FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 151 



demonstrated among North American dowitchers and, therefore, 

 only one species was involved. 



The designation of L. g. caurinus as the breeding form for 

 southern Alaska would tend to solve some of the classification 

 problems of Alaska Peninsula specimens. However, it still seems 

 difficult to visualize specific status for scolopaceus, as proposed by 

 Pitelka. As one example, a female from Nushagak, with the spot- 

 ting of the underparts characteristic of the griseus group, was 

 mated with a male, that was heavily barred on the underparts, 

 typical of scolopaceus. Should we consider this to be a case of hy- 

 bridization between two ordinarily isolated species, or should it be 

 considered a case of intergradation between two races of the same 

 species? A parallel situation exists in the case of the fox spar- 

 rows at the base of Alaska Peninsula. 



A specimen from Ugashik River, Alaska Peninsula, was com- 

 pared with one from La Saline, Athabaska River, which, pre- 

 sumably, is the range of the proposed race hendersoni. Both are 

 males — the Canadian specimen was taken May 12, 1920, and the 

 Alaskan specimen was taken May 27, 1936, from a mated pair. 

 These two specimens are almost identical. The longer bill is on 

 the Canadian bird, 60.5 mm., while the bill of the Alaskan bird 

 is 54.5 mm. The wing of the Canadian bird is smaller than that 

 of the Alaskan bird (144 mm. and 147 mm.). Both birds are 

 deep buff, with very little spotting, the round spots occurring on 

 the sides of the breast and on the flanks. The Alaskan bird has 

 a little more white on the belly than the Canadian bird, though 

 the latter has a pale, noticeably whitish edging on the feathers 

 of the under parts. On the upper parts, the Canadian bird is 

 somewhat darker buff than the Alaskan one. If a mixed series 

 of these birds were laid, it would be most difficult to separate 

 them. 



Another specimen from Nushagak River is mostly white un- 

 derneath and rather heavily spotted. This is a female ; the wing 

 measures 145.5 mm., and the bill measures 62 mm. Neither of 

 these two Alaskan specimens has barring on the side of the 

 breast. Without knowledge of the locality, one would place these 

 two, both breeding birds, with the Canadian group ; however, other 

 birds from Nushagak show plumage associated with typical 

 scolopaceus. Indeed, most significant of all, the female from 

 Nushagak, lacking the bars, was mated with a male that was 

 heavily barred. Other birds from the Bering Sea coast vary 

 greatly in degree of spotting, in amount of barring, in amount 

 of white underneath, and in shade of solid buff color. Length of 

 bill also varies greatly — even within each sex group. 



