4 86 



BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 4 



parents participated in construction and, unlike any other tanagers, 

 both incubated the eggs. The two eggs in this nest were white, vary- 

 ingly marked with blackish scrawls and spots. They measured 25.4 X 

 18.7 and 24.6 X 19.1 mm. Both, however, disappeared before hatching, 

 and Skutch never found another nest. 



The taxonomic position of Rhodinocichla was formerly the subject 

 of considerable doubt. The genus has in the past been assigned to sev- 

 eral different families, among which the Mimidae was a fairly recent 

 contender. Eisenmann (Auk, 1962, pp. 640-648) reviewed the evi- 

 dence and concluded that Rhodinocichla is a tanager, a view that was 

 supported by the myological studies of Raikow (Bull. Carnegie Mus. 

 Nat. Hist. 7, 1978, p. 30) and by Clark's (Wilson Bull., 1974, pp. 104- 

 109) examination of foot scutes. 



HEMITHRAUPIS FLAVICOLLIS ORNATA Nelson: Yellow-backed 

 Tanager, Frutero Espaldiamarillo 



Hemithraupis ornatus Nelson, 1912, Smiths. Misc. Coll., 60 (3), p. 19. (Rio 

 Truando, northwestern Colombia.) 



Small; male, upper surface, except for lower back and rump, black; 

 lower back, rump, throat, and undertail coverts orange-yellow; rest of 

 undersurface white; female yellowish green on upper surface, brighter 

 yellow on wings and throat; rest of undersurface whitish. 



Description. — Length 113-117 mm. Adult male, upper surface, ex- 

 cept for lower back and rump, but including upper tail coverts, black; 

 remainder of upper surface, throat, and undertail coverts orange- 

 yellow; wings black with basal end of inner four primaries white; tail 

 black; rest of undersurface white; underwing coverts white. 



Adult female, upper surface yellowish green; wings and tail dusky, 

 with feathers edged yellow; sides of head, throat, and upper breast 

 lemon yellow, fading to whitish on rest of undersurface, except under- 

 tail coverts, which are lemon yellow; underwing coverts white. 



Immature female, like adult, but whitish areas of undersurface 

 tinged yellow-green. 



Measurements. — Males (4 from Darien and Colombia, including 

 the type), wing 64.5-66.5 (65.3), tail 43.6-47.8 (46.0), culmen from 

 base 12.7-13.6 (13.0, average of 3), tarsus 13.7-15.1 (14.6) mm. 



Females (2 from Darien), wing 59.2-63.5 (61.4), tail 40.9-45.7 

 (43.2), culmen from base 11.7-12.7 (12.2), tarsus 15.1-15.2 (15.15) 

 mm. 



Resident. Known only from a few localities in the lowlands and 

 lower foothills of eastern Darien, where E. A. Goldman collected a 



