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BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 3 



and other human activities. Where not disturbed, they may range 

 out in dense stands of weeds. At any alarm they remain quiet, or 

 may sHp away hidden by the dense cover of their haunts. In the 

 humid air preceding or following rain, especially in early morning, 

 males often become active and sing, a quick repetition of a single 

 note that begins slowly, becomes rapid, and ends abruptly in a snarling 

 sound of higher pitch, the whole audible for several hundred meters. 

 The song as a whole resembles somewhat the calls of some of the 

 smaller trogons. 



Figure 12. — Great ant-shrike, hormiguero grande, Taraba major 

 melanocrissus, male. 



Two nests of this subspecies examined by Skutch (Pac. Coast Avif. 

 no. 35, 1969, pp. 165-170) in southwestern Costa Rica were built in 

 thickets, one elevated a meter and a half, the other a little higher 

 above the ground. Both had outer portions woven of slender vines, 

 attached to supporting arms, with an inner mass of dry leaves. The 

 deep, open cup that held the eggs was lined with a mat of slender 

 fibers. The two eggs in each set were dull creamy white, marked 

 heavily with dark chocolate, blackish and purplish brown, varied by 

 pale lilac. Measurements were 29.4 X 23.0 and 30.2 X 22.2 ; 28.2 X 23.0 



