DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW NORTH AMERICAN

BIRDS.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

Read February 23, 1884, and published by permission of the Director of the U. S. National Museum.

1. Parus atricapillus turneri, new subspecies.

SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS.-Similar to P atricapillus septentrionalis, but still lighter in color, the gray of the upper parts very slightly, or not at all, tinged with brownish, the sides and flanks with little or no buff tinge.

3: Wing, 2.70; tail, 2.65-2.90; tarsus, .65–.70. 9: Wing, 2.55; tail, 2.55. Hab. Alaska.

Type, No. 70,826, (in collection, U. S. National Museum,) St. Michael's, Alaska, May 1, 1876; L. M. Turner.

2. Psaltriparus minimus californicus, new subspecies

SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS.-Differing from true P. minimus in much lighter colors, especially on the lower parts, which are very pale brownish gray, or soiled brownish white, only slightly tinged purplish brown on the flanks. Hab. California, except northern coast district.

In "Birds of North America," (page 397), Professor Baird remarks that "there is quite an appreciable difference between specimens of this species from Washington Territory and California; the latter are smaller, the under parts paler." He did not separate them, however, the scant material at his command evidently not warranting such a procedure. With numerous additional specimens, the differences are none the less striking, and, in my opinion, fully sufficient to justify their separation as well-defined geographical races.

It may be remarked that specimens from Marin County, just north of the Bay of San Francisco, are dark colored above like typical

P. minimus, but are light colored beneath as in californicus, being thus, as should be expected, intermediate; further north, along the humid, densely wooded coast, specimens probably approximate more closely to the typical form.

Types, Nos. 91,643, & ad., Baird, Shasta Co., California, May 27, 1883, Chas. W. Townsend; 71,935, O̟ ad., Ft. Tejon, Cal., Aug. 7, 1875, H. W. Henshaw; 71,924, Walker's Basin, Cal., fall; 71,918, ad., same locality and collector, Nov. 10, 1875; 91,890, juv., Baird, Shasta Co., California, June 26, 1883, Chas. W. Townsend.

3. Colaptes mexicanus saturatior, new subspecies. SUBSPECIFIC Characters.—Similar to C. mexicanus, but much darker colored. Back, etc., rich, dark umber-brown, throat deep plumbeous-gray, and lower parts deep vinaceous-pink. Hab. Northwest coast, from the Columbia River to Sitka.

Types, Nos. 40,063, & ad., Neah Bay, Washington Territory, J. G. Swan; 13,516, ad., Simiahmoo, Washington Territory, Dr. C. B. Kennerly.

4. Myiarchus mexicanus magister, new subspecies.

SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS.-Differing from typical M. mexicanus in much larger size, with proportionally longer and stronger bill. Wing, 4.05-4.40; tail, 4.10-4.60; culmen, 1.10-1.27; bill from nostril, .60-.82 (average about .70); tarsus, .88-.95 (average about .92). Hab. Western Mexico, north to southern Arizona.

Types, Nos. 86,005, & ad., Camp Lowell, Arizona, and 57.640, ad., Tehuantepec, Mexico.

In order to determine positively, if possible, the relationship of the larger Mexican Myiarchi, I sent recently to Dr. Sclater a series of specimens, asking him to compare them with Kaup's types of his Tyrannula mexicana and T. cooperi, which were supposed to be in the British Museum. His reply has just been received, and is, in substance, as follows:

"The original of Kaup's description [of T. mexicana] is not in

the British Museum, but in that of Darmstadt, whence I obtained the loan of it in 1871. I cannot do this again, but I have a specimen in my own collection which, on that occasion, I compared with Kaup's type and found to be similar, except as regards the abraded plumage of my specimen. This specimen certainly agrees best with the smaller or eastern race, ... that is with M. cooperi of Baird, . . . . but is smaller in dimensions than Baird's type, and, therefore, much smaller than the large western form of the same species. What Tyrannula cooperi of Kaup was, it is now, as I believe, impossible to ascertain; because, if the specimen so described is in the British Museum, as Kaup affirms, it is not marked, and is, consequently, unrecognizable."

It will thus be seen that the large western race is unnamed, which is my excuse for providing it with a name as above.

