TYPE SPECIMENS OF BIRDS 217 



Genus MELANERPES Swainson 



Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridgway 



U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 21: 6, 34, 85 (not later than April 4), 1881. 

 5495. Adult male. Petaluma, Sonoma County, California. May 1856. 



Collected by Emanuel Samuels. Original number 756. 

 This name was belatedly given to "the Calif ornian form" of M. formicivorus, 

 described in Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, History of N.A. Birds 2: 561, 566, 

 1874. Since no individual specimens were there mentioned, it follows that 

 all Californian examples of either sex in the collection in 1874 should have 

 equivalent status as cotypes. 



In 1910 (A.O.U., Checklist of North American birds, ed. 3, p. 193), the 

 type locality was restricted to Petaluma, California. From the point of view 

 adopted for this study, all specimens of the original series from Petaluma 

 would continue to be cotypes. There were three of these, of which but one 

 is now in the collection. No. 5496, a female, cannot be traced, while No. 

 5497, a male, was sent to Verreaux in 1858 and thus needs no further 

 consideration. 

 Melanerpes formicivorus, var. angwstifrons Baird 



in Cooper, Geol. Surv. California, Orn. 1 : 405 (not earlier than October) 



1870. 

 =Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons Baird. See Peters, Checklist of 



birds of the world 6: 159, 1948. 



25947. Adult male. Rancho San Nicolas (a little north of lat. 23° N.), 

 near San Jose del Cabo, State of Baja California, Mexico. October 

 1859. Collected by John Xantus. Original number 3093. 



25948. Adult female. Rancho San Nicolas (a little north of lat. 23° N.), 

 near San Jose del Cabo, State of Baja California, Mexico. October 1859. 

 Collected by John Xantus. Original number 3101. 



25949. Adult female. Miraflores (at about lat. 23°24' N.), State of Baja 

 California, Mexico. November 25, 1859. Collected by John Xantus. 

 Original number 3412. 



25950. Adult male. Miraflores (at about lat. 23°24' N.), State of Baja 

 California, Mexico. November 25, 1859. Collected by John Xantus. 

 Original number 3411. 



For his description, Baird had a series of at least eight specimens, of 

 which four, Nos. 25968-25971, are entered into the museum register (in 

 Cassin's hand) simply as from Cape San Lucas. These four were taken away 

 by Cassin (two of them "to be returned"), but none is now in the collection; 

 they are perhaps to be found in the Academy of Natural Sciences at Phila- 

 delphia. 

 Melanerpes formicivorus, var. striatipectus Ridway 



in Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, History of North American birds 



2: 561 (footnote 1), January 1874. 



