°1928 ] Howell and van Rossem, Red-winged Blackbirds. 159 



AgelaiuB phoeniceus meamsi* subsp. nov. 



Florida Redwing 



Agelaius phoeniceus floridanus Ridgway (not of Maynard) Birds North 



and Middle Amer., pt. 2, p. 333, 1902 (part). 

 Agelaiiis phoeniceus phoeniceus Mearns (not of Linnaeus) Proc. Biol. 

 Soc. Washington, vol. 24, p. 227, October 31, 1911 (part). 



Type, 9 adult (breeding), No. 176,936, U. S. Nat. Museum. Collected 

 at Alligator Bluff, Kissimmee River, Florida, April 27, 1901, by Edgar A. 

 Mearns; original number, 12,560. 



Range.^Greater part of the Florida peninsula, south to the lower 

 Kissimmee Valley and the Caloosahatchee River; north at least to Putnam 

 County (San Mateo) and Anastasia Island; west on the Gulf coast to 

 Apalachicola. 



Subspecific characters. — Compared with phoeniceus: Size smaller; bUl 

 longer and more slender, both actually and relatively; coloration of 

 upper parts in females more brownish (less blackish) ; under parts more 

 buffy (less whitish), the dark streaks more brownish. 



Remarks. — In the present race, the maximum brownish suffusion 

 found in Agelaius phoeniceus is attained; this character at once 

 distinguishes mearnsi from all the other races occupying the 

 Caribbean area {bryanti, floridanus, littoralis, megapotamus, and 

 richmondi) . 



Specimens from the Gulf Coast of Florida, particularly from the 

 northern portion, have somewhat thicker bills than those from 

 central and eastern Florida, thus indicating a gradual approach 

 in this character to littoralis of the western Gulf Coast. Specimens 

 from the Caloosahatchee Valley (Alva and Ft. Myers) show 

 approach in paler coloration to floridanus, of south Florida. 



Breeding material is lacking from the lower St. Johns Valley, 

 hence the area of intergradation with phoeniceus is not definitely 

 known; quite probably this race will be found to range north- 

 ward nearly or quite to Jacksonville. 



Specimens examined. — Total number, 144, from localities as 

 follows: 



Florida: Anastasia Island, 2; San Mateo, 1; Big Lake George, 1; 

 northern Brevard County, 5; Merritt's Island, 6; Banana River, 5; 

 Canaveral, 3; Lake Jessup, 1; Enterprise, 1; Orlando, 2; Blue 

 Spring, 1; Lake Kissimmee, 4; Lake Arbuckle, 2; Kissimmee 



1 Named for the late Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, whose extensive collections have 

 enabled us to discriminate this subspecies. 



