Vol. XXVI, pp. 199-202 October 23, 1913 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW BIRDS FROM ALABAMA. 

 BY ARTHUR li. HOWELL. 



Recent field work conducted by the Biological Survey in 

 Alabama has resulted in the discovery of undescribed forms of 

 the common crow and of the towhee. Both of these new forms 

 reach the extreme of differentiation on the Gulf coast, the 

 towhee ranging nearly throughout Alabama and the crow still 

 farther north to southern Illinois and the District of Columbia. 

 One interesting fact developed by these studies is that neither 

 of the new races is closely related to the forms occupying penin- 

 sular Florida, nor are they strictly intermediate between the 

 latter and the northern races of the species. The crow is de- 

 cidedly smaller than the Florida Crow while the towhee is much 

 larger than the Florida Towhee and slightly larger even than 

 the northern race. 



Corvus brachyrhynchos paulus subsp. nov. 



SOUTHERN CROW. 



Type from Bon Secour, Alabama. $ adult, No. 204,882, U. S. Kat. 

 Mua., Biological Survey Collectiou. October 24, 1908, A. H. Howell. 

 Orig. No. 74L 



Characters. — Decidedly smaller than Corvus b. bracliyrhynchos, with a 

 much slenderer bill. Nearest to Corvus h. hesperis but with shorter wing 

 and slightly larger bill. 



Distribution. — Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, southeastern Texas, 

 Georgia (?), South CaroHna, and north to the District of Columbia and 

 southern Illinois. 



Measurements. — Type( 9 adult): wing, 273; tail, l(i5; exposed culmen, 

 46; depth of bill at nostrils, 16.5; tarsus, 54; middle toe, ;)4. Average 

 of 4 adult males from Autaugaville, Alabama: wing, 290 (285-300) ; tail, 

 170 (166-178) ; exposed culmen, 51 (47-54) ; depth of bill at nostrils, 17.6 

 (17-18) ; tarsus, 60.5 (60-61); middle toe, 33.9 (31-36.5). Average of 3 



52— Pboc. Biol. See. Wash., Vol. XXVI. 1913. (199) 



