be foundforfiftymiles inlandtotheeast,on the road from the

De

Chutes RivertoFort

Klamath. There

is only one place from

which

the shore of the lake can be rdached with comparative safety,

and

evenfrom there it is by no

means

an easy matter.

But

enough

of thelake.

Mr.

Gale,

who

is quitefamiliar with this species,writes

me

thatinColoradothey nestsometimesatanaltitudeof 10,000feet,

and ^that they are generally distributed between that limit and 8000feet.

The

nest-sites,hesays, areas often

met

within

mod-

erately thick

woods

as in the

more

openclearingsandisolated

238

^{Bendire01) the Habits ofthe} Genus Sfhyrapicus. [July

pinetreesandshrubs, theonly condition guiding theirchoice of a

home

beinga shelterfrom the strong west winds.

My own

observations agree prettywell with his.

He

says:

"A marked

peculiarity I have noted with S. thyroideiis is that the male takesalookoutstation

upon some

suitabletree,

where

attheap- proachofany possible danger he gives the alarm bystrikinga short dry limb with his bill, by

which

a peculiar vii)rating soundisgivenout,

which

the female, not very distant, fullyun- derstands, and is at once on the alert. If either excavating, guardingorcoveringher eggs, she will immediatelylookout of her burrow, and shouldthe intruder'spath lieinthedirectionof hernest,she will silently slip

away

and alight in a tree

some

distanceoff,butin

view

ofbothher nestandthe intruder.

The

firstorsecond

blow

ofyourhatchet

upon

thetreetrunkin

which

the nestisexcavated will

mark

her

movement

againbyashort flight, so

managed

asnottoincreasethe distance,infactoftener

coming

nearer.

When

satisfiedthather treasureshavebeen dis- covered, sheuttersa peculiar,

low

grating sound,notunlike the purrofa cat.

The

malethen

comes

to the fore and braves the danger, isverycourageous,and shouldtheeggs befar advanced byincubation, hewillenter the nest

when you

arealmost within reach ofit.

When

thelatterisrifled, heisalwaysthefirsttogo inanddiscover thefact,repeating theentrance and exitbusiness several times,inasurprised sort ofmanner.

The

largegaping opening,

made

bythe robber's hatchet,he seemstoignorealto- gether.

To him

it seems impossible that afew minutes only suffices tocutthrough the wall of

wood

that took his mate as

many

daysofhardlabortoaccomplish. Presentlyheisjoinedby the female,a jointinspection is

made,

averdict ofgrandlarceny quicklyreached,and the conclusion arrived at,'well,

we

shall haveto tryagain,with the

hope

of better luck nexttime.'"

Nidificationissimilartothat of the other species of the genus, withthe exception of the difference in the matter of trees pre- ferred alreadymentioned.

The

height of nesting-sites varies con- siderably, sayfrom five to sixty feet,and perhaps

more

still in exceptionalcases. Fresh eggs

may

be looked for, accordingto altitude, from

May

20 to

June

15^;

Mr.

Gale tooka fine set of six,

which

Ijudge to have beenperfectlyfresh,fromthe exqui- site

manner

in

which

they areprepared, on

May

26, 1887.

Iobtained

my

firstsetof eggsofthisspecieson

June

3, 1SS3,

iSSS.] Bendike on the Habits of^the Genus Sphyrapicus.

239

aboutninemiles north ofFort

Klamath

inthe

open

pineforeston theroadtoCrater Lake. Itconsistedoffiveeggs,slightlyincu- bated.

The burrow was

excavatedinapartlydecayedj^ine,

whose

entiretopfor

some

twentyfeet

was

dead. Heightof

burrow

from theground aboutfifty feet.

The man

climbingthetreestated it to beal)outeight inchesdeep,and al)()ut fiveinches wideatthe bottom and freshlymade.

A

second set,of six fresheggs,

was

tidcen

June

I3,of the

same

year,about twelve miles north of the post, at astillhigheraltitudethanthefirstone. It

came

alsoout ofapine about forty feet fromtheground.

