92 
U. S. P. K. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS-ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT. 
"brown, with faint "black streaks, the white spots above smaller, and less numerous. In speci¬ 
mens from California and further east the white is purer, the spots more conspicuous. 
This species differs chiefly from P. pubescens in the considerably smaller size of the spots on 
the wing, and their restricted number. Thus there are none on the wing coverts except very 
occasionally, chiefly in the concealed portion. The most exposed tertiaries are entirely black, 
or with one or two spots on the outer webs only, instead of having two or three conspicuous 
white hands, or double series of spots. The lowermost black stripe on the cheek is generally 
better defined ; the bristly feathers at the base of the bill browner ; the black bands on the tail 
feathers more distinct. 
A specimen from Sacramento valley, (6098,) labelled P. meridionalis , by Dr. Heermann, is 
exactly intermediate between P. pubescens and gardneri, with less white on the wing than the 
one, and more on the other. 
The almost perfect parallelism, with appreciable differences, between the markings of the 
northwestern and southeastern varieties of Picus harrisii and gairdneri, and their relationship 
to the eastern P. villosus and pubescens, is a remarkable fact in American ornithology, and 
may possibly indicate the necessity either of dividing the dark ones into a Pacific and Eocky 
mountain series, or of considering all as varieties of two species, a larger and smaller, changing 
their character with longitudinal distribution. Many other supposed species are involved in 
the same consideration ; but a larger number of specimens, in better condition than those before 
me, and from localities of more equable distribution over the continent, will be necessary to 
settle the question in the present instance. 
'\ 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sox. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
6101 
3 
Oct. 9, 1854 
103 
6.75 
11.50 
Iris reddish brown 
6100 
132 
4574 
o 
Feb. —, 1855 
154 
6099 
o 
Nov. 10, 1854 
145 
7.00 
12.00 
4.00 
4593 
V 
n 
St. Helen’s, O. T. 
207 
Dr. Suckley. 
7.00 
12.37 
3.87 
4594 
V 
204 
6.75 
12.12 
3.75 
4595 
V 
Jan. 27, 1856 
206 
6.75 
12.12 
3.75 
4596 
o 
203 
6.75 
12.12 
3.75 
4598 
V 
YV 
205 
6.50 
12.00 
3.75 
5499 
o 
162 
6098 
o 
Heermann. 
6097 
3 
3905 
3898 
V 
5622 
o 
Aug. —, 1856 
209 
W. S. Wood. 
6.37 
4.40 
8232 
V 
Oct. 28, 1857 
W. M. Magraw_ 
214 
7.25 
12.75 
4.40 
