12 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4 



generally, seems to be the first to be renewed, while the remiges, rec- 

 trices and feathers of the interscapular region are the last to get their 

 growth. An old female shot on September 3 had practically completed 

 its moult, with the exception of the tail feathers, none of which were 

 over half an inch long; while several specimens of both sexes, taken 

 during the last two weeks in August, are in nearly perfect autumnal 

 plumage, except for some small patches of old feathers in the inter- 

 scapular region. Fall specimens are considerably darker on the back 

 than birds taken during the spring and summer, but the change is un- 

 doubtedly due to fading of the plumage, as birds taken in the late winter 

 and early spring, show not the slightest traces of moult, and a series of 

 birds taken from February to July, show plainly the gradual change of 

 coloration. Singularly enough the pileum and back of the neck does not 

 seem to fade as the dorsum does, and consequently, while birds in fresh 

 fall plumage are of practically uniform coloration on the upper parts, 

 specimens taken in the late spring and summer have the head and neck 

 abruptly darker than the back and exposed portion of the wings. Young 

 birds of both sexes have the pileum red, and although it is not always 

 safe to lay down rules concerning young birds, the sexes not always 

 being easy to ascertain with certainty, there seems to be some difference 

 in the marking of the juvenile male and female. In no case does the red 

 cap extend over the entire pileum ; the anterior portion is always brown 

 like the back, and in some young females half the surface is without any 

 red. In the young female, besides occupying a less extensive surface, 

 the red is less intense than in the male, and not as solid, that is there is 

 always more or less brown showing through. The red cap of the juvenile 

 bird seems to be worn but a short time, as a young female taken Septem- 

 ber 4 has hardly a trace of it remaining. Young birds are lighter un- 

 derneath than the adult, with the markings of the under parts less 

 plainly defined, but there is a difference in this respect between autum- 

 nal and spring adults also ; and in each instance it is caused by the dark 

 markings being obscured by light colored edges to the feathers, which 

 disappear by abrasion later on. Of twenty-four specimens from this 

 region four show more or less traces of white bars across the rump ; one 

 of these is a male in nuptial plumage, one a male in freshly acquired 

 autumnal plumage, one a female in nuptial plumage (this specimen has 

 some faint indications of white bars on some of the scapulars as well), 

 and one is a young male. Another spring female has some white bars 

 on the scapulars but none on the rump. Presumably this is a tendency 

 toward the Mexican species Dryobates stricklandi. 



Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis Baircl. Red-naped Sapsucker. 



In February, 1903, I found this species fairly abundant in the Hua- 

 chucas, and pretty equally distributed over all parts of the mountains ; 

 though possibly more abundant in the pine forests of the higher p-^rts 

 of the range than elsewhere. They remained in diminishing numbers 

 up to March 26, on which date I secured the last one I saw. I was rather 

 surprised at their leaving so early, the more so that during, the previous 

 year the only one I saw for the season was a male which I secured on 

 April 25. Nearly all the specimens secured showed more or less S'gns 

 of moult on the throat and breast, though not elsewhere. One young 

 male, shot February 21, had but a few scattered red feathers on the 

 crown, and one or two black ones on the breast; the red throat patch 

 being nearly perfect. In the specimens secured the color of the lower 

 parts varies from almost pure white to rather bright sulphur yellow. 



