﻿474 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. lOo 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 cf , Cantaura, February 17, 1946; gonads slightly enlarged; iris orange, eye 

 ring blackish; plumage rather worn. 



This was the common parrot of the deciduous seasonal forest at 

 Caicara, generally recorded in flocks of from 10 to 50 birds. Appar- 

 ently it was absent, or at least rare, in the lowland seasonal forest 

 itself. It was also present but rare at Cantaura. It was recorded 

 during every month of the year. 



The commonest call note of this bird is a high clear keeeik keeeik 

 rapidly repeated. 



The "cotorra," as this bird is called locally, inhabits open wood- 

 lands. 



Family CUCULIDAE: Cuckoos 



PIAYA CAYANA COLUMBIANA (Cabanis) 



Pyrrhococcyx columbianus Cabanis, Journ, fiir Orn., 1862, p, 170 (Cartagena, 

 Colombia) . 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 cf, Cantaura, April 30, 1945; gonads not enlarged; bill yellow-green, feet 

 dull olive, iris red; gizzard contained large grasshoppers. 



This specimen agrees very closely with other examples of its sub- 

 species. 



The squirrel-cuckoo was recorded throughout the year in the 

 deciduous seasonal woods at Cantaura and Caicara, generally en- 

 countered as singles or pairs. One would not expect to see more 

 than 10 individuals in a day's field work. 



Its local name, "piscua," is in imitation of its call note, a dry 

 peeck-wa accented on the first syllable. The bird also uttered a sharp, 

 dry chick chuck-chuck. 



CROTOPHAGA MAJOR Gmelin 



[Crotophaga] major Gmelin, Systema naturae, vol. 1, 1788, p. 363 (Cayenne). 



SPECIMEN collected 



1 d^, Caicara, December 29, 1945; gonads not enlarged; iris dull yellow-green. 

 The remiges are all new and only partly grown, being still enclosed basally in 

 their sheaths. 



The bird was collected in deep, wet woods, where small flocks were 

 met along the Guarapiche Kiver at Caicara from August to Decem- 

 ber. Two call notes were given by the birds — a low, harsh, aspirate 

 hiss and a low chucking note. 



CROTOPHAGA ANT Linnaeus 



Crotophaga ani Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, vol. 2, 1758, p. 105 

 America, Africa = Jamaica). 



specimen collected 



1 9 , Cantaura, July 19, 1947; gonads enlarged, brood patch evident; iris 

 brown; gizzard contained insects. 