A

third nest,found a

week

later near the

same

place, contained five

yoimg

just hatched. This nest

was

inadead aspen about twentyfeetfrom theground.

The

full

number

ofeggs laid appears tobefiveor six. Thesearepure white, a trifle less lustrous than those of S. ruber; they are alittle

more

elongatedandpointedin shape,

some

approaching a distinct ovate pyriform or pear shape, a characteristic not apparently found in the eggs of the other speciesofthisgenus.

The

average measurementsof seventeen specimens

now

before

me

are.97

X

^.67inches.

The

largestin the lot measures ^1.03

X

^{-68, the smallest} .94

X

.67 inches.

Only

one brood is raised, and,like the

two

other species,itis only a

summer

residentinthevicinityofFortKlamath. Itsfood seemsto consist almost exclusively of insects and their larvaa, various species of lepidoptera and an occasional grasshopper.

BerriesI think areseldom used by them.

Ihave foundfullyfledged

young

inJuly; a

young

femaleshot July31 must haveleftthe nest certainlybythebeginningof the month.

When

the

young

are large

enough

toflythey are notat allrareatthe loweraltitudeofFort

Klamath. They show

the

same

diflereuceincoloration in the sexes, intheirfirstplumage, withthese exceptions: the

young

maleslack the redonthethroat,

which

isreplacedbydirtywhite, thesulphuryellow onthelower parts ismostly wanting, a slight traceof itbeing noticeable on

some

specimens,andthe blackon theback is

much

duller.

The young

femalesdifier likewisebythe absence ofyellow on the belly,theblack patchonthebreastiswanting,themarkings and barringsonthe upperpartsare less distinct,and ^thecolorsgen- erally duller.

Initsundulating flight from tree to tree, thisspeciesutters a shrillnotelikehtiit^ Jnilt.

240

^{Goss on} Birds ofSan PedroMartirIsle. [July

From

the foregoingciescription and

measurements

of theeggs of thedifferentspeciesoftliegenus Sphyrapicus., itwillbeseen that the eggs of ^6".varius are the smallest;those of .5.varius niichalis

come

next in size; then ^6'. ruber., and those of S.

thyroideusarethelargest.

The

followingadditionalspecies of the

Family

PicidiE, occur inthevicinityofFortKlamath, Oregon.

Dryobatesvillosusharrisii. Ceophlceuspileatus.

Dryobates pubescensgairdnerii. Melanerpesformicivorusbairdi.

Xenopicusalbolarvatus. Melanerpestorquatus.

Picoides arcticus. Colaptescafer.

All of these speciesbreedthere moi-e orless

commonly,

except- ing

Melanerpes formicivorus

dairdi,

which

occurs onlyas a straggleronthe eastern slope of theCascade

Range, owing

tothe absenceof oaks,butisquiteabundant onthewesternsideof these mountains, wherever oaksare found, especially sonear

Ashland

and Jacksonville, Oregon, in the

Rogue

Rivervalley. Ishall have somethingtosayaboutthe nestsand eggsof

some

of these species in afuturepaper, having found

them

all breedingthere, andtaken theeggsofallexceptingCeopJilccnspileahis.

NEW AND RARE BIRDS FOUND BREEDING ON THE SAN PEDRO MARTIR ^ISLE.

BY N. S. GOSS.

The

island, a rock about one andahalf miles long, nearlyas l)road,and 1045 ^{feetin height, is situated in the} Gulfof Cali- fornia, alittlenorth of latitude28°, andnotfarfrom

midway

be- tween shores. 1

was

enabled to visit the

same

through the kindnessof

Mr.

E. _J.Reed,of

Guaymas,

Mexico, agentforthe

San

Francisco Phosphate and Sulphur

Company.

I landed from theirlittlesteamerthat takes out supplies,

March

15, iSSS, and remaineduntilthezSth.

The Company

hasalarge force of

Yaquie

Indians collecting the

guano

thathas

formed

a cruston the rocks offrom one to ^foiu'inchesinthickness.

The

^island