1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 37 



The thirteen adult specimens at hand from Alaska and Van- 

 couver Island all have the outer web of the first primary un- 

 spotted. 



Thus in this description every detail which may be definitely 

 referred to one race or the other points toward the northern 

 form. 



Latham's supplementary description (1787, p. 106) includes 

 the tail, and it is on this that Suckow's Picas ruber it<>ll,-< nsis 

 is based. 



All of the early accounts of the species that can be traced at 

 all lead back to Captain Cook's statement of its occurrence at 

 Nootka Sound. In view of Latham's description of the specimen 

 from "Cayenne" being of a tail-less and legless bird, the fol- 

 lowing excerpts from Cook's (1784. "J. pp. 292, 293) narrative 

 are of interest : 



"As the season of the year was unfavorable to our gaining much 

 knowledge of the vegetable productions of this country, so our own situa- 

 tion while there, put it out of our power to learn much about its animals. 

 For as the want of water made it necessary that we should enter the 

 Sound at first, the unforeseen accidents which happened afterwards, though 

 they lengthened our stay, were rather unfavorable to our obtaining an}' 

 knowledge of this kind. . . . The account, therefore, that we can give 

 of the quadrupeds is taken from the skins which the natives brought to 

 sell; and these were often so mutilated with respect to the distinguishing 

 parts, such as the paws, tails, and heads, that it was impossible even to 

 guess at the animals to whom they belonged; though others were so per- 

 fect, or, at least, so well known, that they left no room for doubt about 

 them. ' ' 



And again (1784, p. 296) : 



"Birds, in general, are not only rare as to the different species, but 

 very scarce as to numbers; and these few are so shy, that, in all proba- 

 bility, they are continually harassed by the natives; perhaps to eat them 

 as food, certainly to get possession of their feathers, which they use as 

 ornaments. . . . Amongst some other birds, of which the natives either 

 brought fragments, or dried skins, we could distinguish .... " etc. 



All things considered, it seems to me that the name ruber 

 should be applied to the northern race. If the evidence, as given 

 above, is not considered conclusive, then the name should be 

 discarded entirely, for there is absolutely nothing to connect it 

 with the California bird. In any event. Sphyrapicus varius 