5. Myiarchus lawrencei olivascens, new subspecies. SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS.-Differing from true M. lawrencei of Eastern Mexico, in very much paler colors: Pileum light hairbrown, instead of dark sooty brown; back light grayish olive, instead of dark brownish olive; remiges and rectrices edged with dull ochraceous-rufous, instead of rusty rufous. Wing, 2.90-3.25; tail, 3.00-3.25; culmen, .65-.70; width of bill at base, .30-35 ; tarsus, .7-.75. Hab. Western Mexico, north to southern Arizona; in winter, western and southern Mexico, and Yucatan.

Type, No. 57,655, & ad., Sta. Efigenia, Tehuantepec, Dec. 25, 1868; F. Sumichrast.

I have carefully examined the type of Musicapa lawrencii Giraud, and find that it corresponds exactly with specimens from eastern Mexico, which are, without exception, (so far as the National Museum series are concerned,) much darker colored than those from western Mexico.

In Hist. N. Am. B. (ii, p. 333), M. lawrencei olivascens was erroneously considered to be the true M. lawrencei, the dark eastern race (true M. lawrencei) being referred to M. nigricapillus Caban. The latter is similar, but still darker, having the pileum nearly black, (whence the name). It reaches its extreme develop

ment in Costa Rica, but extends northward to Guatemala, whence northward it gradually passes into M. lawrencei. I have not seen Arizona examples, but would have no hesitation in referring them to olivascens on geographical grounds alone. That I am correct in doing so is strongly indicated by the following quotation from Mr. Brewster's remarks upon nine specimens obtained in the Santa Rita Mountains, in southern Arizona, by Mr. F. Stephens. (Cf. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vii, Oct., 1882, p. 205): "These show little variation in color or markings, but the females are slightly smaller than the males. The characters which separate M. lawrencii from its respective allies, M. tristis, of Jamaica, and M. nigricapillus, of Central America, are well maintained in this series." [Cf. Hist. N. Am. B., ii, p. 333-]

In this connection it may be well to give a brief review of the Mexican Myiarchi, from the writer's standpoint, a special study of the subject, based upon the extensive series in the National Museum collection, (including many types,) enabling him to feel pretty sure as to the limits of the respective species.

In the National Museum we have the following:

1. M. crinitus (LINN.) CAB., as a migrant through eastern Mexico.

2. M. mexicanus (KAUP) LAWR.: a. mexicanus, from eastern Mexico, north to the lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas; b. magister, NOBIS, from western and southwestern Mexico, and north to southern Arizona.

3. M. nuttingi RIDGW., from southwestern Mexico. (Cf. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 5, PP. 394, 395.)

4. M. yucatanensis LAWR. from Merida, Yucatan. (This seems to me to be most nearly related to the Antillean species (M. stolidus, etc). I have carefully examined the type, which is in the National Museum collection, and cannot at all agree to its reference to M. mexicanus.)

5. M. lawrencei (GIRAUD) BAIRD: a. lawrencei, from eastern

Mexico (north to southern Texas?); b. olivascens, NOBIS, from western Mexico, (southern Mexico, and even Yucatan in winter,) and north to southern Arizona.

6. M. flammulatus LAWR., from southwestern Mexico (Tehuantepec to Mazatlan). Several examples of this widely distinct species are in the National Museum collection.

6. Pediœcetes phasianellus campestris, new subspecies.

PRAIRIE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE.

SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS.-Differing from P. phasianellus columbianus in rather lighter and much more ochraceous coloration above, with the black bars narrower and less regular, and in having the V-shaped markings of the lower parts much less distinct (never deep black).

Types, Nos. 76,743, & ad., Illinois, and 19,173, ad., Rosebud Creek, Montana Terr.

In the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club for October, 1882, p. 233, Mr. Brewster alludes to differences between specimens of the Sharp-tailed Grouse from Fort Walla Walla, Washington Terr., and others from eastern localities, but concludes that the differences noted "probably have only a local significance." This was formerly my opinion also; but many additional specimens subsequently received at the National Museum show conclusively that two very different styles of this bird inhabit the regions west and east of the Rocky Mountains, respectively. P. phasianellus columbianus is represented in the collection by specimens from Washington Territory, Oregon, Northern California, and Nevada, and P. phasianellus campestris by examples from Montana (east of the mountains), Eastern Wyoming and Colorado, Nebraska, Dakota, and Illinois.

P phasianellus campestris is the form described and figured by Audubon, (B. Am., v, p. 112, pl. 298,) under the name Tetrao phasianellus.