FAMILY BUCCONIDAE 481 



tongue and inside of mouth deep black, except for the area beneath 

 the tongue which is neutral gray. 



A female from Puerto Armuelles, Chiriqui, taken February 1, 

 1966, had the iris light red, maxilla black, except for the base of the 

 culmen which was greenish gray ; tip and cutting edge of mandible 

 black ; rest greenish gray, changing to dull greenish gray on the under- 

 side of the mandibular rami ; tarsus and toes dull greenish gray ; claws 

 neutral gray ; inside of mouth as in male. 



Measurements. — Males (14 from Panama), wing 82.8-88.1 (85.3), 

 tail 65.0-77.9 (69.1), culmen from base 27.5-31.0 (29.2), tarsus 16.8- 

 18.4 (17.5) mm. 



Females (10 from Panama), wing 84.0-91.0 (88.1), tail 67.8-77.0 

 (71.6), culmen from base 28.0-30.6 (29.5), tarsus 17.5-19.1 (18.0) 

 mm. 



Resident. Common in forested areas through the Tropical Zone on 

 the Pacific slope from western Chiriqui (Puerto Armuelles) to Darien 

 (Jaque) ; to the lower edge of the Subtropical Zone in Chiriqui, and 

 on Cerro Pirre; on the Caribbean side from northern Code (Cascajal, 

 El Uracillo) through the northern Canal Zone to eastern San Bias 

 (Armila). 



These are birds of the forest, found singly, or in pairs with the 

 two individuals usually somewhat separated, sitting quietly on hori- 

 zontal branches from the level of the top of the undergrowth to lower 

 branches in the trees above. They appear also in forest edge, and 

 often along trails. As the legs are short compared to the rather 

 heavy, rounded bulk, the body appears to rest on the perch. Their 

 usual movement is to turn the head in their watch for insects on the 

 leaves or twigs on which they may rest. These they seize, carry them 

 to a perch, beat them on the branch, and then gulp them down. The 

 stomach of a bird taken on Cerro Pirre held 2 caterpillars, remains 

 of beetles and orthoptera, and finely ground fragments of cicadas. 



The call is rather sibilant and weak, sometimes drawn out, often 

 complaining in tone. Skutch in his account of this bird (Ibis, 1958, 

 pp. 209-231) described also "a rapid, undulatory twittering ... in 

 a high-pitched, weak voice" that often was continued for several 

 minutes. At Santa Clara also I was told that it had a high-pitched 

 whistling call. There seems to be some superstition regarding them 

 in Chiriqui, as at San Felix, boys gathered around my skinning table 

 called this species pdjaro brujero, witch doctor bird, and said that its 

 call was like the singing of the brujos, of the Guaymi Indians. 



In southwestern Costa Rica, Skutch found their breeding season to 



