388 BIRDS OF THE NEW YORK CITY REGION 



comparatively tame and was studied at leisure. He noted the 

 yellow crown patch immediately, the regular black and white 

 barring of the back, and was able to name the bird at sight, 

 without referring to a text-book. He was previously familiar 

 with the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker in life. Several days 

 later a sister of Mr. J. M. Johnson reported to him a strange 

 Woodpecker in the same locality. Her description clearly 

 indicated this species. Neither the writer nor the Local Avi- 

 fauna Committee of the Linnaean Society can find the slight- 

 est grounds for doubting an identification so well attested. 

 This bird, however, has never occurred south of Massachu- 

 setts, and, in line with the discussion under the Western 

 Grebe, the writer feels that a specimen had better be ob- 

 tained, before so unlikely a species is definitely recorded from 

 New Jersey. 



HOYT'S HORNED LARK (Otocoris alpestris hoyti) 

 If this subspecies has really occurred, it is a purely acci- 

 dental visitant from the Northwest. Its inclusion in the list 

 of birds of New York State is based on a specimen taken at 

 Long Island City, identified as this subspecies by Dr. H. C. 

 Oberholser, who, however, admits that it is not typical. 

 There are also specimens in the Dwight Collection which 

 show a similar approach to hoyti in characters, taken during 

 the winter on Shelter Island. The Horned Lark is now 

 divided into numerous close and critical subspecies, which 

 intergrade freely, and with considerable individual variation. 

 In such cases I cannot regard the publication of accidental 

 occurrences as of any scientific value. The subspecies are 

 determinable in large series only, and the extremes of any 

 one race are indistinguishable from the adjacent ones with 

 which it intergrades. Records of accidental occurrence 

 should be based at least on absolutely typical examples. 

 Until such a typical specimen of Hoyt's Horned Lark is 

 captured in New York State, its occurrence skould be re- 



