58 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 14^No. 4 



green bushes. Being a bird of warm climate 

 it is strange that it shoukl have been so far 

 north at that time. Later on in warm weather 

 I saw what I supposed to be the same one, 

 only accompained by a female. On examin- 

 ing tlie bushes I found an old nest that re- 

 sembled tlie Cardinal Grosbeak's very much, 

 and probably was their 1887 home. Xot 

 having taken the O, & O. until this year I have 

 delayed writing about it. 



Tr»*. Oaklei/ Raymond. 

 Summit, N. .1. 



Description of two Supposed New 

 Sub-species of Birds From Van- 

 couver's Island. 



Among a small collection of birds from Van- 

 couver's Island, kindly sent to me for examin- 

 ation by Mr. Frank B. Webster, I find the fol- 

 lowing that I tliink should be named: 



DRYOBATES PUBESCENS FUMIDUS 



Novo. 



Smoky Woodpecker. 



nES( IJll'TION. 



Suit. Sp. Cli. Size and color similar to those 

 of Gairdner's Woodpecker, but differs in 

 having the white, especially below, pervaded 

 with smoky brown, and in having rather more 

 spottings on the wings. 



Color. Adult Male. Above, black tinged 

 with brownish. A series of five spots on 

 outer webs of all but first, (long) primaries, 

 and four on secondaries and on the inner 

 webs of all the wing quills, excepting tertiaries, 

 and outer (long) primary, which has three, pure 

 white. The outer tail feather is yellowish - 

 white for three-fourths of its terminal por- 

 tion, with two pairs of black spots, one pair 

 on each web; the next feather is two-tliirds 

 white, with one pair of terminal spots and 

 one extra on inner web; tlie third feather 

 is one-third white with one black spot on the 

 inner web; on these three feathers the black of 

 the basal portion encroaches on the inner 

 webs considerably more than on the outer. 

 There are a few spots of white on the greater 

 wing coverts. 



Line beginning over front of eye extending 

 to nape, spot on lower eyelid line beginning 

 below eye extending to nape, where it 

 broadens out into a triangular patch, central 

 line on back, and a spot on the feathers nearest 

 this, white, tinged with smoky. Nasal tufts, 

 smoky white, mixed with dusky, and tliere is 



a black space between them and the white lines 

 of the head. Forehead, with a few streaks of 

 white. Back of head, with broad band of 

 scarlet. Beneath, smoky brown, slightly paler 

 on throat and under tail coverts, with the black 

 above encroaching on tlie anterior portion of the 

 sides in the form of partly concealed triangular 

 spots, and the fianks and under tail coverts are 

 streaked with dusky, but not prominently. 

 Bill and feet, brownish, the former slightly 

 bluish on the base of the lower mandible. 



Adult. Female. Similar to the male, but 

 lacks tlie scarlet patch on tlie head, has the 

 white of the head more extended, especially 

 in front of the eye; has more spots on the 

 wings, tliere being a terminal series on the 

 quills, the tertiaries are spotted, and there are 

 not only more spots on the greater wing 

 coverts, but the lesser coverts are also spotted, 

 and the black on the tail is considerably ex- 

 tended. 



OIJSEHVATIONS, 



I see no reason why this extreme dark form 

 of tlie small spotted woodpecker should not be 

 emphasized by receiving at least a sub-specific 

 name. It appears to difter from the typical D. 

 p. fjairdneri in two important characters, first 

 in being pervaded on the white, especially be- 

 low, with smoky brown, and in having the 

 white markings on the wings more numerous. 

 I am of course perfectly aware that the South- 

 ern Downy Woodpecker (D. pubescenH) is also 

 dark beneath, and that this color grades very 

 gradually into the white of the more north- 

 ern birds, so gradually, in fact, that it is im- 

 possible to find any line which will separate 

 the two forms. But in this case there is a 

 difference, the transition from the whiter 

 gairdneri, to the darker fuuddus, being much 

 more abrupt than the greater amount of spot- 

 tings on the primaries in combination with the 

 dark tintings of the white, presents an additional 

 character warranting the separation of the 

 two forms. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Wing;;.7;3; tail, 2.40; bill, .60; tarsus .02. 



HAIUTAT. 



The types came from the southern portion 

 of Vancouver's Island, but its range will prob- 

 ably be found to be the same as that of Dryo- 

 bate.H villosuH harriaii, Harris' Woodpecker, 

 of which I have an example from tlie same 

 locality, as the same climatic, or other infiuence 

 which has caused the evolution of one sub- 

 species must, to all appearances, have caused 

 the other. 



