1920] Swarth: Revision of Avian Genus Passerella 147 



in Pinery Caiion (altitude, 6000 ft.), Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, 

 November 28, 1914, that so closely resembles typical townsendi that 

 it must perforce be placed in that category. It is a trifle duller 

 colored, less richly brown, than Alaskan specimens, but the difference 

 is slight. 



The series of townsendi from throughout the breeding range is on 

 the whole notably uniform in appearance, despite the segregation of 

 the birds on different islands. From the northern extreme. Glacier 

 Bay, there are, unfortunately, but two juveniles available. These are 

 not appreciably different from young from other points, and they 

 are unlike the one juvenal anncctens at hand, but the material is too 

 scanty for a decision as to the existence of a tendency toward annectens 

 at this point. Birds from Forrester Island, an outlying island near 

 the southern boundary of Alaska, do not depart appreciably from 

 the mode of townsendi, nor, as far as I can see, do those from the 

 Queen Charlotte Islands, still farther south. A series of the last 

 mentioned was reported upon by Osgood (1901, p. 48), who remarks 

 that the birds "are not identical with breeding birds from Sitka, and 

 perhaps should be considered intermediate between townsendi and 

 fuliginosa." I do not know the amount of comparative material that 

 was available when that report was written, but in the light of the 

 extensive series now assembled, the Queen Charlotte Islands specimens 

 can not be regarded as outside the range of variation seen elsewhere 

 in the habitat of toivnsendi. They certainly show no appreciable 

 approach toward fuliginosa, though such variation would not have 

 been surprising. 



Birds in fresh fall plumage from the Taku River and Port Snetti- 

 sham are notably dark-colored as compared with breeding birds from 

 neighboring islands (see Swarth, 1911, p. 94), and this darkness is 

 also apparent in comparison with a September bird from Sitka. Tliere 

 is a fall specimen at hand taken at another point on Baranof Island 

 (Peril Strait) of the same dark type of coloration as is seen on the 

 mainland birds. 



The type specimen of Plectrophanes townsendi Audubon has been 

 available for the present study. This is a well made skin, considering 

 the period at which it was collected, and in good condition. Taken 

 late in the winter (February 15) the condition of the plumage would 

 not be noticeably different from birds collected six weeks later upon 

 the breeding ground, and to my eye the coloration of this specimen 

 is not appreciably different from selected specimens from the Alex- 



