NOTES OX THE BIRDS OF TENNESSEE WETMORE 193 



I liave given a brief statement of my views on the status of the 

 eastern and western forms in an earlier paper on birds from West 

 Virginia.^* 



SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS VARIUS (Linnaeus) : Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 



This connnon winter visitor throughout the State from fall to 

 spring was recorded as follows: Frayser, 4 miles east of Memphis, 

 April 8; Hickory Withe, April 9 and 10; 2 miles east of Phillippy, 

 Obion County, October 9 and 12; 4 miles south of Samburg, October 

 13; Indian Mound, Stewart County, October 27; 7 miles north of 

 Dover, October 30 ; 10 miles east of Pulaski, November 2 ; 6 miles east 

 of Frankewing, Lincoln County, November 4; Lookout Mountain, 

 April 5, 1882 (W. H. Fox) ; Rockwood, April 3, 1885 (W. H. Fox) ; 

 Clinch Mountains, 6 miles southwest of Bean Station, September 29. 



In the breeding season it was seen on June 4 at 3,800 feet elevation 

 in the Holston Mountains, above Shady Valley. 



Two years ago, in examining yellow-bellied sapsuckers collected in 

 West Virginia, I noted an apparent difference in size between breeding 

 birds from the mountains and individuals supposed to be migrant 

 from the north, but on looking up further material for comparison I 

 learned that this same problem was under study by Dr. H. C. Ober- 

 holser, so I did nothing at that time with regard to it. Since then 

 Oberholser ^^ has published on the matter, recognizing a northern and 

 a southern race, using the subspecific name vaHus for the southern 

 bird and atrothorax of Lesson for the northern one. 



In study of the present collection from Tennessee I have now 

 examined tliis question carefully, with results that are of interest. 

 The following statements are based on the study of approximately 60 

 birds of both sexes taken when they were on their breeding grounds. 

 Comparisons are made between the series from the southern area of the 

 breeding range of the species in the Appalachian Mountain System 

 and the northern region as represented by skins from Canada. Fol- 

 lowing are comparative measurements of the wing (the average being 

 given in parentheses). The dimensions of tail, culmen, and tarsus are 

 omitted as they show nothing of significance. 



Maijcs 



North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia (5 .specimens)- 117.5-122.0 (119.3) 



Maryland (2 specimens) 118.7-122.5 (120.6) 



Pennsylvania f 6 specimens) 119.0-124.9 (122.7) 



Northern Ontario, Alberta, Athabaska, Mackenzie (15 



specimens) 121. 1-126. 2 (124. 2) 



i*Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. vol. 84. 1937. p. 411. 



i^Dept. Cods. State of Loui.siana Bull. 28, 1938, pp. 372-374. 



