78 TJnwersity of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 30 



of the Juvenal reetriees (as pointed out by van Rossem, 1925, p. 417), 

 and continues until nearly the middle of September. It may not con- 

 tinue over this entire period in the case of any one bird, but the time 

 indicated is when the young, as a group, are undergoing this molt. The 

 molt of the tail begins with the outermost feathers and progresses 

 toward the middle. As in the post-natal molt, the head and neck are 

 almost the last parts affected. The very last feathers to be changed 

 appear to be the tertials. Juvenal tertials may be found on birds 

 otherwise entirely in first winter plumage, as in two females at hand, 

 collected September 14 and 15, respectively. The male in first winter 

 plumage is in general like the fully adult except in tail character. The 

 young male (until the end of the second summer) has the tail rounded, 

 with the individual feathers relatively narrow and rounded. As a rule 

 it has the tail more distinctly gray-tipped than is the case in adults. 

 Minor color characters that appear in the first winter plumage, as com- 

 pared with the fully adult, are : much more white spotting on upper 

 breast, sides, and flanks; on the wings, the primaries, secondaries, 

 tertials, and coverts are all more extensively mottled with rusty. 



Adult plumage (male) : The first post-nuptial molt begins about 

 the middle of July of the second year and lasts until about the middle 

 of September. The change in character of reetriees is the one con- 

 spicuous feature of the mature plumage. I cannot find that there is 

 any renewal of reetriees (except sporadically, presumably as the result 

 of accidental feather loss) until this molt regularly begins. This, I 

 believe, is the only point in which I disagree with van Rossem (1926, 

 pp. 417-422) in the conclusions drawn by him regarding molt in this 

 genus. The fully adult tail, now acquired, is square ended, the feathers 

 broad and truncate. Minor color differences are a clearer gray colora- 

 tion below and less white spotting on breast and sides, while the 

 mottling on dorsal surface of wings and on interscapulars is less in 

 extent, and gray instead of brown. 



In the female the differences between first winter and later 

 plumages are not so apparent, but here, too, the greater breadth of the 

 tail feathers is a feature of the mature bird. 



The several recognized forms of DendragapiLs are currently 

 regarded as being all subspecies of one species, D&ndraigapus oiscunis, 

 but it seems to me that there are, rather, two species involved in this 

 assemblage. Under the species Dendragapus obscurus I would place 

 (from north to south) the subspecies D. o. flemingi, D. a. richardsonii, 

 and D. o. ohscurivs. Under the species Bemdragapus fuliiginmus I 



