Carriker : List of the Birds of Costa Rica. 625 



Gulf of Nicoya northward. It is found from sea-level up to an alti- 

 tude of not much more than 1,200 feet, and like the preceding species 

 inhabits only the heavy forest. I found it particularly abundant in the 

 valley of the Sicsola river, Talamanca, where I secured a nest on March 

 25, 1904, containing one fresh egg. The nest was a very frail, flat, 

 loosely built structure, composed of twigs and leaves, and lined with a 

 few half-decayed leaves, and placed in a low, large-leaved plant about 

 two feet from the ground in the heavy forest. 



The single egg is dark greenish-olive, heavily blotched with dif- 

 ferent shades of burnt umber. Measurements : 27 X 20.5 mm. 



The habits of this species are identical with those of the preceding, 

 both birds walking about over the ground like a little rail. They can 

 run very fast, but never hop, and when frightened spread their wings 

 to assist them in running, or take short low flights. While walking 

 the tail is always held erect, in almost a perpendicular position, which 

 greatly adds to the rail-like appearance of the bird. 



361. Formicarius rufipectus Salvin. 



Formicarius rufipsctus Salvin, P. Z. S., 1866, 73, pi. 8 (Santiago de Veragua 



[Arcel). — Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XV, 1890, 306 (Veragua [Arce]). 



— Salvin and Godman, Bio). Centr.-Am., Aves, II, 1892, 235 (Veragua). 



— Ridgway, Prcc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, 1893, 685 (Veragua and Ecuador ?). 

 Formicarius ctstaneiceps Carriker, Ann. Carnegie Museum, IV, iii and iv, 



1908, 301 (Juan Vinas, Costa Rica, May 7, 1907 [M. A. Carriker, Jr.]). 



Carnegie Museum : Juan Vinas, May 7, 1907, cP (Carriker). 



The first record for the taking of this rare species in Costa Rica was 

 that published by myself under the name of Formicarius castaneiceps 

 sp. nov. (Ann. Carneg. Mus., IV., 1908, 301). The single male 

 secured at Juan Vinas seemed different from the rather meagre descrip- 

 tion of this species and since there were no birds in this country for 

 comparison, I described it as new. Mr. Bangs had in his collection 

 a single female of a Formicarius from northern Colombia, which 

 resembled my specimen but apparently differed sufficiently to be sub- 

 specifically distinct. Accordingly we sent the two birds to the British 

 Museum. for comparison with the type of F. rufipectus and found that 

 my bird was identical with it in every respect, both the type and my 

 specimen being males. Upon looking up the description of Formicarius 

 thoracicus Taczanowski & von Berlepsch, we found that in this 

 closely allied species (given as a synonym of rufipectus by Salvin 

 and Godman but certainly incorrectly) the female differed 



