82 BTJLLETIN 50, tJNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



longer ones with a few longitudinal bister marks, and some of the 

 others with irregular bars of the same. 



LiGHT-BBEASTED PHASE: Similar to the dark-breasted phase on the 

 upperparts, but with the broad center of the breast and the whole 

 upper abdomen except its extreme lateral portion whitish washed 

 with pale pinkish ciimamon. 



Jwo&rwH (sexes alike) . — Similar to the adults above but the top of 

 head and the centers of the feathers of the upperparts of the body 

 darker — duU fuscous-black, the lower back, rump, and upper tail 

 coverts practically uniformly of this color as the pale edges are lack- 

 ing ; lores and subocular area posterior to the auriculars blacker, less 

 ruf escent ; sides of neck mottled indistinctly with dusky ; lower throat 

 and upper breast washed with light pinkish cinnamon ; lower breast 

 and abdomen whitish laterally suffused, clouded, and mottled with 

 dusky grayish hair brown washed with pale pinkish cinnamon; 

 thighs huffy, whitish indistinctly barred with pale hair brown. 



Natal down. — Jet black with a faint greenish sheen on the upper- 

 parts of head and body. 



Adult male.— Wing, 151-159.5 (156.5) ; tail 62-70.5 (66.5) ; ex- 

 posed culmen 62-65.5 (63.5) ; tarsus 56-59 (5Y.8) ; middle toe without 

 claw 49-53 (51.1 mm.). «* 



Adult female.— Wmg, 139-144.5 (142.4); tail 59-65 (62.9); ex- 

 posed cuhnen 56-60 (68) ; tarsus 47.5-53 (51.3) ; middle tone without 

 claw 44.5-48 (46.6 mm.).*" 



Range. — Eesident in the fresh-water marshes of the Valley of 

 Mexico (Lerma, Laguna del Eosario, Tlaxcala ; near City of Mexico) . 



Type locality. — ^Valley of Mexico. 



Ralliis longirostris (not of Boddaert) Sclateb, Proc. Zool. Sec. London, 1864, 

 179 (near City of Mexico). 



[Rallusi elegans (not of Audubon) Sclateb and Salvin, Norn. Av. Neotr., 1873, 

 139. 



Rallus elegans, var. tenuirostris "Lawrence" Eidgwat, Amer. Nat, vili, 1874, 

 111 (City of Mexico; coll. G. N. Lawrence). 



[Ballus elegans} C. var. tenuirostris Kidgwat, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, v, 1880, 

 139, part (diagnosis; City of Mexico). 



Rallus elegans tenuirostris Ridowat, BuU. Nutt. Orn. Club, v. 1880, 139, foot- 

 note. — Bauu), Beejwee, and Ridgwat, Water Birds North Amer., i, 1884, 

 354, under fig. — Feeeabi-Peeez, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., ix, 1886, 177 (Laguna 

 del Bosario, Tlaxcala). — Petebs, Check-list Birds of World, ii, 1934, 160. 



IRalhcs elegans'i b. tenuirostris Baibd, Beeweb, and Kidgwat, Water Birds 

 North Amer., i, 1884, 3S3. 



[Rallus elegans'i B. tenuirostris Baibd, BbEwee, and Rebgwat, Water Birds 

 North Amer., i, 1884, 354. 



[Rallus elegans'i subsp. /S. Rallus tenuirostris Shabpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mns., 

 xxiU, 1894, 10 (near City of Mexico) . 



"Four specimens. 

 "Six specimens. 



