4IO BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 3 



though the usual call, a high-pitched zvhee-ee or see-ee-ee, has no great 

 carrying power. This low note distinguishes it from the louder-voiced 

 Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher, when the darker head markings and 

 rufous wing markings of the present bird may not be seen. 



Their food is divided between small beetles and other insects and 

 the berries of trees and shrubs. 



The nesting season in Panama begins in January and continues for 

 6 months as they may be feeding young in July. The nest is a large 

 rounded structure of grasses, rootlets, and similar vegetable material 

 placed in small trees or shrubs at the borders of clearings or meadows, 

 often beside some body of water. Skutch (Pac. Coast Avif., no. 34, 

 1960, p. 447) describes as exceptions one that was built in coarse grass 

 standing in water, and others on small dead stubs at the water's edge 

 on Barro Colorado Island. A nest found by E. A. Goldman, June 1, 

 1911, on the bank of the Rio Mare near Portobelo, Colon, was 

 fastened among forking twigs in a small tree overhanging the stream. 

 Built of grass and plant fibers, it was a rounded ball with an opening 

 in one side. The single egg was fresh. It is somewhat pointed sub- 

 elliptical, in color slightly creamy white marked with scattered dots 

 and small irregular spots of dull cinnamon-brown and dull gray, with 

 most of these markings concentrated in a narrow wreath at the large 

 end. The measurements are 23.5 X 17.0 mm. 



The closely similar race Myiozetetes cayanensis hellmayri with type 

 locality Cachavi, northwestern Ecuador, differs in slightly darker, 

 more olive hue on the dorsal surface, with the rufous wing edging 

 faintly darker, and in somewhat larger size. Males from Caldas, 

 Cauca, and Huila in southwestern Colombia, with wing measurements 

 of 90.0-94.0 (91.2) mm, appear fairly typical of this race. Specimens 

 in a long series taken by Carriker from northern Choco across north- 

 ern Colombia to Magdalena show the average slightly darker dorsal 

 coloration but are intermediate in size as they are only slightly larger 

 than harteri. A series of 21 males has wing 87.0-91.4 (88.6) mm. 

 thus showing approach to the population harterti of Panama. 



MYIOZETETES SIMILIS COLUMBIANUS Cabanis and Heine: 

 Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher, Papamoscas Copete Rojo 



Myiozetetes colnmbianus Cabanis and Heine, Mus. Hein., vol. 2, 1859, p. 62. 



(Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia.) 

 Myiozetetes marginatus Lawrence, Ibis, April 1863, p. 182. (Isthmus of 



Panama.) 



Rather small ; breast yellow ; with a prominent white superciliary 

 extending back to side of hindneck ; sides of crown gray ; adult with 

 primaries edged with pale olive. 



