47(^ pnocEEDixas OF rrn: XATjnxAL mvsetw. vol.xxiu. 



Had the bird been named, no doubt there would have been a more 

 cagvr controversy and we should sooner have had th»^ necessary 

 material and records to solve the question. 



Lately, however, the subject has received new impetus by the 

 observation of Mr. Knud Andersen on the two races in the Fa>r 

 Islands^ and those of Mr. Herluf Winge on the large race in Green- 

 land." Professor Collett's detailed measurements of large series of 

 the typical bird have also been very useful in this connection. 



Finally, the United States National Museum has of late years 

 acquired a fairh" good series of ])oth forms, for the use of which and 

 other help I wish to express my grateful acknowledgment to Mr. 

 Robert Ridgway, the curator, and Dr. C. W. Richmond, the assistant 

 curator. 



SAXICOLA CENANTHE LEUCORHOA (Gmelin). 



Dlacjnomx. — Larger than Saxlcola CBnantlw^ the length of wing 

 varying l)etween loO and 108 millimeters; color similar, but the rufous 

 tints more bright on the average. 



llahitat. — Breeding in Greenland and opposite portions of North 

 America, as well as on Iceland, migriiting i-egularly via the F{vr 

 Islands, Shetlands, Great Britain, and France, probably to western 

 Africa, and straggling south to the northern United States and 

 Bermudas. 



Tleiiuivl'x. — The accompanying diagram (p. 481) and tables clearly 

 sustain th(» (daims of this form to subspecific distinction. Add to these 

 data those furnished by Mr. H. Winge, viz, 60 Danish birds with wings 

 measuring from i»l to 99 nmi. and 18 Greenland birds from loO to 106 

 mm . , and it will be seen that out of a total of 122 typical Saxicola wnanthe 

 only .") have the wing 100 or 101 mm., while of 45 Saxicola Jeucorhoa 

 none measure less than 100 mm. In other words, only 4 per cent of 

 the small race exceed !>!> mm., while none of the larger are below 100. 

 In the whole series of 1H5 birds, consequently, only 3 per cent of the 

 specimens are intermediate. This is shown graphically in the dia- 

 gram, which is based only upon the data specified below, as Mr. Winge 

 has not given any detailed list of his specimens. The precentage of 

 intergradation is therefore greater than it Avould have been could all 

 the 165 specimens been tabulated. It will ])e seen that the average 

 length of wing in typical SiaxlcoJa. (enanfhc is Dl..') mm. and of S. 

 Jeucorhoa 1<)4 mm. 



It will be noticed that the list does not include a couple of measure- 

 ments of female Wheatears from West Grec^nland recorded by Dr. 

 •O. Finsch-' as having the wings from 3 inches 6^ lines to 3 inches 8 lines 



' Vid. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Copenli. 1S98, p. 391. 



Mlroenl. Fugle, 1898, p. 284. 



■■'Abh. Yer. Naturw. Bremen, V, 1877, p. 352. 



