Carriker : List of the Birds of Costa Rica. 715 



they raise two broods in a season. Eggs measure: 25.5 to 29X16 to 

 18 mm. 



481. Myiozetetes texensis columbianus (Cabanis and Heine). 



M[yiozetetes] columbianus Cabanis and Heine, Mus. Hein., II 1859, 62 (Puerto 



Cabello, Venezuela, and Cartagena, Colombia). 

 Myiozetetes texensis columbianus Ridgw ay, Birds N. and Mid. Amer., IV, 1907, 



449 (Chiriqui to Venezuela). 

 Myiozetetes similis superciliosus Bangs, Auk, XXIV, 1907, 302 (Boruca, two 



specimens [Underwood]). 



Bangs Collection: El General de Terraba (Underwood). 

 Carnegie Museum: El Pozo, Boruca, and Buenos Aires de Terraba (Car- 

 riker). Eight specimens. 



The Colombian race of M. texensis has not heretofore been recognized 

 from Costa Rica, the specimens taken by Underwood at Boruca having 

 been reported by Mr. Bangs (Auk, XXIV, 1907, 302) as the northern bird. 

 All of the specimens which I secured in the Terraba Valley are typical 

 columbianus, being just as small as a series of skins from Loma del Leon, 

 Panama, and averaging smaller than birds from Chiriqui, labelled colum- 

 bianus by Mr. Ridgway. The color of the pileum and the sides of the 

 head also agrees with that of the southern birds. I have examined the 

 two specimens from Boruca and several from El General in the collection 

 of Mr. Bangs and find that they are likewise typical columbianus. 



They are found only in open country, where there are trees scattered 

 about, or in orchards, roadsides, or trees along the edges of streams, the 

 latter being a favorite resort. I found a few birds at Pozo Azul de Pirris 

 in such a situation, and saw sever?! nests, one of which was secured on 

 May 8, 1902, containing two sightly incubated eggs. This species also 

 lays three and four eggs. The nest in question was of the usual type, 

 elbow-shaped, and hung over a crotch in a "Cornusuela" tree about twelve 

 feet from the ground. The "Cornusuela" tree deserves a word of de- 

 scription, for it is resorted to by several species of birds for nesting pur- 

 poses. It is a small tree, not growing higher than thirty feet, usually less, 

 is rather bushy, and has all the limbs armed with huge needle-pointed 

 thorns, set in pairs on opposite sides of the twig. The thorns are just 

 about the shape of a bison's horn, and are quite hollow with only a thin 

 shell. There is a species of medium-sized black ant, which is always 

 found living in these thongs, gaining entrance to the hollow interior by 

 boring a small hole through the outer shell near the tip. At the slightest 

 disturbance of any portion of the tree, all the ants pour out of the thorns 



