416 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.84 



Middle jMountain, 11 miles northeast of Durbin, July 2; Cranberry 

 Glades, May 9 and June 8 and 13; 4,600 feet and 4,800 feet on Spruce 

 Knob, September 30, 1935, and September 21, 1936; and 3,000 feet 

 elevation above Williams River, October 3. I have also a male that 

 I secured on Short Mountain, above Lost River, near McCauley, 

 October 13, 1935, and have record of another seen here May 24, 1936. 

 Judged from the above, this is the chickadee of the mountainous area 

 of the eastern part of the State. 



The series of birds from West Virginia when compared with speci- 

 mens from New York, New England, and Ontario average very 

 slightly darker on the back, with somewhat restricted light edgings 

 on wing and tail feathers. They also appear smaller in bulk, though 

 this difference does not register in the usual measurements of wdng, 

 tail, culmen, and tarsus. The northern birds, it is observed, have 

 distinctly longer and fiufher feathers, the apparent greater bulk 

 coming possibly from this source. The differences in color, especially 

 evident in fall plumage, are tenuous and at present do not seem to 

 warrant a subspecific name. It would be interesting to compare a 

 series of records of body weights from the two areas. 



PENTHESTES CAROLINENSIS EXTIMUS Todd and Sutton 



Northern Carolina Chickadee 



A common bird through the lowland areas of the State. Specimens 

 were secured as follows: 5 miles east of Huntington, April 21; near 

 Dunlow, April 23 ; near Fourteen, April 28 ; 2 miles east of Ben Lomond, 

 October 28; near Barboursvihe, October 26 and November 3; 5 miles 

 east of Philippi, May 29; 2,000 feet elevation on Cherry Pond Moun- 

 tain, near Arnett, October 23; and 2,900 feet elevation on Flat Top 

 Mountain, near Ghent, October 14. , 



It is interesting to find this species on the somewhat isolated Flat 

 Top and Cherry Pond Mountains in the southeastern part of the 

 State when the black-capped chickadee ranges in the mountains from 

 White Sulphur Springs northward. 



The type locality of the true Carolina chickadee (Penthestes 

 carolinensis carolinensis) is Charleston, S. C. Birds from the northern 

 part of the range of the species have been separated recently by Todd 

 and Sutton ^ as Penthestes carolinensis extimus. On comparison of 

 specimens it develops that the northern birds average sUghtly larger, 

 are lighter in color on the back, and have the sides and flanks brighter 

 buffy brown. The color diff'erences are evident mainly in birds taken 

 in fall and winter. While the distinctions are not very great, they seem 

 sufficient to warrant recognition of a northern race. 



» Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 49, July 3, 1936, p. 70 (Bethany, W. Va.). 



