258 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 3 



grayish brown slate, but whenever it popped out of a nearby bush to 

 scold me, I forgot its drab hues to delight in the broad, bluish- frosted 

 superciliary stripe that gave its whole head a striking appearance." 



Dr. Eugene Eisenmann, from his field notes, informs me that in 

 September 1965, on the Finca Lerida he identified the voice as a sharp, 

 chirring rattle. Once he heard a higher pitched, somewhat more 

 musical call. In my own somewhat limited experience I have heard 

 them giving low chattering, trilling notes as they moved about in 

 dense undergrowth in heavily shaded woodland. On occasion they 

 may range in more open areas, as when an adult male appeared in a 

 low bush on the open forest floor to scold at the body of a spotted 

 wood quail that I had shot. 



The nest and eggs of the species of Scytalopus found in Panama, 

 so far as I am aware, are not yet known. 



As stated by Blake (cit. supra, p. 533), the population of Chiriqui 

 has the bill slightly larger than that of Costa Rica, but the birds are 

 otherwise similar in size as will be seen from the following series of 

 10 males from that country: wing 50.2-55.9 (52.1), tail 33.6-41.7 

 (37.9), culmen from base 11.5-13.9 (11.2, average of 9), tarsus 

 19.2-22.6 (20.8) mm. 



SCYTALOPUS ARGENTIFRONS CHIRIQUENSIS Griscom 



Scytalopus chiriqiicnsis Griscom, Amer. Mus. Nov., no. 141, October 31, 1924, 

 p. 3. (Cerro Flores, eastern Chiriqui, Panama.) 



Characters. — Darker, more sooty gray on upper and lower surface ; 

 male with gray markings on crown definitely darker, and the super- 

 ciliary less well marked ; slightly larger ; in immature dress averaging 

 darker. 



Measurements. — Males (two from Cerro Flores and Chitra, 

 Veraguas), wing 55.2. 56.8; tail 38.8, 49.0; culmen from base 13.0, 

 14.2 ; tarsus 20.0, 20.4 mm. 



Females (three from Chitra, Veraguas), wing 53.0-54.5 (53.5), 

 tail 37.4-42.8 (40.8), culmen from base 12.8-13.5 (13.2), tarsus 

 19.8-21.0 (20.3) mm. 



Resident. Recorded from Cerro Flores, eastern Chiriqui, and 

 Chitra, on the Pacific slope of the mountains of eastern Veraguas. 



In addition to the original description, Griscom (Nat. Hist., vol. 24, 

 1924, p. 516) mentions the type specimen, taken by R. R. Benson 

 on Cerro Flores, as a member of a genus of "small wrenlike birds of 

 secretive habit." Later, in February 1926, Benson collected a male 



