COLAPTES. 405 



departs from the more typical form of the Valley of Mexico in the direction of 

 C. mexicanoides. On the other hand, the latter bird is very uniform in its colora- 

 tion, and practically no difference exists between specimens from Quezaltenango and 

 Matagalpa. 



3. Colaptes chrysoides. 



Geopicus (Colaptes) chrysoides, Malh. Rev. Zool. 1852, p. 553 'j Mon. Pic. ii. p. 261, t. 109 ^ 

 Colaptes chrysoides, Reich. Scans. Picinae, p. 413 ' ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, ii. p. 583 ' ; 



Belding, Pr, U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 344 ° ; Hargitt, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xviii. p. 16"; Allen, 



Bull. Am. Mus. N. H. iv. p. 21 ^ 



Supra vinaceo-cinnamomeo-fTiscus, capite sTunmo et cervice postica immaculatis, illo rufescentiore, dorso et 

 scapularibiis nigro transfasciatis, plumis singulis fascia snbterminali altera discali nigra, dorso imo albo, 

 tectricibus supracaudaUbus albis nigro transfasciatis ; capitis lateribus et guttnre toto griseis vix cinna- 

 momeo tinctis, stria malari utrinque coccinea ; pectore plaga magna Innata nigra, abdomine toto et 

 tectricibus subcandalibus albidis, plumis singulis macula magna discali nigra, margine ultra earn cervino 

 tincto ; alls nigris, rhachidibus fiavis, remigibus internis in pogonio externo albido indistincte notatis, 

 remigibus subtus ad basin flavidis, subalaribus albidis nigro variegatis ; cauda nigra bitriente basali flava, 

 rectrice utrinque subexterna in pogonio externo ad apicem flavo notato ; rostro et pedibus plumbeis. Long, 

 tota circa 10-0, alae 5'6, caudae rectr. med. 3-7, rectr. subext. 3-0, rectr. lat. 1-3, rostri a rictu 1-65, 

 tarsi 1-1, dig. med. absque ungue 0-9, dig. ext. 0-8. (Descr. maris ex La Paz, Cal. inf. Mus. nostr.) 



5 mari similis, sed stria malari cocciuea nulla. 



Hah. North Ameeica, S. California, Arizona, Lower California - *. — Mexico, State of 

 Sonora, Guaymas {Belding^), HermosiUo {Ferrari-Perez), La Cobrisa, Cedros, 

 Ysleta in Sonora ( W. Lloyd). 



Tti having the base of the tail and the shafts of the primaries and their inner webs 

 yellow instead of red, C. chrysoides resembles the eastern C. auratus. On the other 

 hand, the absence of a red nuchal patch and the presence of a red instead of a black 

 malar stripe in the male are characters possessed in common with C. mexicanus. 



The range of C. chrysoides is much more limited than that of C. mexicanus, and is 

 restricted to a narrow area, including Lower and Southern California, and the western 

 side of the mountains of Mexico stretching towards the Gulf of California. The 

 Mexican State of Sonora thus comes within its limits, but it hardly passes beyond into 

 any of the adjoining States. 



Though its range, to some extent, overlaps that of C. mexicanus, we believe no 

 intermingling of the two birds takes place, as is the case with C. mexicanus and 

 C. auratus. 



Xantus noted birds of this species breeding at Cape San Lucas, the nest being formed 

 in the stems of Cereus giganfeus, the giant cactus of the district *. 



