Sept, 1913 
CALIFORNIA FORMS OF PIPILO MACULA 'PUS 
171 
of this locality, both in the interior and on the coast. Atratus is thus a synonym 
of megalonyx (see Swarth, 1905, p. 171, and Ridgway, 1906, p. 100), but the 
characters attributed by Ridgway to the former race are applicable to megalonyx 
as here restricted. 
Eleven specimens from Santa Cruz Island have been examined, six from the 
Grinnell collection, four from the Mailliard collection, and one from the Willett 
collection. Two of the Mailliard specimens (nos. 3184, 3244) had been exam- 
ined by Mr. Ridgway at some time, and bear the following writing upon the 
attached labels: “Pipilo niaculatus clenientae. Not typical; near megalonyx. R. 
R.” The eleven specimens at hand are decidedly much more closely similar to 
megalonyx than to clementae, being in fact, practically indistinguishable trom 
mainland birds. In this connection also see Linton ( 1908, p. 208). 
No specimens are available from Santa Rosa Island ; but it is probably safe to 
anticipate that birds from that island will be found similar to the Santa Cruz form 
rather than to the more remote San Clemente and Santa Catalina island sub- 
species. 
Pipilo maculatus falcifer McGregor. San Francisco Towhee. 
Type Locality. — Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California. 
Range. — A narrow strip along the coast of central and northern Cali- 
fornia, west of the inner coast ranges ; from the northern boundary of the 
state south through Monterey County. 
Specimens examined from the following localities. Humboldt County. 
Cuddeback. Trinity County: Van Dusen River. Mendocino County: Sher- 
wood. Marin County : Nicasio ; Mailliard : Bolinas ; Fairfax ; San Geronimo. 
Contra Costa County : Martinez ; Lafayette ; Walnut Creek ; Mount Diablo. 
Alameda County : Oakland ; Berkeley ; Haywards ; Alameda. San Mateo 
County: Pescadero. Santa Clara County: Palo Alto; Black Mountain. 
Monterey County: Pacific Grove; Sur River. Total number of specimens, ■/4. 
Distinguishing Characters . — Coloration dark ; white markings more re- 
stricted than in megalonyx but much more extensive than in oregonus. Blind 
claw smaller and weaker than in megalonyx. 
Remarks. — There is a steady diminution northward in the extent of the 
white areas, birds from Monterey County being much less easily distinguished 
from megalonyx than are those from western Mendocino County. The north- 
ernmost California specimens available, from jMendocino and Blumboldt coun- 
ties, are, however, clearly referable to falcifer rather than to oregonus. The 
entire series distinguished by the name falcifer forms a connecting link be- 
tween megalonyx and oregonus, but on the whole is much more closely related 
to the former race. Specimens from the region of mergence of falcifer and 
megalonyx, in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, are with difficultv 
assigned to one or the other of the two forms, so gradual is the change. No 
specimens were available from extreme northwestern California and southern 
Oregon, from between the Humboldt Bay region and Salem, Oregon. Three 
examples from the latter locality are typical oregonus, those from the former 
are, as before indicated, undoubtedly falcifer. Thus there are no specimens at 
hand showing the finer degrees of intergradation between falcifer and oregonus, 
which may be supposed to be found somewhere in southern Oregon. 
The numerous records of Pipilo m. oregonus from California nearly all 
properly pertain to this subspecies. 
