342 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — PART 2 



Occasionally I heard them utter low squeaky calls. Sometimes they 

 hold the feathers in the tail tightly folded, and the main feather cover- 

 ing close against the body, so that they present a markedly slender 

 silhouette. But it is more usual to identify them by a flash of white 

 as they spread the tail. 



To the west this species ranges on the Pacific slope of southwestern 

 Costa Rica, where it is reported from the Dota mountains southward. 

 Available records from Panama are from the Pacific slope, except for 

 specimens in the British Museum taken by Arce with the locality in- 

 dicated as Calovevora. This species is closely allied to Elvira cuprei- 

 ceps (Lawrence) of the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica, which differs 

 in more coppery green above, particularly on the crown, and in a more 

 definitely curved bill. 



MICROCHERA ALBOCORONATA ALBOCORONATA 

 (Lawrence) : Snow-cap, Gorra Blanca 



Mcllisuga albo-coronata Lawrence, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. 6, 

 October 1855, p. 137, pi. 4. (Belen, Veraguas, Panama.) 



Small ; male, entire crown white ; female, under surface, including 

 sides, plain white. 



Description. — Length 58-66 mm. Adult male, crown white; nape 

 and hindneck purplish black, changing to metallic reddish purple on 

 back and wing coverts, brighter on rump and upper tail coverts ; 

 middle rectrices metallic bronze ; others white at base, with terminal 

 third black ; wings dull black with a purplish sheen ; side of head and 

 under surface black glossed with reddish purple ; under tail coverts 

 white. 



Adult female, upper surface metallic green, changing to bronze on 

 upper tail coverts and central rectrices ; other tail feathers white at 

 base, broadly black at end, tipped with white ; under parts pale 

 grayish white. 



Immature male, like female, but with a narrow line of white above 

 the eye ; under surface changing early, as the bird matures, to purplish 

 black. 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Veraguas), wing 39.5-42.5 

 (41.1), tail 18.2-21.0 (19.3), culmen from base 11.7-13.6 (12.6) mm. 



Females (3 from Veraguas), wing 39.7-40.5 (40.2), tail 17.6-19.7 

 (18.9), culmen from base 12.1-12.5 (12.3, average of 2) mm. 



Resident. Known only from the Caribbean slope of Veraguas. 



In the original description of this small species Lawrence (loc. cit., 



