﻿VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 491 

 SPECIMENS COLLECTED 



1 (f, 1 9 , Cantaura, May 21, June 15, 1947; gonads slightly enlarged in both; 

 brood patch very evident in 9 ; iris pale yellow; gizzards contained dragonfly and 

 other insects. 



Both birds are in worn plumage, the May female more so than the 

 June male. 



Although the collector searched for this species during 1944, 1945, 

 and 194G, he was never able to record the bird mthin the study area. 

 However, from June 1947 until May 1949 it was fairly common 

 throughout, generally recorded singly, but with as many as 10 seen 

 in one day during every month of the year except July. The collector 

 feels certain that it was not simply through oversight that the species 

 was not recorded during the first three years, but that the bird was 

 actually absent or very rare in the area. It was encountered most 

 commonly in the deciduous seasonal woods, but it was present also 

 in the edge habitats and in the lowland seasonal forest. 



Local name, "aguantapiedra" — used at least by the boys of the 

 region, in the sense that this sluggish bu'd will endure or tolerate 

 (aguantar) stoning (piedra) for considerable time without flushing. 



CHELIDOPTERA TENEBROSA TENEBROSA (Pallas) 



Cuculus tenebrosus Pallas, Neue nordische Beytrage, vol. 3, 1782, p. 3 (Surinam). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 9 , Caicara, November 8, 1947; gonads enlarged; iris brown, feet and bill 

 black; remiges molting; gizzard contained "stink bugs." 



This specimen agrees with birds from northern Brazil and southern 

 Venezuela in the color of the middle abdomen and shows no tendency 

 to paler gray there as in the description of pallida Cory from north- 

 western Venezuela. (This latter race may not be valid, as Peters- 

 Check-list of birds of the world, vol. 6, 1948, p. 23, synonymizes it 

 with tenebrosa.) 



This bird was fairly common at the edge of the lowland seasonal 

 forest at Caicara, becoming abundant outside the study area toward 

 Caripito. Several were observed at Cantam'a in February. It was 

 recorded at Caicara in January, March, June, July, August, and 

 December. Generally it was found in small flocks that perched at 

 the tips of dead branches or on telephone wires, from whicti they 

 sallied forth to catch insects in the air, much in the manner of fly- 

 catchers. 



Family RAMPHASTIDAE: Toucans 



RAMPHASTOS TUCANUS Linnaeus 



Ramphastos tucanus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 103 

 (South America; restricted to Surinam by Griscom and Greenway, Bull. 

 Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 81, 1937, p. 430). 



855851—50 6 



