MYRMORNIS. 53 



Breeding-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 

 ]}^est. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 

 Eggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



Range in British Guiana. Ituribisi River, Supenaam River, 

 Bartica, Kamakabra River, Makauria River, Arawai River, 

 Arwye Creek (McConnell collection^ ; Bartica, Kamakusa 

 ( Whitehj) ; Demerara {Brown). 

 Extralimital Range, Surinam (Penarti) , Cayenne (Boddaert). 

 Habits. Beebe, in ' Our Search for a Wilderness,' p. 302, 

 gives the following note on this species : — " Keeping to the 

 left through the open underbrush I intersected another wood 

 road, then SAvung around and at last entered the clearing from 

 the south-east. Hearing a rustling I suspected another tortoise, 

 and was about to pass on when I saw leaves and twigs flying into 

 the air behind a log. Creeping from tree to tree I saw that the 

 commotion was made by a trio of Ant-thrushes, or, as I prefer td 

 call them, Antbirds. They took the leaves and leaf-mould in 

 their beaks and threw them over their backs, all three working 

 side by side, covering a width of about two feet. They were 

 Woodcock Antbirds, reminding one, in the general tone of 

 coloration of the upper parts, of that bird. The chin and throat 

 were black bordered with white which extended up the sides of 

 the neck and forward over the eyes. The tail was short and 

 often held erect over the back, while the strong legs and feet 

 proclaimed them terrestrial rather than arboreal. When flying 

 or excited, a row of white spots flashed out from all the wing- 

 feathers save the first two primaries, but when the wings were 

 closed only buff markings were visible. Now and then two of the 

 birds would spy some morsel of food at the same instant and a 

 tussle would ensue. With angry scolding cries the two con- 

 testants would strike at each other with their beaks, with wings 

 wide spread and the elongated feathers of the back raised and 

 parted exposing the conspicuous white base of the plumes, almost 

 like a rosette. These white stars were very conspicuous amid the 

 dark shadows of the forest floor, vanishing instantly when the 

 wings were lowered. This colour is not visible in flight. . . . When 

 the matter of dispute was devoured or had crawled away into safety 

 the quarrel was at once forgotten, and the birds began scratcbing 

 peacefully side by side as before." 



