ORNITHOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES 229 



fallen tree had brought down from the upper reaches. A 

 nestling had eluded me and now a sudden mid-day down- 

 pour drove me to the sheltered side of a smooth-barked tree, 

 a tree which leaned just enough to give me a dry roof. As 

 not a living thing was visible I sought in my game bag for 

 sundry reading matter on the adventitious magazine leaves 

 which I carried for wrapping up birds. I enjoyed five min- 

 utes of a damp, but delightful review, by Lawrence Gilman 

 of the "Research Magnificent." Then the sun burst out and 

 illuminated every falling drop. 



I stepped forth upon the drenched moss, and as I turned 

 to regain the animal trail I had been following, my eye 

 caught a glint of white, and deep in a broken hollow stub 

 were two white eggs, white with a heavy coating of spots 

 and splashes. They were dry, but there was no trace of 

 owner, nor in the succeeding ten minutes did any bird ap- 

 pear. I left at once — blazing the trees as I went. This 

 was on June 23, and it was not until five days later that we 

 saw the bird and knew it for a rufous-fronted antcatcher. 



Completely concealed behind a clump of bushes about 

 twenty feet distant, a half hoiu-'s patience was needed before 

 the brown parent appeared flitting through the underbrush 

 close to the ground, clinging always to upright stems, and 

 circling warily about the nest. A single movement fright- 

 ened it away, and another half hour passed before it again 

 was seen. When secured it proved to be a male bird. It 

 was an inconspicuous seal-brown above and dark huffy be- 

 low with a rich rufous orange throat. The most obvious char- 

 acter was the fleshy, prominent eye ring, these bluish- white 

 areas of skin being quite dominant both in front and profile. 

 The nest on June 28, contained a single addled egg and 

 a nestling about a day old. The dead and broken stub was 

 about six inches in diameter and three feet in height. It 

 was hollow from the top down to the nest which was placed 

 about nine inches from the ground, just below the opening 



