172 
THE CONDOR 
| Vox,. VII 
principal characteristic ascribed to atratus, excessively dark coloration, with, in the 
male, glossy black rnnip, concolor with the back, is fairly constant, but the black 
rump is characteristic only of fully adult birds, those in, at least their second year. 
Mr. Grinnell informs me that when he sent the specimens from which atratus was 
described, he selected, very naturally, the darkest colored, as the finest specimens, 
thus probably (though most innocently) misleading Mr. Ridgwav as to the value 
of the characteristics he ascribed to the race. In a series collected in the vicinity 
of Pasadena by Mr. Grinnell he has very carefully marked each one of the fall and 
winter birds, all in fact in which the age can be determined by the condition of the 
skull, whether adult or immature, and in every case the “young of the year” has 
the rump grayish, very much lighter than the old males, which are glossy black 
over the whole back and rump. The grav-rumped birds are frequently taken in 
the spring when it is impossible to ascertain the age, so easily determined in the 
fall and winter, but the inference is that they are birds of the previous year, and 
that two years at least are required to obtain the full plumage. I have not seen 
the type of Pipilo megalonyx but should think it very probable that it was a bird 
in this stage of plumage. 
Of the thirteen Mt. Pinos specimens, two juvenile males collected by Mr. 
Grinnell are marked “Fort Tejon, ’’while two pair of adults are labeled, “Mt. Pinos.’’ 
The seven specimens (five males and two females) taken by myself were shot in 
the mountains southwest of Mt. Pinos, probably ten or twelve miles from Fort 
Tejon. This material from the type locality of megaloynx is quite sufficient to 
admit of intelligent comparison with the series from Los Angeles and Pasadena, 
and it may be confidently stated that there is absolutely no difference between 
them. Of the seven males, six have the rump as black as any of the more south- 
ern birds, and there is no difference in size and proportions. 
The single male bird from the Piute Mountains, Kern Co., California (north- 
east of Fort Tejon) is in fresh fall plumage (Sept. 9), is apparently an old bird, and 
has the back and rump as glossy black as any Pasadena specimen in the series. 
In the collection of the Field Columbian Museum of Chicago there is an interest- 
ing series of five birds (three males and five females) shot at Monterey, California, 
during February, 1903. Two of the three males have the back and rump (except 
the usual white markings on the scapulars) uniform glossy black, and any of the 
five can be matched exactly by Pasadena specimens. 
In the series from Palo Alto ( Pipilo maculatus palcifer McGregor) there are, 
unfortunately, but two females, and those in such poor shape as to be nearly worth- 
less for comparison. The males are very slightly distinguished from megalonyx. 
I11 size they average a trifle smaller, and in color rather darker, evidently ap- 
proaching oregonus, but it is questionable whether the differences are sufficiently 
marked to be worthy of recognition by name. 
Turning now to the specimens from east of the Colorado Desert, an alto- 
gether different style of coloration is encountered. The birds are generally paler 
colored, with the white areas more extensive, and, in all the males examined, the 
rump is grayish, decidedly lighter than the back. In the light of the material ex- 
amined it seems evident that while atratus is indistinguishable from megalonyx , 
the bird found east of the Colorado Desert, occupying the southern Rocky Moun- 
tain region, is a different, and hitherto unnamed, variety. For this race I propose 
the name of 
Pipilo maculatus montanus new subspecies. 
SuBSPF.ciFic Characters— S imilar to Pipilo maculatus megalonyx but generally lighter 
