QJ. Recent Literature. [January 



and hybrids would only be found where the opposite species came in 



direct contact The breed may be one of long standing, but that it 



is replenished by pure blood from without seems highly probable, and 

 niav account for the violent contrast sometimes produced in the two sides 

 of the same bird, which I think would not result in a i-ace if left entirely 

 to themselves, as the tendency- would be towards the acquirement of a 

 fixed character. The name given by this author [Audubon] must there- 

 fore be understood to apply to the race produced originally by the union 

 of C. auratits and C mexicanus, and possessing such varied characters as 

 to render descri[)tion vague and indefinite, but evidently suggestive of 

 very close interbreeding, and not as tending to show that all the individ- 

 uals comprising the race are the immediate descendants of true C. aura- 

 tits and C. mexicanus. 'Vhcxe can be no doubt thnt C. auratus also 

 interbreeds with C. chrysoides, [and the same may be said of C. mexicati- 

 us ] but I do not see how any specific title can be applied to these 

 Inbrids, which occupy no distinct region." While this is a pretty fair 

 statement of the facts and conditions of the case, the method of treatment 

 seems hardly consistent with the author's avowed tenets, above quoted. 



The Mexican form, commonly known as C. tnexicanoides L,a(v. (1844), 

 is called submexicanus Sundev. (1S66), for the only reason apparently 

 that the latter in some way seems to him to be a better name, thus sup- 

 planting a name hitherto in almost universal use by a much later name 

 used previously but once ! 



Under Melanerpes, M. formicii'orus hairdi is, considered as a synonym 

 of Picus melanopogon Temm., the form standing as "Subsp. a. Melaner- 

 pcs melanopogon.'''' It is evident, however, that melanopogon is a pure 

 synonym o( formicivorns Swain., as well from the original description 

 and figure as from the locality of the type. 



Dendrocopus Koch (type Picus major L.) replaces Dryobates Boie 

 (tvpe Picus pubescens). This point was well considered by the 

 A. O. U. Committee, und Dendrocopos Koch was found to be appaient- 

 \y slightly antedated by Dendrocopus Vieill., though both names 

 were published the same year. In any case Dryobates has a clear title, 

 while Dendrocopus has not. Under Dendrocopos, Dryobates hyloscopus 

 Cab. & Heine is synonymized with D. villosus Iiarrisi, with no reference 

 to the recent revival of hyloscopus to subspecific lank by American writ- 

 ers. Dryobates villosus inaynardi, a Bahaman form, is recorded from 

 Florida (Addenda, p. 570), on the basis of two females collected at Tarpon 

 Springs, by Mr. W. E. D. Scott, and recorded by him (Auk, VI, p. 251) 

 as Dryobates villosus auduboni. This latter form is s^'nonymized by Mr. 

 Hargitt with D. villosus! D. pubescens orecccus Batchelder is synonymized 

 under D. p. gairdneri, with the remark, in a footnote, ''In my opinion 

 barely worthy of subspecific rank"; but it is not so treated. 



Picoidcs dorsalis is accorded full specific rank — explainable probably 

 on the ground of the smailness of Mr. Hargitt's series, the evidence of 

 which is preferred to the consensus of American opinion, based on ade- 

 quate material. 



