grinnell's chickadee 357 



cannot now be clearly defined. The subspecies found in Arizona, New 

 Mexico, and northern Mexico is Parns sclateri eidos. 



Casual records. — A specimen of this species has been taken in the 

 Davis Mountains of western Texas. 



Eggf dates. — Arizona: 3 records, April 4 to May 29. 



PABUS G.4MBELI GRTNNEIXI (van Rossem) 

 GKINNELL'S CHICKADEE 



HABITS 



This northern race of the white-brov/ed chickadees (gambeli) is thus 

 described by Mr. van Rossem (1928) : "In relative proportions of wing 

 and tail Parus gambeli grinnelli most closely resembles Parus gambeli 

 gambeli (Ridgway), from which it differs in smaller size and darker 

 coloration. On interscapular region it is of the identical shade of Parus 

 atricapillus atricapillus (Linnaeus)." 



Its range includes northern British Columbia, eastern Washington, 

 east-central Oregon, and northern Idaho. Just where it intergrades 

 with the mountain chickadee of the Rocky Mountains and the short- 

 tailed chickadee of northern California does not seem to be definitely 

 known. 



The remarks by Dawson and Bowles (1909) on the mountain 

 chickadee, as they found it in eastern Washington, evidently apply to 

 this race. Mr. Dawson found two nests "placed in decayed stumps not 

 above three feet from the ground. One, in a wild cherry stub in north- 

 em Okanogan County, contained fresh eggs on the 18th day of May. 

 Their color had been pure white, but they were much soiled thru 

 contact with the miscellaneous stuff which made up the lining of the 

 cavity: moss, cow-hair, rabbits' wool, v/ild ducks' down, hawks' casts, 

 etc." 



At another nest, containing young, "it was an unfailing source of 

 interest to see the busy parents hurrying to and fro and bringing in- 

 credible quantities of provisions in the shape of moths' eggs, spiders, 

 wood-boring grubs, and winged creatures of a hundred sorts. Evidently 

 the gardener knew what he was about in sheltering these unpaid as- 

 sistants. Why, when it comes to horticulture, three pairs of Chickadees 

 are equal to one Scotchman any day." 



The measurements of eight eggs average 16.1 by 12.2 millimeters; 

 the eggs showing the four extremes measure 16.3 by 12.3, 14.7 by 12.2, 

 and 16.2 by 12.1 millimeters. They are apparently indistinguishable 

 irom those of the mountain chickadee. 



667497—4^-34 



