lO BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 3 



throat and upper f oreneck cinnamon-bufif ; under surface ruf escent 

 brown, slightly paler on the abdomen, and more rufous on the under 

 tail coverts ; under wing coverts light rufous. 



While this species is widely distributed through the Republic it 

 is local in occurrence, mainly in the lowlands, and only in areas of 

 forest. Usually it is found in company with moving ant swarms, 

 where it rests or climbs on the lower tree trunks, often partly hidden 

 by the leaves of the undergrowth. If it remains quiet it may not be 

 noticed. While one may drop down briefly to pick up an insect, 

 most of this prey is captured above the ground. When there is 

 momentary activity among the other ant-birds a Ruddy Woodcreeper 

 may utter a few chattering notes, but on the whole these birds are 

 silent. Their range is in areas of forest, and where these are cut 

 the birds disappear. The only report of nesting that I have seen is 

 by Russell (Birds British Honduras, 1964, p. 102) who records ob- 

 servations of Morton E. Peck on the nominate race in British Hon- 

 duras. Two nests were found in June. One with two eggs "was 

 in a shallow cavity about two feet from the ground in a decayed 

 stump." The second, with three eggs was "in a cavity in the base of 

 a dead palm leaf about five feet from the forest floor." 



Two closely similar subspecies are found in Panama. 



DENDROCINCLA HOMOCHROA ACEDESTA Oberholser 



Dendrocincla acedesta Oberholser, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 56, 

 June 29, 1904, pp. 449 (in key), 462. (Southern base of Volcan de Chiriqui, 

 Panama.) 



Characters. — Slightly darker, faintly more olive; averaging some- 

 what smaller. 



A male taken at El Volcan, Chiriqui, March 18, 1965, had the iris 

 light chestnut-brown (matching the color of the adjacent side of the 

 head) ; distal line of the culmen black; rest of maxilla dull brown; 

 mandible fuscous-black, brownish white above the cutting edge ; 

 (color of tarsus not recorded.) 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Costa Rica, Chiriqui, and Bocas 

 del Toro), wing 100.5-106.1 (103.8), tail 73.7-81.0 (77.5), culmen 

 from base 25.5-28.5 (26.3), tarsus 26.0-27.6 (27.0) mm. 



Females (10 from Chiriqui and Costa Rica), wing 96.8-101.8 

 (99.6), tail 70.3-76.7 (75.9), culmen from base 24.7-27.7 (25.7), 

 tarsus 24.3-26.5 (25.9) mm. 



Resident. Found locally in forested areas in western Chiriqui, 

 mainly in the lowlands, less frequently in the lower Subtropical Zone 



