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 stripe 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. j 
A specimen from Sacramento valley, (6098,) labelled P. meridionalis, by Dr. Heermann, is 
exactly intermediate between P. pubescens 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 pubescens, 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. 
Catal.| Sex. Locality. | When col- Whence obtained. | Orig.| Collected by— Length. Streteh | Wing. Remarks. 
No. | lected. No. | of wings. 
ae ee | 
6101 Gq | Shoalwater bay, W.T.... Oct. 9, 1854 | Dr. Cooper.........| 103 11,50 | GdbSbc0 Tris reddish brown 
6100 | 4 | Steilacoom, W.T........ Oct. —, 1855 | Dr. Suckley.......| 132 | 
4574 3 | Fort Dalles, 0. disceidcodes Feb. —, 1855 }...... GM's csoa 660050 154 | 
6099 Q woccce CO. ceeee + ceceee cece Nov, 10, 1854 |...... dO....2.ce00s-) 140 
4593 (e) St. Helen’s, O. Tr... ssee)s see cece cevees|eneees dO. seus ceeeee 207 
4594 QD [overs do ceeecceeee +l eecees do... 204 
4595 fei Sais\olete dOliecen » 27 1856)| 0.006 fii 55 206 |... 
A596 | CD |oceees dO |e eveseicieeriesivecie|ecinsieeissenieses|isesisiais do 203 |... 
4598 GO |rseeee A ccode | 27, 1856 |...000 do 205 |... 
5499 | | Petaluma, Cal.. heeieisieresieieiee's E. Samuels........] 162 
6098 |...... Sacramento, Cal... sseee.|eseeseeee ove+| Lieut. Williamson..| .... | Dr. Heermann.....|....se0+/seeeeees Jenecesus P. meridionalis, 
| Heermann,.... 
6097 | | San Francisco ........e0s ee eee R. D. Cutts........}sceces|eccscceos evceee eens 
3905 Q | Californias ssseeeeeee eee teeene teen nes | Dr. Heermann .....|]..0.0+ atents 
3898 Bo jose dO. sevcccccccvcccselcccevecccee aecleceees dO. cecvece oo)svceee tee gaeeee ee 
5622 Q Laramie river, K. T...... Aug. —, 1856) Lieut. Bryan ...... QO9F || AW enV OOM aerisicieu 
£292) ] 0000. Fort Laramie ......-.e006 Oct. 28, 1857) W. M. Magraw....) 214 | Dr. Cooper ....... 
