NO. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA GOLDMAN 57 



neiceps (Gray), from Jabali Gold Mine (2,000 feet) Chontales Dis- 

 trict, Nicaragua, 1 and the animal described as B. griseus (Gray), 

 originally ascribed to Costa Rica, but as shown by Alston (1879, 

 p. 183) really from western Panama. The latter species was placed 

 by Alston (1879, p. 183) in the synonymy of B. infuscatus Wagler, 

 of western Brazil, but his identification, evidently based on scant 

 material, seems open to question. It is less distinctly marked with 

 white spots than an Ecuadorean specimen assumed to represent 

 B. infuscatus, and along with B. castaneiceps lacks the rather con- 

 spicuous white spotting which seems to characterize South American 

 species in general. Moreover, it seems to be replaced in eastern 

 Panama by a more spotted species, B. ignavus. Until some of the 

 South American forms are better known it seems best to recognize 

 the animal of western Panama as a distinct species. 



Specimens from various localities in Costa Rica and as far east as 

 the Canal Zone, are therefore referred to Bradypus griseus griseus 

 which seems to differ from Bradypus griseus castaneiceps' as rep- 

 resented by examples from Escondido River, Nicaragua and Patuca 

 River, Honduras, only in color. B. g. griseus lacks most of the 

 chestnut marking the head of B. g. castaneiceps, and the ruff across 

 the frontal region is black instead of grayish, or pale brownish. In 

 addition the short fur on the face is whiter and contrasts more 

 strongly with the coarser pelage composing the ruff. An example 

 from Gatun is recorded by Anthony (1916, p. 364). 



In the Canal Zone this three-toed sloth and the two-toed species 

 Choloepus hoffmanni occur in about equal numbers. Like the 

 latter it was usually found curled up in a ball in the top of a tall 

 tree. The greenish shade, especially of the back, in freshly killed 

 animals is, according to Alston (1879, P- x 83), due to small green 

 algae, also present in Choloepus. The misapprehension of the natives 

 in regard to the call of the large goatsucker, or potoo (Nyctibius), 

 and their association of its cry with the " perico lijero " seems to 

 apply to both Bradypus and Choloepus as noted beyond (see p. 60). 



Specimens examined : Chorrera, 1 * ; Gatun, 4 8 ; Lion Hill, 2* 



1 For exact locality as here given see letter of Dr. Berthold Seemann to 

 Dr. J. E. Gray (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1871, p. 429). 



2 Arctopithecus castaneiceps Gray, placed in synonymy by Allen (Bull. Amer. 

 Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. 28, p. 93, April 30, 1910) should stand as Bradypus griseus 

 castaneiceps (Gray) on the basis of color differences pointed out. 



* One specimen in Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 4 One specimen in Mus. Comp. Zool. 



