114 



REVIEW OF JAPANESE BIRDS. 



Measure7)ients. 



?Dryobates leucotos (Bechst.). 



1803. — Picns leucotos Bechsteix, Orn. Tascheub., p. 60. 

 1826.— f.? Picas cirris Pallas, Zoogr. R. As., i, p. 410. 

 1882. — Picns leuconotus Blakist., Chrysautb., 1882, p. 473. 



During bis voyage iu the spring of 1882 Captain Blakiston collected 

 two females of a Wbite-backed Woodpecker at Sapporo on June 2 and 

 4, consequently breeding. Tbey are Nos. 2904 and 2905 of bis collection, 

 and were afterwards given to tbe Hakodadi Museum, being Nos. 1250 

 and 429 of tbe latter, according to Blakiston's notes. Eegarding Ko. 

 2904,1 find in bis manuscript a note saying tbat it is "likeNo. 3127 [tbe 

 9 D subcirris now in tbe U. S, Nat. Mus.] except tbat tbe wbite is not at 

 all tinged witb buflf"." Tbis buft" tinge being one of tbe cbaracters by 

 wbicb to distinguisb D. subcirris from D. leucotos and D. cirris, we are 

 inclined to tbink tbat tbe breeding bird of Yesso may belong to tbe 

 Siberian form. Tbis conclusion is somewbat doubtful, bowever, asBlak- 

 iston makes no mention of tbe specimen sbot two days later, since if tbis 

 be buff-colored like tbe rest, No. 2904 may be regarded as an exceptional 

 ligbt individual. As will be seen from tbe list of specimens collected by 

 Blakiston during bis residence in Japan, extracted from bis manuscript, 

 only two otber specimens can be regarded strictly as breeding birds, viz : 

 No. 1C09 and 1610, the two which he sent to Swinhoe in 1875, and which* 

 the latter determined as " Picus leuconotus, L. {uralensisy (Ibis, 1875, p. 

 451). 



The question has become still more involved in doubt by a statement 

 of Messrs. Sharpeand Dresser (B. of Eur., v, p. 40) in regard to "a pair 

 of Japanese birds collected by Mr. Whitely." Tbey assert that these 

 birds do not show the differences distinctive of tbe Siberian birds when 

 compared with Swedish examples, and hence tbey conclude tbat I>. 

 cirris is not a distinguishable bird ! A curious conclusion indeed, tbat 

 because the Japanese and tbe Swedish examples — both coast forms — 

 do not show tbe characters attributed to the continental Siberian form, 

 the latter is not distinguishable at all ! ! Tbat these gentlemen found no 

 difference between Japanese and Swedish examples of D. leucotos does 

 not prove that such are not to be found, for tbey also assert {torn, cit, p. 

 * Swinhoe seems to have received tbe male ouly {I. c.) 



