142 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — PART 2 



Cerro Pirre, February 2, 1961, by C. M. Keenan. I secured 1 at the 

 mouth of the Tuquesa on the Rio Chucunaque March 28, 1959. On 

 Cerro Tacarcuna in 1964, 1 specimen that had been badly shot was 

 brought to me on February 25, and C. O. Handley, Jr., collected 

 another on March 11, both at 1,450 meters. In the San Bias, Griscom 

 (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 72, 1932, p. 325) recorded specimens 

 taken by von Wedel at Perme and Puerto Obaldia. Handley collected 

 a male on the Quebrada Venado, back of Armila, on March 23, 1963. 

 The ground cuckoo is an inhabitant of heavy stands of forest. In 

 my few personal encounters, I have found it always on the ground 



Figure 19. — Rufous-vented ground cuckoo, hormiguero montanes, Neomorphus 

 geoffroyi salvini. 



in fairly open undergrowth, alone, or rarely in pairs. Usually they 

 are seen as they stand motionless, often on the edge of a quebrada or 

 other broken ground in hilly areas. Sometimes they run rapidly over 

 the dry leaves, and then may produce a crackling, popping noise like 

 the explosive sounds of Gould's manakins but louder, given continu- 

 ously for a short period, produced by snapping the strong mandibles. 

 They also utter a low croaking note. I have never seen one use its 

 wings in flight. 



The stomach of 1 specimen taken at the mouth of Rio Tuquesa 

 was crammed with 2 full grown scorpions, entire, including the sting 

 on the end of the tail, and 8 or 10 large roaches. Another on Cerro 

 Tacarcuna held quantities of very finely ground insect remains, 

 mixed with small, hard, round seeds. 



