°i&)6 J Oberholser, The Mexican Forms of Ccrthia. ^ 1 5 



genus from Ciudad, Durango, northwestern Mexico, under the 

 name Certhia mexicana albescens ; thus restricting mexicana proper 

 to Guatemala and the more southern parts of Mexico. When, 

 some years later, Mr. Gerritt S. Miller substituted x the name 

 Certhia familiaris alticola for the preoccupied one of Certhia 

 familiaris mexicana (Gloger), he very evidently overlooked the 

 name proposed by Berlepsch, and bestowed the subspecific desig- 

 nation alticola upon " the Certhia inhabiting the mountains of 

 Guatemala, Mexico and southern Arizona .... (No. 726^ of 

 the A. O. U. Check-List)." Since the term alticola was intended 

 to simply replace that of mexicana, and as it consequently may, 

 with equal pertinence, apply to either of the Mexican forms, it 

 seems best to retain it for the race to which Count von Berlepsch 

 restricted the original appellation of the Mexican .Creeper — i.e., 

 the bird occurring in southern Mexico and Guatemala. 



The race inhabiting northwestern Mexico and Arizona will, 

 therefore, stand as 



Certhia familiaris albescens (Berlepsch). 



Certhia mexicana Gloger, "Handbuch, 1S34, 3S1" (part). 



Certhia familiaris var. mexicana Baird, Brewer & Ridgway, Hist. 



North Am. Birds, I, 1S74, 12S (part). 

 Certhia familiaris alticola Miller, Auk XII, April, 1S95, iS5 (part). 

 Certhia mexicana albescens Berlepsch, Auk V, October, iSSS, 450. 



Chars, subsp. — Ccrthia C. familiari americanae similis, sed corpore 

 super iore valde saturatiorc, uropygio castaneo, nee fulvo, pectore abdomi- 

 neqite paulo canescentibus, nee pure albis, primo visa distinguenda. 



Al., 59-67 (63.8) mm.; caud., 55-64 (60.7) mm.; exp. culm., 13-15 (14-2) 

 mm.; tars., 14-15 (14-2) mm. 



Habitat. — N. W. Mexico et Arizona. 



Description. — - Male, No. 56249, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. ; Napolera, Sonora, 

 Mexico, Dec. 12, 1890; F. Robinette. General color above clove brown, 

 the rump and upper tail-coverts chestnut. Superciliary stripe, spots and 

 bars on wings, together with streaks on head, cervix and back, nearly pure 

 white ; these markings being on head rather narrow, much broader and 

 somewhat confluent on hind neck and back. Interscapulum with a very 

 slight admixture of the color of the rump. Outer webs of tail-feathers 

 with little or no ochraceous suffusion. Chin and upper throat pure white 



1 Auk XII, 1S95, lS 5- 



