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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

THE HUMMING BIRDS.

BY

ROBERT RIDGWAY,

Curator^ Department of Birds.

From the Report of the National Museum for 1800, pages 253-383
(with Plates I-XLVI).

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1892.

0068,

THE HUMMING BIRDS.

By ROBERT RIDGWAY.

INTRODUCTION.

Minutest of the feathered kind,
Possessing every charm combin'd,
Nature, in forming thee, design'd

That thou shouldst be

A proof within how little space

She can comprise such perfect grace,

Rendering thy lovely fairy race

Beauty's epitome.

Thou burnished colors to bestow,
Her pencil in the heavenly bow
She dipp'd, and made thy plumes to glow
With every hue.

— CHARLOTTE SMITH.

Of all the numerous groups .uto which the birds are divided there is
none other so numerous in species, so varied in form, so brilliant in
plumage, and so different from all others in their mode of life. Inhab-
itants exclusively of the tropical and temperate portions of America,
they constitute the most charming element ,in the wonderfully varied
bird-life of the New World. Buffon considers the Humming Bird " of all
animated beings . . . the most elegant in form and brilliant in color.
The stones and metals polished by art are not comparable to this gem
of nature. She has placed it in the order of birds, but among the tiniest
of the race — maxime miranda in minimus; she has loaded it with all the
gifts of which she has only given other birds a share. Agility, rapidity,
nimbleness, grace, and rich attire all belong to this little favorite. The
emerald, the ruby, and the topaz glitter in its garb, which is never
soiled with the dust of earth, for, leading an aerial life, it rarely touches
the turf even for an instant. Always in the air, flying from flower to
flower, it shares their freshness and their splendor, lives on their nectar,
and only inhabits those climates in which they are unceasingly re-
newed." Audubon calls the Humming Bird a u glittering fragment of
the rainbow," and asks : u Who, on seeing this lovely little creature mov-

253

254 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

ing on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic in
it, flitting from one flower to another, with motions as graceful as they
are light and airy, pursuing its course and yielding new delights wher
ever it is seen . . . would not pause, admire, and turn his mind
with reverence toward the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose hand
we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conception we every-
where observe the manifestations in his admirable system of creation f "

Buffon's characterization, however, is somewhat inaccurate and
slightly overdrawn, since nature has no^eiidowed Humming Birds "with
all the gifts of which she has only given other birds a share," the ab
sence of melodious voice being, as a rule, a conspicuous deficiency of
the tribe, while the statement that they are " always in the air" is very
inaccurate, Humming Birds' requiring the same repose which other
kinds find necessary.

The author of that magnificent work, "A Monograph of the Trochi-
lidai" — Mr. John Gould — in recounting his own experience with Hum-
ming Birds, if less extravagant in his praise of them is no less en-
thusiastic in his admiration. "That early impressions of the mind,"
says he, " are vividly retained, while events of the day flit from our
memory, must have been experienced by everyone. How vivid, then,
is my recollection of the first Humming Bird which met my admiring
gaze! With what delight did I examine its tiny body and feast my
eyes on its glittering plumage ! This early impression, I well remem-
ber, gradually increased into an earnest desire to attain a more inti-
mate acquaintance with the lovely group of birds to which it pertained,
and was still further strengthened when an opportunity was afforded
me of inspecting the, at that time, unique collection of the Trochilidce
formed by the late Mr. George Loddiges, of Hackney. This gentleman
and myself were imbued with a kindred spirit in the love we both en-
tertained for this family of living gems. To describe the feeling which
animated us with regard to them is impossible. It can, in fact, only
be realized by those who have made natural history a study, and who
pursue the investigation of its charming mysteries with ardor and
delight. That our enthusiasm and excitement with regard to most
things become lessened, if not deadened, by time, particularly when
we have acquired what we vainly consider a complete knowledge of
the subject, is, I fearr too often the case with most of us ; not so, how-
ever, I believe, with those who take up the study of the family of
Humming Birds. Certainly I can affirm that such is not the case with
myself; for the pleasure which I experience on seeing a Humming
Bird is as great at the present moment as when I first saw one. Dur-
ing the first 20 years of my acquaintance with these wonderful works
of creation my thoughts were often directed to them in the day, and
my night dreams have not unfrequently carried me to their native
forests in the distant country of America.

"In passing through this world I have remarked that when inquirers

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 255

of a strong will really set themselves to attain a definite object they
generally accomplish it ; and in my own case the time at length arrived
when I was permitted to revel in the delight of seeing the Humming
Birds in a state of nature, arid to observe their habits in the woods and
among the great flowering trees of the United States of America arid
in Canada."

