FAMILY MOMOTIDAE 443 



and in Darien, at 575 meters on the upper Rio Tacarcuna, and 600 

 meters on Cerro Pirre. 



In eastern Chiriqui to date this motmot has been recorded only 

 from near San Felix, where 1 (in the collection of the California 

 Academy of Sciences) was collected by Mrs. Davidson on December 

 5, 1931. On the Caribbean slope of Volcan de Chiriqui in Bocas del 

 Toro, it has been found along the upper course of the trail leading 

 from Boquete to the lowlands. There are records for Santa Fe and 

 Chitra in Veraguas, and in Code I have recorded it on the Pacific side 

 at El Valle, and on the Caribbean slope at El Uracillo. It is found also 

 lower down on the Rio Indio in western Colon. I secured 1 on Cerro 

 Campana March 31, 1951. They are fairly common in the Chagres 

 drainage in the Canal Zone near Gamboa, and on Barro Colorado 

 Island. Eastward they range in hill country through eastern Colon 

 to eastern San Bias, and in Darien. 



I have observed this motmot most often in the middle and high 

 tree crown, often near the edge of forest, or where the growth was 

 more open. Their presence usually has been detected from their 

 calls, but when heard they may be found only after considerable search, 

 as they may be hidden from below by a screen of leaves. When 

 finally located the bird may rest on an open perch, with the bill pointing 

 at an angle upward. The common note is cazv-zv-w, a curious snoring 

 sound, difficult to trace to its source. Near at hand it seems fairly 

 loud and resonant, but coming from high in the trees it is reduced 

 in carrying power. 



The nesting season in Panama comes in March, when the birds 

 are more vociferous, and then they may be found in undergrowth along 

 barrancas, where they locate their nest holes. There seems to be little 

 known of their nesting. An egg in the collections of the British 

 Museum collected at Cachi, Costa Rica, May 26, 1900, is dull white, 

 with faint gloss. It is elliptical in form and measures 29.9x24.9 mm. 



I have seen them fly out to seize insects from adjacent branches 

 and then return to the original perch. The stomach of one taken by 

 Goldman at Cana held a moth, a snout beetle, and other insect remains. 

 One taken by Hallinan (Auk, 1924, p. 314) had eaten a caterpillar. 



In his original description Hartert wrote "type : ^, Panama, Feb- 

 ruary 13, 1889, Heyde coll." From the dates on the specimens in 

 the U. S. National Museum purchased from the collections made 

 by H. Th. Heyde and Ernesto Lux I have made an itinerary from 

 which I find that on the date given by Hartert they were on the Rio 

 Cascajal, a tributary of Rio Code del Norte on the Caribbean slope 



