280 Cherrie on Tivo Costa Rican Birds. \ y ", 



nesting. Consequently I conclude there has heen some error, 

 and that T. -punctata should become a synonym of Thamno- 

 ■philus bridgesi^ bridges! being the older name. 



In Costa Rica T. bridgesi seems to be confined to the Pacific 

 side of the country, and is not an uncommon bird from the coast 

 inland to an altitude of about 2200 feet. It is only found in the 

 densest part of the forest, and is apparently rather solitary in 

 disposition but not especially moody nor silent. A favorite 

 perch is on some dead branch at the edge of a thicket and from 

 ten to twenty feet from the ground. Here the bird will sit in 

 one position for a long time, every few moments uttering its 

 peculiar cackling-like notes. While thus occupied the bird's 

 attitude is very characteristic ; the body is held in an almost 

 horizontal position, the tail perpendicular, and the head thrown 

 well back. While uttering the peculiar notes (song or cackle) 

 the tail is vibrated back and forth quite rapidly. The food is 

 chiefly insects, and they are sometimes taken on the wing. The 

 bird, if disturbed, drops quietly down into the thicket. 



The nest I have not yet succeeded in finding, although I have 

 seen the birds carrying nesting material. The egg I can describe 

 only from a badly broken specimen that I took from the oviduct 

 of a female killed March 8, 1893. This egg was white, thickly 

 speckled all over with small chocolate-brown spots. 



There is considerable individual variation in the plumage, 

 especially of the females, the general color below varying from 

 a clear dusky slate-gray to a rather dark hair-brown. Some spe- 

 cimens have the belly lightly streaked with white, others are 

 without any indications of streaks. Above the color varies from 

 a blackish slate-color with a faint olive wash to a rather light 

 bistre brown. 