It is not the naturalist alone, however, who has been attracted by
the wonderful beauty of Humming Birds. The demand for them is
great for purely ornamental purposes, and though this has vastly
added to their destruction it has, as a fortunate recompense, enabled
naturalists to become better acquainted with them, the immense num-
ber of specimens often contained in milliners7 and taxidermists' stocks
frequently yielding species which otherwise would scarcely have become
known to science. u Both Frenchmen and Belgians," says Mr. Gould,
"have proceeded to South America to procure supplies of these birds,
and dealers from those countries have established themselves in some
of the cities of that part of the world for the like purpose. From Sta.
Fe de Bogota alone many thousands of skins are annually sent to Lou-
don and Paris, and sold as ornaments for the drawing-room and for
scientific purposes. The Indians readily learn the art of skinning and
preserving, and, as a certain amount of emolument attends the collect-
ing of these objects, they often traverse great distances lo p ocure
them; districts more than a hundred miles on either side of Bogota
are strictly searched ; and hence it is that from these places alone we
receive not less than seventy species of these birds. In like manner
the residents of many parts of Brazil employ their slaves in collecting,
skinning, and preserving them for European markets, and many thou-
sands are annually sent from Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco.
They also supply the inmates of the convents with many of the more
richly colored species for the manufacture of artificial feather-flowers."
Vast numbers are also used by the natives of Mexico in-producing the
wonderful feather pictures for which the descendants of the Aztecs are
famous.

Regarding the method by which specimens of these dirnunitive birds
are obtained by the collector, there exists much popular misunder-
standing. u Many really absurd statements," says Mr. Gould, u have
been made as to the means by which these birds are obtained for our
cabinets. It is most frequently asserted that they are shot with water or
with sand. Now, so far as I am aware, these devices are never resorted
to, but they are usually procured in the usual way, with Nos. 10 and
11 shot, those being the sizes best suited for the purpose. If smaller
shot be used the plumage is very frequently so cut and damaged that
the specimen is rendered of little or no value. By far the greater num-
ber fall to the clay ball of the blowpipe, which the Indians, and in
some instances even Europeans, use with perfect certainty of aim. . .
. . In Brazil very fine nets are employed for this purpose, but how

256 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

this engine is employed I am unable to state. Unfortunately for me
many specimens of the fine species Cometes sparganurus* in my posses-
sion have been obtained by means of birdlime, and this is evidently
the way in which these birds are captured in the neighborhood of
Chuquisaca."

On account of the immense destruction of Humming Birds for the
various ornamental purposes mentioned above, certain species are said
to be on the verge of extinction. The wonder is that they are not long
ago extinct, for the number of individuals which have been destroyed
is simply beyond computation. Three thousand skins of the Ruby-and-
topaz Humming Bird (Chrysolampis moschitus) alone are said to have
been shipped from a Brazilian port in a single consignment, while at a
public sale of bird skins, held in London, March 21, 1888, more than
12,000 Humming Bird skins were disposed of! And in one week during
the same year, there were sold at auction in London 400,000 Hum-
ming Birds, and other birds from North and South America, the former
doubtless comprising a very considerable percentage of the whole num-
ber.t Surely this stupendous slaughter foreshadows the speedy exter-
mination of many species. If it does not, what a commentary on the
amazing wealth of bird-life in the tropics of America 1

EARLY HISTORY.

Humming Birds being one of the special products of the New World,
and consequently unknown to the ancients,! it of course follows that
their literature is confined to the period following the discovery of
America by Columbus. According to Lesson, "The first mention
which is made of Humming Birds in the narratives of adventurers
who proceeded to America, not with the design of studying its nat-
ural productions, but for the discovery of gold, dates from 1558, and
is to be found, in Les Singularites de la France Antarctique (Brazil)
of Andre" Thevet and Jean de Le>y, companions of La Villegaignon,
who attempted in 1555 to found a French colony there 5 but these su-
perficial accounts would not have unfolded their natural history had
not the old naturalists who published their observations at the com-
mencement of the seventeenth century taken care to make them better-
known ; and we find some good accounts of them in the voluminous
compilation of Nieremberg, in the.collection of fragments from the great
works of Hernandez or Fernandez, and in those of Piso. Ximenez,
Acosta, Gomara, Marcgrave, Garcilasso, and Dutertre often mention

* For a description of this exquisitely beautiful bird see pages 308, 309.

