200 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OP 



The adult male of this species is characterized by a transverse stripe o 

 bright scarlet on the occiput, and so are all other species of typical Picas 

 found in North America, which occipital stripe is rigidly denned and restricted. 



In younger stages of plumage all the species of this country present very 

 considerable variations in this particular, and generally have more or less 

 pale red, pale yellow, or yellowish red on the top of the head, sometimes ex- 

 tended, but more frequently quite limited. The presence of either of those 

 colors or shades of color in a specimen, is evidence of immature plumage. 

 Similar stages of immature plumage with the head red above, in Picus major 

 of Europe, are figured by Malherbe, pi. xvi. fig. 6, and by Naumann, B. of 

 Germany, pi. 134, fig. 3. 



This bird very probably associates with Picus Harrisii in a region interme- 

 diate between the proper ranges of the two species, and produces hybrids, 

 which present difficulties to naturalists. This is undoubtedly the case with 

 Colaptes auratus and C. mexicanus, as stated by Prof. Baird, in B. of Am. i. 

 p. 122. The same considerations apply to the present species and P. Harrisii 

 and others. 



13. Picus Cuvieri, Malh., Mon. i. p. 85. 



As stated in the preceding article, this bird is, in my opinion, the young 

 female of P. villosus. 



14. Pices Audubonii, Swainson. 



Picus Audubonit, Swains., Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 306, (1831). 



Picus Auduboni, Trudeau, Jour. Academy, Philad. vii. p. 404, (1837), 

 Aud. B. of Am. pi. 417, Oct. ed. iv. pi. 265 ; Malh. Mon. pi. xxii. fig. 4. 

 The descriptions here cited seem, singularly enough, both to apply to the 

 same supposed species, though Dr. Trudeau evidently was not aware of the 

 description of Mr. Swainson. The two descriptions seem, in fact, to have 

 been made quite independently of each other, yet each author gave the same 

 name to the same bird, a coincidence certainly of rare occurrence. Both seem 

 to apply to males of Picus villosus, Mr. Swainson having described an adult 

 of unusually small size from the State of Georgia, and Dr. Trudeau, a young 

 male from Louisiana. 



The fine blue color of Mr. Audubon's figures, above cited, is entirely erro- 

 neous and fanciful, but in his description the color is given fairly: "The 

 upper parts are black, the tufts covering the nostrils white." M. Malherbe's 

 figure is a correct representation. A specimen, probably the original of Dr. 

 Trudeau's description, is in the collection of Professor Baird of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. 



15. Picus Harrisii, Audubon. 



This species resembles P. villosus, but in nearly all specimens is easily dis- 

 tinguished by the clear black and unspotted wing coverts and shorter quills. 

 In apparently adult specimens from northern localities especially, the under 

 parts are generally more or less tinged with dull brown, generally not so dark 

 as represented in Audubon's plate (pi. 417, fig 8, 9) and frequently very 

 light. Occasionally, and I suspect in the perfect spring plumage, the back 

 and under parts are pure white, as described and figured by Malherbe, (pi. 

 xx. fig. 1. 2). Dr. Gambel states that this is the case: "The young are 

 brownish beneath, as represented by Audubon, but the adult is pure white," 

 (Jour. Acad. Philad. i. p. 55). 



Specimens occasionally occur in which white spots are present on the shorter 

 quills and coverts, but generally small and not numerous. Young birds pre- 

 sent colors analogous to those of the young of P. villosus and P. canadensis. 

 Very fine specimens of adults and young of this species are in the Academy 

 Museum, from collections made in California by Mr. John G. Bell and Dr. 

 William Gambel. 



[July, 



