FAMILY DENDROCOLAPTIDAE 49 



dusky, with the shafts black; sides of head dull buff, streaked in- 

 distinctly with dusky ; a narrow superciliary line bufif ; chin and throat 

 bufif ; rest of under surface light grayish brown with each feather 

 centrally buff, bordered laterally narrowly with black, forming 

 broad light streaks ; under tail coverts pale cinnamon-bufT streaked 

 proximally, plain distally ; under wing coverts pale yellow, mixed 

 with pale cinnamon ; under surface of inner primaries and secondaries 

 cinnamon-bufif. 



Juvenile, with the ground color of the under surface somewhat 

 browner. 



A male taken at 1900 meters on Volcan Barii March 4, 1965, had 

 the iris dark brown ; base of mandible fuscous-black ; rest of bill 

 pale neutral gray, becoming lighter at the tip ; tarsus and toes dull 

 green ; claws dusky neutral gray. 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Chiriqui), wing lOl.Q-112.4 

 (107.7), tail 88.7-97.0 (93.1), culmen from base 31.5-34.3 (32.6), 

 tarsus 21.3-22.2 (21.7) mm. 



Females (10 from Chiriqui), wing 101.5-109.8 (106.4), tail 

 91.5-98.7 (93.3), culmen from base 31.6-35.1 (33.4), tarsus 21.3- 

 21.9 (21.5) mm. 



Resident. Common locally in the mountain forests on Volcan 

 Baru, western Chiriqui, mainly from 1600 to 2500 meters, occasionally 

 down to 1250 meters ; above ranging to the limits of suitable tree 

 cover. 



I found one occasionally at the Quebrada Barriles and near the 

 lakes on the western slopes of the volcano, but the main range begins 

 at 1600 meters elevation, where I have seen them especially on Cerro 

 Pando above the pass at La Silla, and on the slopes above Cerro 

 Punta. They are common also on the slopes above Boquete, but 

 records to date do not include the forests on the Caribbean side in 

 Bocas del Toro. Griscom (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 78, 1935, 

 p. 342) includes "Veraguas" in the range, but in this he may have been 

 misled by older specimens labeled "Veragua," as I have found no 

 valid records in Panama except on the Pacific side of the great 

 volcano. 



Like others of the family they climb steadily up the trunks and 

 over the larger branches of the trees, ranging usually well above the 

 level of undergrowth. 



The usual call is a rapid repetition of a single note, suggestive of 

 that of a woodpecker. In early March I have seen pairs examining old 

 woodpecker holes, evidently in search of a nesting site. 



