C2 Nelson, Ne%v Birds from Mexico and Guatemala. I Jan. 



Platypsaris aglaiae sumichrasti, new subspecies. 

 Sumichrast's Becard. 



Type, No. 154701, U. S. Nat. Museum, Dept. Agric. coll., $ , Otatitlan, 

 Vera Cruz, Mexico, April 15, 1894. Collected by E. W. Nelson and E. A. 

 Goldman (Orig. No. 1926). 



Distribution. — The hot coast lowlands of central Vera Cruz and thence 

 southward to Guatemala. 



Description.— Adult male with entire top and sides of head and neck, 

 including back to rump, uniform glossy black; rump dark ash j ; tail and 

 wings blackish brown. There is a large, dark rose-colored throat patch, 

 and the crissum is dull, dark fulvous. The rest of lower parts are dark 

 slaty, somewhat lighter on the flanks and abdomen. The females, com- 

 pared with those of aglaice, may be known by their more intense 

 coloration. 



In the 'Revue Zoologique,' 1839, p. 98, Lafresnaye describes 

 Fachyrhynchns aglaice and gives its habitat as ' Mexico.' He says 

 that it is " aboiie slate color, the nape and rump partly rufescent, 

 pilemn entirely blacky forehead more grayish.^ Beneath pale mouse 

 gray, the chin grayer, the foreneck and breast with a broad spot 

 of intense rose color." The rufescence of nape and rump men- 

 tioned above are due to the immaturity of his specimen. 



In 'The Ibis' for 1859, p. 394 (pi. xiii), Mr. D. G. Elliot de- 

 scribes Platypsaris affinis, with habitat in ' Mexico.' He remarks 

 that " This species of Platypsaris, to which I have given the name 

 of affinis, is closely allied to Platypsaris aglaice (La Fresnaye), 

 from which, however, it can easily be distinguished by its much 

 smaller bill, and the general lighter color of its plumage, as well 

 as the distinct black head, whereas there is little or no difference in 

 the adult male of P. aglaice, betiveen the color of the head and back. 

 The black of the head and neck [in affinis'^ is separated from the 

 plumbeous of the back ^ by a narrow line of ash color ; and the ears 

 are tinged with purple. Beneath, this species is much lighter than 

 P. aglaice, being ashy white." The plate of affinis agrees with 

 Mr. Elliot's description and at the same time agrees as closely as 

 could be expected with Lafresnaye's description of aglaice of which 

 affinis is a pure synonym. I take it that Mr. Elliot must have 



' Italics are mine. 



