286 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.93 



what less common about the first of April, so that part of those 

 present earlier may have spread to other areas for nesting. 



TYRANNUS MELANCHOLICUS COUCHII Baird: Couch's Kingbird 



Tijrannus couchii Baird, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., vol. 9, 185S, pp. 170, 175 (Nuevo 

 Leon ) . 



Among the specimens from Tres Zapotes, there is one male taken 

 by Carriker on March 18, 1940, that is unquestionably of this race, 

 here as a migrant. The wing in this bird measures 125.2 and the tail 

 98.7 mm. The wing and tail feathers have the lighter broAvn color 

 characteristic of couchii, and the other colors agree. 



LEGATUS LEUCOPHAIUS VARIEGATUS (Sclater) 



Elaenia variegata P. L. Sclateb, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1836 (Jan. 26, 1857), 

 p. 297 (Cordoba, Veracruz). 



From the observations of our two seasons it appears that this fly- 

 catcher is not a permanent resident here. I did not record it in 1939 

 until April 11, when I collected two and saw several more. On April 

 13 and 15 a number of others were seen in places that I had had under 

 observation since early March without noting this species. The fol- 

 lowing year Carriker secured four near Hueyapa on April 8, and 

 found them common after that date, both through the lowlands and 

 over the lower slopes of the Sierra de Tuxtla. When first found in 

 April, the sexual organs showed activity. The evidence is rather 

 definite that they had come into this area to breed. 



They are quiet birds of slow movement, found usually among the 

 upper branches of the trees. In pasture areas they are often at low 

 elevations, as many of the trees are small, but in open forests they may 

 be high overhead. They prefer open growth. At times they rest 

 upright, turning the head from side to side, and then suggest cedar 

 waxwings. Again, they incline forward so that with their rather 

 heavy bodies, they resemble finches. The song is a double-noted sibi- 

 lant whistle that may be represented b}' the syllables ivhee-ces. 



MYIODYNASTES LUTEIVENTRIS LUTEIVENTRIS Sclater 



Myiodynastes luteiventris P. L. Sclatee, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1859, p. 42 

 (Orizaba, Mexico). 



April 1, 1939, marked the date of arrival of this migrant form at 

 Tres Zapotes, as on that day I saw two and collected an adult male. 

 They were found at the edge of forest in a cut-over area, where they 

 rested rather high in open trees. On April 12 I shot another male 

 from a dead tree in a weed-grown, milpa. Both are good examples 

 of the typical race. 



