j 



474 NOTES ON COSTA HICAN BIRDS — RIDGWAY. 



4. Platypsaris aglaiae obsciuus, siibsp. iiov. 



SuBSP. CHAR: Adult male siiniUir to that of P. (ujlaiw liypopJuvus^* ; 



bill luider parts darker anteriorly, the feathers of the throat aud chest | 



still darker centrally, ])rodiiciny; au indistinct spotted or scaled appear- ' 



ance; lirst piiinary with a small white si)ot at base of inner web; adult , 



female similar to that of i\ aglaicv latirostris, but smaller. i 



Adult male (type, J^o. 121,331, U. S. National Museum, Jimenez, j 



Costa Rica, February 4, 1891 ; ^Vlfaro «& Carraura): Tileum and hind | 



neck glossy, slif»iitly greenish, black, becoming dull sooty blackish on i 



anterior portion of forehead and nasal plumes ; rest of upper i)arts dark \ 



slate-color, approaching slate black on the interscapular region, the j 



edges of the remiges and greater wing-coverts more grayish slate ; ' 



scapulars with a considerable part of their concealed portion j)ure white, I 



showing wherever the feathers are disarranged. Under parts deeper ; 



slate-gray, somewhat darker anteriorly, where, on the throat and chest, ■ 



each feather has a dusky slate central spot, producing a somewhat J 



squamated api)earance. Lores dull slate-gray, but ear-coverts glossy • 



slate-black. Upper mandible black, lower dark plumbeous; legs aud ; 



feet grayish black (plumbeous in life?). Length (skin), 5.C5 ; wing, i 



3.50; tail, li.51) ; exi)Osed culinen, 0,G2 ; tarsus, 0.80; middle toe, 0.55, ! 



Adult female sui)pose<l to be this species, but possibly 1\ latirostris — < 



(No. 131 332, U.S. National Museum, Jimenez, Costa Kica, March 30, 1891; j 



Anastasio Alfaro): Pileum dull slate-black, becoming dull brownish \ 



gray anteriorly ; rest of ui)[)er parts clear rufous-tawny (a little darker j 



than in 7*. latirostris), the tips and a considerable portion of inner j 



webs of i)riniaries dusky. Ear-coverts, sides of neck, sides, and Hanks '■ 



tawny-ochraceous (i)aler posteiiorly) ; rest of under parts pale tawny- ■ 



buff (gradually blending into the deeper color of the lateral portions), j 



the chin almost white. Upi)er mandible black; lower mandible and J 



feet plumbeous; iris very dark brow^n.t Length (skin), 0.00; wing, j 



3.25; tail, 2.40; exposed culmen; 0.62; tarsus, 0.80; middle toe, 0.50. ) 



1 at first identified this bird as P. homochrous (Scl.), but upon reexam- • 



ination find that it can not be that si)ecies, if correctly descril)ed and \ 



figured. /'. homofhrous, as described, is larger (length, 7.00; wing, ^ 



3.70; tail, 3.00), and lacks the dark spotting on the throat and chest, ( 



while the fenuilc has the i)ileum rusty, like the back, instead of cou- J 



spicuously slate-blackish. ^ 



In these " Proceedings," Vol. v. p. 397, 1 referred a female riatypmris, ] 



collected by Mr. C. C Nutting at La Talma, on the west coast of Costa ^ 



liica, to /'. homoehrous, though expressing strong doubts as to the cor- i 



rectness of the identification. 1 am now convinced that the specimen i 



in (piestion is referable to P. latiro.stris (Bouap.), specimens of which, 1 

 representing both sexes, were subsequently obtained by the same 



* Sco tlicHe rrocoo(liii<js page 467. 

 tMSS. niciMoiamla on label. 