t This information is taken from The Auk, July, 1888, pp. 334, 335.

t It is true that the name of the typical genus (Trochilus), from which the name of
the family (TrochiMce} is taken, is a classical Greek name, Tpo^Aof, trochilus or tro-
chilos ; but the bird so called by Herodotus was the Crocodile bird (Pluvianns cegyp-
tius), a small, ploverlike bird, which is said to feed upon the leeches which fasten
themselves to the crocodile, even entering the monster's open mouth to do so.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 257

these birds, but their remarks are so superficial that it would be of
little use to quote them now. Towards the end of the same century
Sir Hans Sloane, Oatesby, Edwards, Brown, Father Labat, Plumier,
Louis Feuillee, and Rochefort gave tolerably complete figures and de-
scriptions of some of the species, but it was not until the commence-
ment of the 'eighteenth century that we became better acquainted with
their natural history." The naturalist-traveler Marcgrave minutely
described several species of Humming Birds in his Natural History
of Brazil,* published in Amsterdam in 1648, an entire chapter (iv,
pp. 196-198) beiug devoted to these birds under the heading of " Vari-
ous species of CTtiainmnbi" (O-uainumbi varicv species), Guainumbi or
Guinambi being the Brazilian name for a Humming Bird, as are also,
in the language of separate tribes, the terms Aratica and Arataratagu-
acu. Humming Birds were also well described by Cesar de Eochefort
in his Histoire Katurelle et Morale des lies Antilles de PAmeTique
(published in 1658), in which also they were allotted a special chapter
(Article xvn, pp. 176-181).

The earliest notice of the common Kuby-throated Humming Bird
(Trochilus colubris) of eastern North America that I have been able to
find is an extract from " a letter written from Boston in New England,
October 26, 1670," by John Winthrop, Esq., governor of Connecticut,
to Francis Willughby, Esq., and published in the Philosophical Trans-
actions, vol. vi (1671), p. 2223. It refers to a nest and two eggs, evi-
dently a great curiosity at that time, as the article which follows will
show:

I send you withal a little Box, with a Curiosity in it, which perhaps will be counted
a trifle, yet 'tis rarely to be met with even here. It is the curiously contrived Nest
of a Humming Bird,t so called from the humming noise it maketh whilst it flies.
'Tis an exceeding litle Bird, and only seen in Summer, and mostly in Gardens, flying
from flower to flower, sucking Honey out of the flowers as a Bee doth ; as it flieth not
lighting on the flower, but hovering over it, sucking with its long Bill a sweet sub-
stance. There are in the same Nest two of that Birds Eggs. I Whether they use to
have more at once, I know not. I never saw but one of these Nests before ; and that
was sent over formerly, with some other Rarities, but the Vessel miscarrying you
received them not.

Twenty-two years later, there appeared in the same journal (Philo-
sophical Transactions, vol. xvn, 1693, pp. 760-761), what seems to be
the first special description of the bird itself, entitled u The description
of the American Tomineus or Humming Bird, communicated by Nehe-
iniah Grew, M. D. and Fellow of the Royal Society," which also is worth
quoting in full, the description having been written " by Mr. Hamersly,
of Coventry :"

* Historia Natvralis Brazilise, Auspicio et Beneficio Illustriss. I. Mavritii Com.
Nassav. [etc.]. By Guilelrni Pisoiiis, M. D., and Georgi Marcgravi de Liebstad.

t Of which see a notable Description in the History of the Antiles I. 1. 6. 15. art. 17,
where it hath the name of Colibry.

t These Eggs were so small, that being weighed by the Publisher, the one weighed

' about 5 grains, the other 3£ : And the whole Nest weighed no more than 24 grains.

