42 Nelson, N'czv Birds from Mexico and Guatemala. \'\k^ 



Leach for a. genus of hymenopterous insects of the family Tenth- 

 ridinids, and subsequently (1856) used by Dr. Giebelfor a genus 

 of neuropterous insects. While I am pleased to be able to compli- 

 ment him upon the discovery that this entomological word " has no 

 connection with the original habia^" he is mistaken in saying that 

 Abia and Habia are not the same word in ornithology ; for Abia is 

 simply a variant of Habia^ introduced by Agassiz upon a mistaken 

 notion of the etymology and correct form of Azara's name habia. 

 If Dr. Stejneger will look in the Index of Gray's ' Handlist', he will 

 find both forms in ornithology. The literal identity of Abia Leach 

 and Abia Agassiz is simply fortuitous ; the former is of Greek 

 origin ; the latter is not. I stated the matter correctly, some years 

 ago, in the ' Century Dictionary': see under the words Abia, 

 Habia, and ZiI>nj,elodia. 



PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW BIRDS FROM 

 MEXICO AND GUATEMALA IN THE COLLEC- 

 TION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPART- 

 MENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



BY E. W. NELSON. 



The present paper is based upon specimens of Mexican and 

 Guatemalan birds obtained mainly by myself and my assistant, 

 Mr. E. A. Goldman, during explorations conducted for the Bio- 

 logical Survey of the U. S. Department of Agriculture during 

 the last live years. In addition to this collection, numbering 

 between four and five thousand specimens, I have had free access 

 to the National Museum series of Tropical American birds for 

 purposes of comparison. In the course of our work we have 

 traversed Mexico from one end to the other, and have crossed the 

 country six times from sea to sea. Specimens were obtained in 

 many districts never before visited by an ornithologist, and 

 although the collections were not exhaustive in any given place, 

 yet the aggregate of series from numerous localities scattered 

 over a large part of the country has afforded a great amount of 

 interesting material. 



