UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



IN 



ZOOLOGY 



Vol. 7, No. 8, pp. 309-31 1 August 24, 1911 



DESCRIPTION OF ANEW SPOTTED TOWHEE 

 FROM THE GREAT BASIN 



BY 



J. GRINNELL 

 (Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California) 



Some spotted towhees were obtained by the expedition sent 

 by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of Cali- 

 fornia in the early spring of 1910 to the lower Colorado Valley 

 between Needles and Yuma. In attempting to identify these 

 towhees it was found that they were quite unlike the Pipilo 

 maculatus montanus, resident in the mountains to the eastward 

 in Arizona, and yet they clearly differed from the P. m. mega- 

 lonyx, resident in the Sierran and San Diegan districts of Cali- 

 fornia. Casting about for comparable specimens the fact was 

 brought out that the Colorado River birds were practically 

 identical with examples representing a hitherto unnamed form 

 and inhabiting in summer portions of the Great Basin region, 

 at least of northern Nevada, eastern Oregon, and northeastern 

 California. The Colorado Valley birds were thus evidently 

 winter visitants from that region and not from any nearer 

 locality, as far as available material indicated. The race may 

 be called 



Pipilo maculatus curtatus, new subspecies 

 Nevada Towhee 



Type.— Male adult; no. 9151, Univ. Calif. Mus. Vert. Zool. ; 



