6? 6 



December 20, 1914 



Canada / <? J 4- 



Geological Survey 

 Museum Bulletin No. 7. 



BIOLOGICAL SERIES, No. 4. 



.4 New Species of Dendragapus (Dendragapus Obscurus Flemingi), 

 from Southern Yukon Territory. 1 



BY P. A. TAVERNER. 



In the examination of a collection of Dendragapus obscurus 

 recently acquired by the Canadian Geological Survey from the 

 Teslin Lake region, on the Yukon-British Columbia boundary, 

 it became evident that a new form of the species was probably 

 represented. Two subspecies have heretofore been recognized 

 as ranging into Canadian territory, D. o. fuliginosus and richard- 

 soni. Fuliginosus is a dark bird with a light tail band and 

 richardsoni a lighter one without a terminal band on the tail. 

 The birds under consideration are without the tail band but are 

 even darker than fuliginosus. 



We had a fair series of both recognized forms from southern 

 British Columbia, but all in spring and early summer plumage and 

 hence hardly comparable with the new form which is represented 

 entirely by late summer and autumn birds. The possibility 

 existed that the darkness of the new birds but represented the 

 new and unfaded plumage of the post-nuptial moult; therefore 

 application was made to the U. S. Biological Survey and its chief, 

 Dr. Henshaw, was courteous enough to place at our disposal what 

 summer and autumn specimens there were in the collection of that 

 institution. A comparison of the specimens, including these, 

 confirms our first surmise as to the racial differentiation of the 



Republished from THE AUK,' Vol. XXXI, No. 3, July. 1914. pp. 385-388. 



