NO. 1S47. THE LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS— 0BERII0L8ER. 147 



nasal tufts and ventral surface of body smoky bro^vn, the chin and 

 crissum paler; sides and middle of breast and sides of body heavily 

 spotted with black; the flanks and crissum barred with the same; 

 lining of wing brownish white, spotted with black; "iris brownish 

 rod; bill dark bluish; feet greenish blue." 



Measurements.— Mole: ^ Wing, 85-88.5 (average, 86.8) mm.; tail, 

 43-48.5 (45.8); exposed culmen, 18-19 (18.5); tarsus, 16.5; middle 

 toe, 11.5-12 (11.8). 



Female:^ Wing, 84; tail, 44; exposed culmen, 16.5; tarsus, 15; 

 middle toe, 11.5. 



Type-locality. — Pine Ridge, near Manatee Lagoon, central eastern 

 British Honduras. 



Geographical distribution. — Southeastern British Honduras; north 

 to Manatee Lagoon, central eastern British Honduras; south to 

 Ycacos Lagoon. 



This is the most diminutive of all the races of Dryohates scalaris, 

 and seems to be very restricted in distribution. The series available 

 is small, but the differences that these binls show, coupled with 

 their isolated habitat, seem to warrant subspecific recognition. 



Four examples seen, from the localities below: 



British Honduras. — Ycacos Lagoon; Pine Ridge near Manatee 

 Lagoon. 



DRYOBATES SCALARIS AZELUS, new subspecies. 



Chars, suhsp. — ^fuch like Dryohates scalaris leucoptilurus, but of 

 decidedly greater size; lower parts lighter; postocular and malar 

 stripes somewhat narrower, the latter not reaching the bill ; less black 

 on the outer long tail-feathers, particularly on the exterior webs. 



Description. — Type, adult male, No. 185060, U.S.N.M., Biological 

 Survey collection; La Salada, Michoacan, March 19, 1903; E. W. 

 Nelson and E. A. Goldman. Crown and nape black, the feathers of 

 the former subterminally dull wlute, terminally scarlet vermilion, 

 tliis producing a mottled effect on the top of the head, but merging 

 into a solid band of red on the occiput and anterior hind neck; 

 remaining upper parts black, all, excepting the superior tail-coverts, 

 barred with wliite — these white bars narrower than the black inter- 

 spaces; tail black, the three outer pairs of feathers, including the 

 dwarfed outermost one, barred broadly ^^^th white, except on basal 

 portion of inner webs of the second and third, but the outer vanes 

 of the second (the first long pair) and third wholly white basally; 

 the fourth pair distally barred with white, and broadly margined on 

 median portion of outer webs with white ; wings black, with numer- 

 ous spots of white (except on primary coverts, alula, and some of the 

 lesser coverts), wliich, on tertials and some of the inner long upper 



1 Two specimens, from British Honduras. ' One specimen, from the same country. 



