92 



U. S. p. E. E. EXP. AND SUEVETS — ZOOLOGY — 6ENEEAL EEPOET. 



iDrown, with faint black streaks, the white spots ahove smaller, and less numerous. In speci- 

 mens from California and further east the white is purer, the spots more conspicuous. 



This species diifers chiefly from P. puiescens in the considerably smaller size of the spots on 

 the wing, and their restricted number. Thus there are none on the wing coverts except very 

 occasionally, chiefly in the concealed portion. The most exposed tertiaries are entirely black, 

 or with one or two spots on the outer webs only, instead of having two or three conspicuous 

 white bands, or double series of spots. The lowermost black stripe on the cheek is generally ' 

 better defined ; the bristly feathers at the base of the bill browner ; the black bands on the tail 

 feathers more distinct. 



A specimen from Sacramento valley, (6098,) labelled P. meridionalis, by Dr. Heermann, is 

 exactly intermediate between P. puhescens and gardneri, with less white on the wing than the 

 one, and more on the other. 



The almost perfect parallelism, with appreciable differences, between the markings of the 

 northwestern and southeastern varieties of Ficus harrisii and gairdneri, and their relationship 

 to the eastern P. villosus and puhescens, is a remarkable fact in American ornithology, and 

 may possibly indicate the necessity either of dividing the dark ones into a Pacific and Eocky 

 mountain series, or of considering all as varieties of two species, a larger and smaller, changing 

 their character with longitudinal distribution. Many other supposed species are involved in 

 the same consideration ; but a larger number of specimens, in better condition than those before 

 me, and from localities of more equable distribution over the continent, will be necessary to 

 settle the question in the present inatance. 



List of specimens. 



