BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 



279 



SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS NUCHALIS Baird. 



RED-ITAPED SAPSUCEES 



Similar to 8. v. varius, but with much less white on back, this 

 forming two definite but broken stripes, converging posteriorly; 

 nape always with more or less of red, under parts less strongly tinged 

 with yellow, and wing and tail averaging decidedly longer; adult 

 male with red of throat more extended, both laterally and posteriorly, 

 covering malar region (except anterior portion), where meeting 

 white sub-auricular stripe; adult female with at least lower half of 

 throat red (sometimes whole throat red, only the chin being white) ; 

 young much darker above than corresponding stage of S. v. varius, 

 the pileum uniform dark sooty slate, white markings on back less 

 brownish, and under parts much less yellowish, the chest and fore- 

 neck brownish gray or grayish brown (instead of bu£fy brown), and 

 usually less distinctly barred or lunulated with dusky." 



AduU maZe.— Length (skins), 179-216 (197); wing, 121-130 

 (127.5); tail, 67.5-77.5 (76.5); culmen, 21-26 (23.3); tarsus, 19-21.5 

 (20.4); outer anterior toe, 14.5-16 (15.2).'' 



AduU /emfflZe.— Length (sMns), 187-210 (195); wing, 126-132 

 (128.1); tail, 71-79 (74.4); culmen, 20-24.5 (23); tarsus, 19-20.5 

 (19.9); outer anterior toe, 14.5-16 (15.1)." 



Western North America, chiefly east of Cascade and Sierra Nevada 

 ranges; north to central British Columbia (Vernon; Buonaparte; 



" On account of tlie conspicuous difference in coloration of the young, definite 

 difference in color pattern of back, head, and neck in adults, and comparative 

 rarity of intermediate specimens (which are far less common, relatively, than in the 

 case of Colaptes), I believe that it would be better to consider this form as specifi- 

 cally distinct from 8. varius. It is true that specimens do occur that are interme- 

 diate between (S. nuchalis and S. varius, as well as between the former and S. ruber; 

 but they may be (and I believe are) hybrids; certainly there is no more reason for 

 not considering them as such than in the case of Colaptes; and if 8. nuchalis is to 

 be considered as merely a subspecies of 8. varius then, most certainly, must 8. ruber 

 also. 



* Twenty specimens. 



" Twelve specimens. 



