92 



U. S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



brown, with faint black streaks, the white spots above smaller, and less numerous. In speci- 

 mens from California and further east the white is purer, the spots more conspicuous. 



This species differs chiefly from P. pubescens in the considerably smaller size of the spots on 

 the wing, and their restricted number. Thus there are none on the wing coverts except very 

 occasionally, chiefly in the concealed portion. The most exposed tertiaries are entirely black, 

 or with one or two spots on the outer webs only, instead of having two or three conspicuous 

 white bands, or double series of spots. The lowermost black strij^e on the cheek is generally 

 better defined ; the bristly feathers at the base of the bill browner ; the black bands on the tail 

 feathers more distinct. 



A specimen from Sacramento valley, (6098,) labelled F. meridionalis, by Dr. Heermann, is 

 exactly intermediate between P. puhescens and gardneri, with less white on the wing than the 

 one, and more on the other. 



The almost perfect parallelism, with appreciable differences, between the markings of the 

 northwestern and southeastern varieties of Picus harrisii and gairdneri, and their relationship 

 to the eastern P. villosus and puhescens, is a remarkable fact in American ornithology, and 

 may possibly indicate the necessity either of dividing the dark ones into a Pacific and Rocky 

 mountain series, or of considering all as varieties of two species, a larger and smaller, changing 

 their character with longitudinal distribution. Many other supposed species are involved in 

 the same consideration ; but a larger number of specimens, in better condition than those before 

 me, and from localities of more equable distribution over the continent, will be necessary to 

 settle the question in the present instance. 



List of specimens. 



Locality. 



When col- 

 lected. 



Shoalwaterbay, W. T.... Oct. 9,1854 



Steilacooni,W. T... Oct. —,1835 



Fort Dalles, 0. T Feb. —, 1855 



do Nov. 10, 1854 



St. Helen's, O. T 



do 



, do Jan. 27,1856 



do ' 



do [ Jan. 27,1856 



Petaluma, Cal 



Sacramento, Cal ' 



San Francisco 



California ' 



do 



Laramie river, K. T ' Aug. — , 1856 



Fort Laramie Oct. 28,1857 



Whence obtained. 



Dr. Cooper 



Dr. Suckley 



do 



, do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



E. Samuels 



Lieut. Williamson. 



R. D. Cutts 



Dr. Heermann , . 



do 



Lieut. Bryan ... 

 W. M. Mjlgraw . 



Orig. 

 No. 



103 

 132 

 154 

 145 

 207 

 204 

 206 

 203 

 205 

 162 



209 



214 



Collected by- 



Dr. Cooper . 



Dr. Suckley. , 



Dr. Heermann. 



W. S. Wood. 

 Dr. Cooper .. 



6.75 



7.00 

 7.00 

 6.75 

 6.75 

 6.75 

 6.50 



6.37 

 7.25 



Stretch 

 of wings. 



11.50 



12.00 

 12.37 

 12.12 

 12.12 

 12.12 

 12.00 



Wing. 



4.00 

 3.87 

 3.75 

 3.75 

 3.75 

 3.75 



4.40 

 4.40 



Iris reddish brown 



Heermann 



