FAMILY TYRANNIDAE 519 



Dr. Skutch (in litteris, November 20, 1970) has given me the 

 following notes on breeding in this species as recorded near the Rio 

 Puerto Viejo, in the Caribbean lowlands of northern Costa Rica. 

 A nest found May 10, 1968, in a cedar tree (Cedrela) growing iso- 

 lated in a pasture, was 6 meters above the ground and less than 2 

 centimeters from a small vespiary of large black wasps. "The hanging 

 pear-shaped nest had a side entrance shielded by a visor-like projection 

 from the wall. It was made of felted fibrous materials and seed down 

 apparently largely of the balsa tree. Although similar in form to the 

 nest of T. cinerenm, it was shorter, with less pendant 'tail,' and was 

 attached to a thicker branch, and better concealed. . . . Only the 

 female incubated, sitting for intervals that rarely exceeded a quarter 

 of an hour and were usually much shorter. The male often escorted 

 her back and forth, spent much time resting near the nest, and 

 occasionally went to the doorway to look in. He uttered a low, 

 measured chip chip chip chip, similar to, but more resonant than the 

 ticking note of cinereum. The female often voiced a very low, soft 

 trill when entering her nest or sitting in it." (See also Skutch, Publ. 

 Nuttall Orn. Club 10, 1972, pp. 153-155.) 



Eisenmann, in manuscript notes describes a nest that, in company 

 with N. G. Smith, he found July 13, 1964 near the K-6 road in the 

 Canal Zone, as a globular structure of brown fibers with the entrance 

 on the side. J. A. Allen (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 21, 1905, 

 pp. 286-287) described an &gg collected by Mrs. H. H. Smith at 

 Bonda, near Santa Marta, Colombia, June 6 (year not stated) as 

 "ovate, clear white, with a few yellowish brown or rust-colored specks 

 over the larger end." It measured 16x11 mm. 



Though it is evident that nigriceps is allied to T. pictum, T. 

 chrysocrotaphum, and others of this genus in small size and general 

 appearance, the action of Zimmer (Amer. Mus. Nov., no. 1066, 1940, 

 pp. 2, 4) in placing these as races of T. chrysocrotaphum, requires 

 further consideration. As indication of this it is noted that nigriceps 

 differs somewhat from the others in pattern of markings, and also in 

 more slender form of wing and tail feathers. 



TODIROSTRUM CINEREUM FINITIMUM Bangs: Common 

 Tody-flycatcher, Moscareta Enana Comun 



Todirostrum cinereum finitimum Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 17, 

 May 18, 1904, p. 114. (San Juan Bautista, Tabasco, Mexico.) 



Very small; bill long, broad and flat; crown black, under surface 

 yellow. 



