114 Oberholser — Forms of Astragalimis Psaltria {Say). 



"With the last three we have no present concern, but the 

 others will bear further elucidation. In the first place, the 

 status of Astragalimis p. arizonce, as currently accepted, has 

 been very properly challenged by Mr. Brewster* and Mr. Grin- 

 nellf, as well as by Mr. RidgwayJ. Furthermore, the occur- 

 rence of all three forms — psaltria, arizonce and mexicanus — in 

 Colorado during the breeding season is alone sufficient to arouse 

 suspicion. 



The type locality of psaltria is the Arkansas River, near 105° 

 west longitude (between Pueblo and Canon City), Colorado?/, 

 and a series of summer males from Colorado Springs, Colorado, 

 which for purposes of comparison may be considered practical 

 topotypes, exhibits all gradations from the green-backed to the 

 black-backed forms, representing thus psaltria, arizonce, and 

 mexicanus — all breeding at the same place! These differences 

 are, however, in this case, quite tertainly the result of age; and 

 this conclusion is fortified by the occurrence of similar varia- 

 tions well within the range of the so-called black-backed form 

 mexicanus, \\ in Texas, New Mexico, and even Mexico. Males 

 breed in the green-backed plumage which probably is the condi- 

 tion of the first year; and one or two, possibly three, more 

 seasons are required to complete the fully adult black dress. 

 Say's psaltria was based on one of these immature green-backed 

 specimens which are indistinguishable from individuals of the 

 constantly green-backed form found in California; but notwith- 

 standing this, the name must be used for the black-backed 

 Colorado bird. Fully adult individuals from this latter state, 

 that is, those with the black upper surface, seem, however, not 

 to be proportionately so common, at least in collections, as the 

 similar plumage of the Mexican bird, and moreover, have usu- 

 ally some slight mixture of olive green on the upper parts, 

 though by far the greater number of Mexican birds have a simi- 

 lar trace of olive; but both these apparent differences may be due 

 either to fortuitous selection in collecting specimens — as, for in- 

 stance, appears to be the case with adult males of Sporop>hila 



•Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., XLI, 1902, p. 136. 

 f Condor, 1902, pp. 115-116. 



JBirds of North and Middle Amer., I, 1901, p. 116. 

 §Say, Long's Exped. Rocky Mts., II, 1823, p. 40. 

 ||Swainson, Philos. Mag., N. S., I, 1827, p. 435 (Real del Monte, Hi- 

 dalgo, Mexico). 