H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 17

258 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

There is in most parts of America a Bird called by the English the Hum Bird, by
the Spaniard Tomineus. He is of the most shining green Color [sic], and very resplend-
ent ; the Colour [sic] doth something resemble some of our English Drake-heads, It
doth inhabit some of the colder parts of America, as well as in the hotter. It is the
least of all Birds that I have seen there or in England ; her Leg and Foot together
is but half an Inch, the other parts answerable, and the Trunk of her Body not an
inch. I did weigh one (in those parts) as soon as ever it was kill'd, whose Weight
was the tenth part of an Ounce Avoirdupoize, which I take to be about the weight of a
Coined Six-pence. And I have weighed here in England a Tit-mouse (which I take to
be the least Bird here), and it weighed above Two Shillings, and some Haifa Crown.
I saw one of these Nests made of Cotton- Wool, in form and bigness of the Thumb of
a Man's Glove, with the Taper end set downwards, wheriu were two Eggs of the big-
ness of a Pea, of oval Form. Who can but admire to see the whole Body, and all the
parts of a Bird folded up in an Egg, little bigger than a Pepper-Corn f They feed
by thrusting their Bill and Tongue into the blossoms of Trees, and so suck the sweet
Juice of Honey from them ; and when he sucks he sits not, but bears up his Body
with a hovering Motion of his Wings : But for the relation that he is a curious sing-
ing Bird, I think it untrue. God in many of his Creatures is bountiful, yet not lav-
ish ; for I did observe them several years, but never heard them sing; and the Pea-
cock and Jay, though they be of a fine Plume, yet no Singers ; and so I think this
Bird is so beautiful to the Eye, as not to please the Ear. An Indian Saggamore is not
in his full Pomp and Bravery without one of these Birds in his Ear for a Pendant.
He is called the Hum-Bird or Humming-Bird, because some say he makes a noise like
a Spinning Wheel when he flies, which I think rather an Imagination than real ; for
I have been many times very near them, both when they hover'd and when they did
ily, and I never heard any Noise ; besides, their Body and Wings are too small to
strike Air enough to make any Noise.* But of this I shall not be positive, because
some Authors are opposite to me. It is a Solitary Bird : I never saw but two at a time
together, viz. the Male and the Female, they being easily known when together, the
Male being somewhat bigger than the Female, t

If one takes a small Bird's Wing, and stand 4 or 5 yards from a Caudle (when dark)
and open the Wing, and look thro' it at the Candle, he may see a most elegant Colour
of red and green, which green doth something resemble the Colour of this Bird.

The technical literature pertaining to Humming Birds is very exten-
sive, perhaps exceeding in the number of separate titles that of any
other group. u Most of it," says Dr. Coues, "is i special,7 that is, rep-
resented by books and papers exclusively devoted to this group of
birds." " Hummers,'* says the learned bibliographer just quoted, u are
very peculiar birds, and their study may almost be said to form a par-
ticular department of ornithology ; in fact, the word ' trochilidist' has
been coined to designate those who pay special attention to this branch
of science ; and there are few ornithologists who, however great their
general acquirements, can be considered experts in this study. f"

* Perhaps the writer's hearing was defective.

t Another error ; the reverse being the case when there is any difference in size
between the sexes. It is singular he did not notice the difference of color between
the sexes, the brilliant ruby throat of the male being so conspicuous an ornament.

t Third Installment of American Ornithological Bibliography. By Dr. Elliott Cones,
U. S. A. Bulletin of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories,
vol. V, No. 4, 1879, p. 690.

In this exceedingly useful work, there are given under the heading of Trochilidce
(pp. 659-690) nearly three hundred separate titles, which shows how favorite a fain-

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 259

The extent to which our knowledge of Humming Birds has grown
may be realized when it is considered that in 1758, when the tenth
edition of LinmBus's Systema Natune was published, only eighteen
species were known, while at the present time the total number of rec-
ognizable species and subspecies is not far from five hundred. The
gradual evolution of our knowledge on the subject is thus outlined by
Dr. Coues in the bibliography from which we have previously quoted :

In 1758, when Linmeus applied his system consistently to birds, in the tenth, edi-
tion of the Systema Natime, he used the classic word Trochilm for a genus coexten-
sive with the modern family Trochilidcv, and catalogued 18 species, mostly based upon
descriptions or figures furnished by Seba, Brown, Sloaue, Catesby, Edwards, Clusius,
andAlbin, with references also to the Mus. Ad. Fr. In the twelfth edition, 1766,
this number was increased to 22, with many additional references, as to Marcgrave,
Willughby, Ray, and especially Brisson.

In 1760, the last-named famous ornithologist gave us what may be deemed the
first extended or in any sense " monographic" account of Trochilidw. Studiously
collating the already numerous notices scattered through works of the character I
have mentioned, as well as through the illustrated and other natural history treatises
of his predecessors in ornithology, he was enabled to describe with his customary
elaboration no fewer than 36 species and to present a copious bibliography. He
also made the first tenable genera of Hummers after TrocMlus, dividing the whole
family into two groups, Polytmus and Mellisuga, one containing large species with
curved bills, the other small species with straight bills. In this action of Brisson's
we see the origin of the curious fashion which so long endured among French writers,
that of distinguishing " Colibris " from " Oiseaux-niouches "' among Tmchilidw. It is
also notable as the starting-point of a generic subdivision of the group which was
destined at length to reach the farcical and scandalous extreme of some 350 genera
for few more than 400 known species.

