HlRDS — PICIDAE — PICOIDES. 



97 



black of the occiput appears to extend to the eye in an angle. The white of the head scarcely 

 extends down on the neck. 



The P. albolarvaius was first dc.'icribod by Mr. Cassin from specimens collected in California 

 by J. G. Bell. It is an exceedingly rare species, not more than three or four skins being known 

 to exist in collections. 



List of specimens. 



Cntai. No. ' Sex. 



Locality. 



'When collected. 



6041 

 4474 



g ? Spokan river, W. T . 



! Qf 



Cascade mountains, 0. T., fifty 

 miles south of Columbia river. 



Sept. 28, 1853 

 Sept. 28, 1855 



Whence obtained. lOrig. No. 



Gov. Stevens , 



Lieut. WilliamBon. 



10 



Collected by— 



Dr. Cooper 



Dr. Newberry. 



PICOIDES, Lacep. 



Picoides, Lacep. Mom. Inst. 1799. 



Tridaclylia, Stej-ii. Shaw, (len.Zool. 1815. ^ 



.'Iptcmus, Sw. F. B. A. 11, 1831, 311. 



Bill about as long as the head, very much depressed at the base ; the oiillinca nearly straight ; tlie lateral ridge at its base 

 much nearer the commissure than the culmcn, so as to bring the large rather linear nostrils closeto the edge of tlie commissure. 

 The gonys very long, equal to tlie distance from the nostrils to tlie tip of the bill. Feet with only three toes; the outer 

 l&teral a little longer than the inner, but slightly exceeded by the hind toe, which is about equal to the tarsus. Wings very 

 long, reaching beyond the middle of the tail ; 4th and 5th quills longest. Color black, with a broad patch of yellow on tho 

 crown ; transversely banded on the sides. Quills with round spots. 



The peculiarities of this genus consist in the absence of the inner hind toe and the great 

 depression of the bill. 



The American species oi Picoides (and to a considerable extent the European) agree in being 

 black above and white beneath ; the crown with a square yellow patch ; a white stripe behind 

 the eye, and another from the loral region beneath the eye ; the quills (but not the coverts) 

 spotted with white ; the sides banded transversely with black. The diagnostic characters 

 (including the European species) are as follows : 



A. Middle of back not varied with white. 



Back uniformly black P. arcticus. 



B. Middle of back varied with white. 



Back with transverse bands of white. White stripes on side of head narrow, incon- 

 spicuous. Crissum but slightly banded with black. Two inner tail feathers 



hlack P. hirsutus. 



Back streaked longitudinally with white. Sides banded with black. Crissum pure white. 



Two inner tail feathers black P. dorsalis. 



Back streaked longitudinally with white, the sides with black. White lines on the side 

 of head very conspicuous. Three inner tail feathers black. Crissum much varied 



with black P. iridaclylus. 



13 b 



