Vol i^ x ] Clabk, The Panama Thrush Warbler II 



NOTES ON THE PANAMA THRUSH WARBLER. 



Itv HUBERT LYMAN CLARE. 1 



Thanks to the kindness of Mr. Outram Bangs, \ have recently 

 had the opportunity of examining some fine alcoholic material of 

 the Panama Thru h-Warbler, Rhodinocichla rosea eximia Ridgv 

 Mr. Bangs called my attention to the fad thai the systematic 

 position of this bird i till unsettled and he suggested thai ;i study 

 of some of the anatomical details of its structure tnighl throw light 

 on ii :; relationships. Por his kindness in placing the material in 

 n iy hands, without restrictions, and for the loan of skins of several 

 other genera which I wished i<> examine, I desire to express here 

 my hearty thank to Mr. Bangs. 



I should be ra h indeed if I expected to actually settle, by these 

 notes, the systematic position of Rhodinocichla for like many 

 another genus of Passerine birds, this one approaches more or less 

 Dearly several differenl families and with which one it is most closely 

 affiliated is largely ;• matter of opinion. All I hope to do i; to 

 point out some features of the anatomy not previously known, 

 summarize those which have been described, and express my own 

 opinion as to the relationship which these facts seem to indicate. 



Hill. The l)ill is rather slender, aboul 18 mm. long, •"> mm. wide, 

 at. base and 8 mm. deep at the same point. The upper mandible 

 is distinctly curved but the lower is remarkably straight. The 

 tomia are entire with neither tooth nor notch, and the same is 

 true of the edges of the upper mandible excepl near the tip, whore 



there is :i large, rounded notch. This notch is exactly like th.it 



which is found in the same position in the Kill of certain tanagers, 

 Eucometis, Mitrospingus, etc, Indeed, the hill of Rhodinocichla 

 is more like thai of Mitrospingus than like thai of any other bird 

 with which I have compared it. 



Nostrils. The nostrils show no distinctive character. They 

 are ellipsoidal, longer than high and quite bare; the skin hack of 



> Bead at the meeting of the American Ornlthologl l Union, November 13, 



10T2. 



