1889. } BATCHELDER 07 Dryobates pubescens orewcus. 253 
AN UNDESCRIBED SUBSPECIES OF DRYOBATES 
PUBESCENS. 
BY C. F. BATCHELDER. 
SomE Downy Woodpeckers I examined last autumn showed 
such marked differences between birds from different parts of the 
western United States that I have since then gathered together 
considerable material in order to find out what this geographical 
variation amounts to. I have been enabled, by the kindness of 
Messrs. Brewster, Ridgway, Jeffries, and other friends, to examine, 
in addition to my own series, a large number of specimens from 
various localities in the West, amounting altogether to ninety-five, 
besides nearly as many more Eastern skins. 
These show plainly that the birds inhabiting the Rocky Moun- 
tains are of a race very different from true gazrdzeriéz, which was 
originally described by Audubon from the Columbia River, and 
which in its typical form seems to be confined to the coast region 
of Oregon, Washington Territory, British Columbia, and possibly 
southern Alaska. I have concluded, therefore, to describe the 
former subspecies under the name of 
Dryobates pubescens orececus,* subsp. nov. 
Suspsp. CHAR. — Similar to D. Z. gairdneri?, but with the underparts 
pure white instead of light smoky brown, the white areas generally more 
extended, the under tail-coverts immaculate instead of being spotted or 
barred with black, the size somewhat greater except the feet which are 
relatively smaller. 
Adult male (Type, No. 196, collection of C. F. Batchelder. Las Vegas 
Hot Springs, New Mexico, Dec. 18, 1882, C. F. Batchelder). Above 
black; nasal feathers whitish, sparingly mixed and tipped with black; two 
white stripes on each side of head; a scarlet nuchal band; a broad white 
stripe down the middle of back. Wings black, spotted with white, these 
spots, on the quills, mostly in pairs, one on each web, that on the inner 
web usually much the larger; the wing-coverts and inner secondaries 
with but few or none of these white spots. Middle tail-feathers black ; 
the next pair black, or at most edged with white on terminal half of 
outer web; on the third pair the white covering nearly half the feather; 
on the outer two pairs the black restricted to the concealed basal portion 
of the feather and to a few small spots, rarely bars, on the terminal half 
*opevoikos = mountain-dwelling. 
