NORTHERN CAROLINA CHICKADEE 355 



PABUS CAROLINENSIS EXTIMUS (Todd and Sutton) 

 NORTHERN CAROLINA CHICKADEE 



Todd and Sutton (1936) named this northern race, which ranges from 

 New Jersey westward to Missouri and southward to northern North 

 CaroHna and Tennessee. They describe it as "similar to Penthestes 

 carolinensis carolinensis (Audubon), but averaging larger, sex for sex; 

 pale edgings of wings and tail averaging considerably more conspicuous ; 

 sides and flanks brighter reddish brown ; and sides of head slightly 

 grayer." The habits presumably are like those of the nominate race. 



PAJEtUS SCI^ATESM EIDOS (Peters) 

 MEXICAN CHICKADEE 



HABITS 



The above name now applies to the northern race of a Mexican species, 

 which reaches the northern limits of its distribution in southeastern 

 Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Several specimens, now in the 

 Brewster collection in the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cam- 

 bridge, were collected in the Chiricahua Mountains, Ariz., in March 

 1881, by Frank Stephens. 



Mrs. Bailey (1928) gives the following records for New Mexico: 

 "The Mexican Chickadee was taken in the San Luis Mountains July 19, 

 1892, and September 29, 1893, at about 7,000 feet (Mearns) ; and was 

 found rather common among the pines of the Animas Mountains, 

 7.500-8,000 feet, August 1, 1908 (Goldman). These constitute the only 

 State records of this Mexican species." 



The Mexican chickadee (Pants sclateri sclateri) of the Mexican 

 highlands is much like our Carolina chickadee in general color pattern, 

 but it is larger, its coloration is darker, and its sides and flanks are 

 olive-gray, with the white on the under parts restricted to a narrow 

 median space, and with the blacjc of the throat spreading fan-shaped 

 over the chest. 



The northern race, our bird, is characterized by the describer, James 

 L. Peters (1927), as similar to the above, "but the grayish wash on the 

 sides and flanks paler and grayer, lacking the olivaceous tinge; white 

 area at the lower edge of the black throat and white abdominal median 

 stripe less restricted." 



Nesting. — There is a set of six eggs in the Thayer collection in Cam- 

 bridge collected by E. F. Pope, near Benson, Ariz., on May 16, 1913. 

 The nest of rabbit fur and wool, closely felted together, was in an 8-inch 



