I06 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — PART 2 



dible dull pale buffy gray ; tarsus and toes dull honey yellow ; claws 

 black. 



In immature birds the iris is brown. 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Panama), wing 226-248 (235), 

 tail 123-143 (1317), oilmen from cere 35.0-39.5 (36.3), tarsus 28.4- 

 30.3 (29.3) mm. 



Females (8 from Panama), wing 225-243 (233.8), tail 124-142 

 (132.7), culmen from cere 34.2-39.0 (36.4), tarsus 26-1-29.9 (28.6) 

 mm. 



Resident. Lowland forests of the Pacific and Caribbean slopes 

 from Veraguas eastward to the Colombian boundary, in Darien rang- 

 ing in the mountains to La Laguna and Cerro Mali ; Isla Coiba ; Isla 

 Coibita ; Isla Canal de Af uera. 



A female taken near the mouth of the Rio Paya has a number of 

 yellow feathers scattered irregularly over the forecrown, an abnormal 

 marking. 



Those seen near Sona, Veraguas, in early June 1953, were believed 

 to be this subspecies, which is not common on the Pacific slope west 

 of the Rio Bayano. On the Atlantic side, they are more abundant 

 from the northern Canal Zone (Juan Mina, Barro Colorado Island) 

 east to the eastern San Bias (Armila, Puerto Obaldia). Barbour 

 (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 65, 1922, p. 197) described large num- 

 bers roosting in April 1922, on the Rio Jesucito, near the base of 

 the Serrania del Sapo in Darien. Festa (Nel Darien e Ecuador, 

 1909, p. 27) recorded that, in July 1895, great flocks gathered toward 

 sunset at Punta Sabana, near the mouth of the Rio Tuira. They 

 are hunted extensively by Indians for food, and the nests are sought 

 everywhere for the young to be reared as pets, activities that must 

 have been responsible for their reduced abundance today. 



Near Juan Mina I have found bands roosting at night in high 

 trees bordering the Rio Chagres. Below Chepo, near Chiman, and 

 at Jaque they flew in at evening to sleep in tall mangroves. Specimens 

 in the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory were taken in the mountains 

 of Darien in 1963 at La Laguna on May 29, and on Cerro Mali on 

 May 29 and June 7. 



On Isla Coiba this was the conspicuous member of the family, 

 ranging in pairs and flocks through the heavy forest. When figs or 

 other trees in fruit attracted them in numbers their noisy calls were 

 so constant that few other birds could be heard. When they left 

 their roosts in early morning they were active in moving about until 

 they had selected a feeding ground, after which they were seen less 



