202 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 3 



shelters remaining across wide lowland areas in Chiriqui and Veraguas 

 that formerly were heavily forested. 



Carriker (Ann. Carnegie Mus., vol. 6, 1910, p. 616), described a 

 nest found May 10, 1902, at Pozo Azul de Pirris in Costa Rica, as 

 built of twigs and roots, lined with finer black roots, placed near the 

 ground in forest. The two eggs, whitish with "nearly the whole 

 surface obscured with specks, blotches, and scrawls of purplish 

 chestnut" measured 23 X 17 and 24 X 17 mm. 



In studies in southwestern Costa Rica, Skutch (Pac. Coast Avif., 

 no. 35, 1969, pp. 237-244) noted that these birds lived in dark under- 

 growth in heavy forest, rarely rising more than 3 meters above 

 the ground. They are found mainly in pairs that forage by hopping 

 rapidly, or where cover is dense, by flitting from one low perch to an- 

 other. They may forage over ant swarms, in company with other 

 small birds, but more usually range alone in search of the insects that 

 with an occasional small lizard form their food. Their nests, placed 

 only a few centimeters above the ground, have a loose foundation of 

 bits of fern and dead leaves that supports an open cup lined with finer 

 materials. Two nests seen held only one egg, two others had two eggs 

 each. These were dull white "heavily blotched, speckled, and 

 streaked with deep, rich purplish or rufous brown . . . heaviest on 

 the thick end, where they almost obscure the ground color." Four 

 had the following measurements: 23.0x16.7, 23.8x16.7, 23.8x17.1, 

 and 24.6 X 15.1 mm. The male aided in incubation, with the female 

 alone at night. Both fed the young, which on hatching have dark 

 skins without down. "In antagonistic display, males spread their 

 wings, revealing on their forward edges white patches . . . females 

 puff out the feathers on the back." They also use a distraction display 

 against enemies. 



MYRMECIZA EXSUL EXSUL Sclater 



Myriucciza exsul P. L. Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, vol. 26, 1858 (January- 

 May 1859), p. 540. (Panama, type locality restricted to near Gatun, Canal 

 Zone. ) 



Myrmecisa immaculata Sclater and Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864 

 (February 1865), p. 357. (Lion Hill, Panama.) 



Characters. — Male, head and hindneck black ; rest of upper surface 

 chestnut ; foreneck nearly black ; rest of lower surface blackish gray, 

 with the flanks and under tail coverts near Mars brown. 



Female, dull brown on lower surface, posterior to the foreneck. 



A male, taken February 27, 1962, near the head of Rio Guabal on 



