Page:Condor13(5).djvu/24

 THE CONDOR Vol. XIII unfortunate hyloscopus, thus dismenibered, is finally restricted to a slender thread of territory winding over parts of southern California aml along the coast, except. in the extreme north- western corner of the state; and the threat im- plied in tile statement that the type of the suh- species, from San Jose, California, is not really typical of any form, leads us to fear that itmay even be cast out from this, its last refuge ! The name of the big Northern Hairy Wood- pecker is changed to Dryobates villosus septen- trionails (Nuttall)on grounds which may or may not be considered adequate. Tile range of D. v. picoideus is given as including Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, a view with which the present reviewer does not agree at all, for reasons already detailed elsewhere. Also the statements that harrisi is remarkably uniform in size and color, over its entire range, and that there is very little individual variation in the form, are not borne out by an Alaskan series at hand, evidently more extensive than the material from that region at the disposal of Mr. Oberholser. However, these are matters of tietail, anti largely of opinion, but whether or not one feels inclined to give names to all of the rather slightly differentiated varieties here recognized, there is no question at all as to the value anti excellence of Mr. Oberholser's work. Careful discrimination is required in the handling of a difficult group like the one under discussion, and we have in the present paper an accurate resnm of the problem. The descriptions and critical comments are such as will always be re- turned to by future workers, the key to the subspecies, contained in the introduction, is ex- cellently devised (if all the individuals of a subspecies would only be "typical"!), and. the map outlining the breeding ranges is a decided- ly valuable feature of the paper.--H. S.S. A REVISION OF THE FORMS OF THE LADDER- BACKED WOODPECKER (Dryobates scalaris [Wagler3). By }lARRY C. OBERHOLER. [-- Proc. U.S. National Museum, Vol. 41, pp. 139- 159, pl. 12 (map); published June 30, 1911.] As one of the results of Mr. Oberholser's study of this group "the six currently recognized races are here increased to fifteen." In place of l>ryobales s. bairdi, heretofore considered to be the form ranging along the southern border of the United States, from Texas to southern Cali- fornia, we have here two races described, /9. s. sympleclus, the Texas Woodpecker, anti ]3. s. cactophilus (type locality Tucson, Arizona), the form occurring in northern Mexico, western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Bairdi ismrestricted to a compara- tively limited area in central Mexico. Neither of the two subspecies regarded as inhabiting Lower California (]3. s. eremicas in the north- ern, and ]9. s. lucasanus in the southern half of the peninsula) is consitered to occur in southern California, specimens from the Colo- rado Desert formerly identified as D. s. lucasa- nus, being now regarded as variants of caclo- philas showing intergradation with ]9. s. ere- micus.--H. S.S. DESCRIPTION oF A NEW SPOTTED ToWliEF FROM THE GREAT BASIN. BY J. (RINNELL. [Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., vol. 7, August 24, 1911, pp. 3/)9--311.] The Towbee of northern Nevada, northeastern California and southern Oregon is here separated as a distinct form, under the name of ]ipilo maculatus curtatus, type locality Pine Forest Mountains, Nevada. From t'. m. montanus of Arizona anti New Mexico it is distinguished by shorter wing aml tail, and darker coloration; from ?. m. mega- lonyc by somewhat paler coloration, greater extent of white markings, and much shorter hind-toe-aml-claw. It is a migratory form, tile summer range about as given above, while winter specimens were secured on the lower Colorado River.--H. S.S. A NEW BLUE GROSBEAK FROM CALIFORNIA. BY J. GRINNELL. [Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., vol. xxiv, June 16, 1911, p. 163.] The Cali- fornia Blue Grosbeak, here named Guiraca caerulea salivaflus, (type locality Colton, San Bernardino County), is separated from G. c. lazula mainly on the smaller size and different proportions of the bill. The two forms are in- distinguishable in color both' differing from (. c. caerulea of the South Atlantic States in the paler blue coloration of the male bird.--II. S.S. EARLY SUMMER BIRDS IN YOSEMITE VAL- LEY. BYJ.GRINNELL. [Sierra Club Bulletin, vol. 8, June, 1911, pp. 118-124.] A Sketch of the birds observed in the valley during a ten days visit (May 22 to June 1, 1911). The species met with during this time, fifty-fiVe in number, are listed at the end of the article; while of the more interesting or conspicuous ones, portions of life history or particulars of th manner of occurrence, are detailed in the body of the pa- per. The best find was a nest of the Calaver- as Warbler; another, nearly as good, one of tile Winter Wren. The nmnber of species noted seems to justify the conclusion that "in abundance amt variety of its bird life Yosemite is at tile very least as well provided for as any other part of the West of similar climatic and floral qxialifications"; though the magnificent scenic attractions are so engrossing as to assist at first to a different im- pression. The paper closes with a list of the five titles previously published relative to the birds of Yosemite Valley.--II. S.S.