1895. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 549 



DRYOBATES PUBESCENS NELSONI,' new sub-species. 

 NORTHERN DOWNY WOODPECKER. 



Suhspecifie characters. — Similar to Dryobates puhesccns, but aA'eraging 

 larger; the under parts jiure white instead of brownish; the lower tail- 

 coverts and outer tail-feathers averaging with much less of black mark- 

 ings; red nuchal band of male averaging somewhat wider. 



Description. — Adnlt male (Type Xo. 75654 U.S.ISr.M., iSTulato, Alaska, 

 E. W. JSTelson). Above black; nasal feathers yellowish white, slightly 

 mixed with black. Superciliary stripe, streak on cheeks extending 

 nearly around the neck behind, wide dorsal stripe, spots on the wing 

 quills and their coverts, together with the comparatively broad tips to 

 most of the primaries, white. Frontal feathers conspicuously varied 

 with white markings. Middle pair of tail-feathers black; next pair 

 tipped, and on apical half broadly edged externally with white; third 

 pair much more extensively white; the two outer pairs white with 

 exception of their extreme bases under the coverts and a few small 

 spots of black on the terminal portions. Under parts pure white; the 

 few dark markings on lower tail-coverts linear and indistinct. Nuchal 

 band scarlet vermilion. 



Measurements. — Wing, 99.1 mm.; tail-feathers, 69.1 mm. ; exposed cul- 

 men, 16.5 mm.; tarsus, 15.5 mm.; middle toe with claw, 15.2 mm. 



Female similar to male, but lacking the red nuchal band and the 

 white markings of the forehead. 



Sahitat. — Alaska and northern British America. 



In a series of fifteen specimens in the collection of the U. S. National 

 Museum the characters given above are fairly constant. Three birds 

 from Kadiak are smaller than all but one of the other Alaska si^eci- 

 mens, and have more black on the outer tail-feathers. In this latter 

 respect the Kadiak birds are, however, closely approached by two of 

 the Alaska specimens, and by two others, from Fort Resolution and 

 Moose Factory respectively. A specimen from Victoria County, New 

 Brunswick (Amer. Mus., No. 61362), is also very similar to these, but is 

 smaller. 



Of the 15 specimens above mentioned, only one (No. 95275, U.S.N.M., 

 from Kadiak) shows dark markings on the under tail-coverts equalinr;- 

 in amount those on average examples of D. puhescens. While some- 

 individuals of 1). puhesccns, especially those from the northern United 

 States, are fully as pure white below as are the specimens of D.pubes 

 cens nelsoni, yet the ordinary coloration of the former is much more 

 brownish. 



The white mottling of the forehead seen in the males of D.^mhescens 

 nclsoni, though not a diagnostic mark, is present to a greater or less 

 degree in 6 of the 12 males of this form; while of the 100 specimens of 



'Named for Mr. E. W. Nelson, in recognition of his valuable contributions to Alas- 

 kan ornithology. 



