Mr. E. Haro-itt on the Genus Gecinus. 19 



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It is a matter of surprise that Linnaeus did not know 

 G. canus, although found in his own country, and that he did 

 not recognize either Edwards's figure of the present bird or 

 Brisson's description as belonging to a species distinct from 

 G. viridis. It is just probable that he regarded the two 

 species as one. The present bird is so well known to all 

 subsequent authors as to call for very few remarks. Dr. 

 Stejneger has recently issued a review of the Japanese Wood- 

 peckers (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1886, pp. 99-124), in which 

 he describes a new subspecies under the name ofPicus canus 

 jessoensis, the diagnosis of which he gives as follows : — 

 '^Similar to Picus canus viridi-canus (Meyer & Wolf), but 

 the whole head strongly tinged with green and the under 

 surface lighter and clearer ; black streaks (in the male) on 

 pileum and occiput longer." The habitat is said to be 

 " aj)parently confined to the island of Yesso, Japan.'' In 

 the notes which follow, Dr. Stejneger writes, "European 

 specimens exhibit two different styles, which agree in having 

 the head grey;" and further on, in writing about the 

 Japanese bird, he says " the chief character of this form, 

 however, is the strong suffusion of green on the head," and 

 he adds : — " In European examples there is a j ust perceptible 

 shade of greenish on the top of the head and middle of hind 

 neck, but the sides are decidedly grey." Now I have before 

 me two specimens (both females) from Hakodati, dated 

 October 10th and 12th, collected by Mr. Henson; and 

 alongside of these I have placed two specimens from the 

 Vosges [Mougel), one being a female obtained in December, 

 the other a male, but without date. With the exception of 

 the sexual distinctions, these four birds could not be separated. 

 One of the females from Hakodati has an almost imper- 

 ceptible greener shade on the face than the Vosges female, 

 but really so slight as scarcely to be observed j but the 

 Vosges bird has the crown, occiput, and nape quite as green 

 as this Japanese specimen, if not more so. The other 

 Hakodati example is not at all greener on the face than the 

 Vosges birds, and has the crown, occiput, and nape greyer 

 than the Vosges female, and the occiput and nape greyer than 



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