In 1779, Buffoii adopted the same two divisions of "Colibris" and "Oiseaux-
inouches." presenting 19 species of the former and 24 of the latter group, a. total of
43 Troohilidce. If we except the mere naming and describing of some additional
species by Gmeliu and Latham, nearly all that had been learned of the birds up to
the close of the last century was reflected in the works of these two famous French
authors.

In 1788, the industrious but indiscriminate and incompetent compiler of the Thir-
teenth edition of the Syst. Nat. produced a total of 65 species of Trochilus. None
were described except at second-hand, but to many of them binomial names were
first affixed. Two years afterward 65 species of TrocMlus were recorded in the
Ind. Orn. of Latham.*

We are thus brought, by the stepping-stones of but few works requiring special
mention here, to the opening of the nineteenth century, which saw Audebert and
Vieillot's luxurious work, Ois. Bore's, perhaps the first ornithological work which

ily this has been with writers. An "Addendum to the Trochilidfe (pp. 690-692),
which embodies a systematic review of Trochilidme literature, and an " Index Gen-
erurn Trochilidarum " (pp. 692-696), consisting of an alphabetical list, with refer-
ences, of no less than four hundred and six different generic names (including some-
times two or more different spellings of the same name), render this bibliography
very complete up to date, and quite indispensable to any one doing special work upon
this group of birds.

* The eighth volume, 1812, of Shaw's Gen. Zool. gave 70 species of Trochilus.

260 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890,

undertook to reproduce metallic reflections of plumage. The feathery Iris of these
exquisite creatures is always fascinating, and there are no more favorable subjects
for glittering plates. The work, indeed, was not exclusively a monograph of the
Hummers, but the Histoire Naturelle des Colibris et des Oiseaux-rnouches formed
a large part of the undertaking. Scientific names were not used in the Ois. Dor.,
but a technical nomenclature of the subjects of the work was furnished by Vieillot
in 1817.

The first great illustrated work on Hummers exclusively was Lesson's, published
in parts, from 1829 to 1832, the parts being afterward grouped in three separately
titled volumes. This author described and figured in colors upward of 100 (about 110)
species, many of which were actually new, and to many more of which new names
were given. A very few genera, additional to or in place of Brisson's, had mean-
while been proposed ; but Lesson was the first to introduce any considerable number
of new generic names. Many of those, however, which Gray and others have since
cited as generic, were certainly not used or intended as such by Lesson, being simply
vernacular designations of certain " tribes " and " races" among which he distributed
the TrochiUdw, such words as •' Bleuets " and "Queues dtroites," for example. French
authors were (and I think many of them still are) such sinners in spelling that it is
not always easy to say what words of theirs they would have us take as technical.
Possessing a copious and voluble vocabulary, largely supplemented by gesture-
speech or shrug-language, and violating in their articulation the usual powers of
written characters, they not only acquired a trick of gallicizing technical words, but
they also cultivated a characteristic habit of rising superior to orthography. If
Vieillot could write Cripsirina for Cryptorhina without flinching, we need not wonder
that Lesson invented Ornismya, which he defended as against Ornilhomyia, or that
some of his successors reached the height of Ornysmial

The Hummers have always been objects of study peculiarly agreeable to French
ornithologists. Their daintiness, so to speak, seems to suit the national genius.
French literature, therefore, figures in the written history of these birds to an ex'.ent
greater than that observable in any other family of birds. About the time we
have reached, however, several English names became prominent in the present con-
nection, as those of Swainson, Vigors, Loddiges, and especially Jardine, for Gould
had not then begun the work which was afterward to identify his name with Tro-
chilidiue literature. Swainson had already classified the Hummers as a part of his
general scheme, describing some new species and establishing certain genera. In
1833, and thus upon the heels of Lesson's memoirs, Sir William Jardine prepared his
inonography, to the valuable and agreeable text of which Lizars contributed beauti-
ful illustrations. The home of the Hummers was heard from the same year in La
Llave's Memoria, and Schreibers's Collectanea of same date consisted only of these
birds. From this time until the beginning of Gould's great work in 1849 appeared
no monographic treatise on Trochilidce. But the period was one of great activity,
among both English and French writers ; the accumulation of material was rapid
and incessant, and many papers of these years described new genera and species,
though too often hastily and inadequately. In England, Gould and Fraser were
busy with their materials. In France, the writings of Lesson continued; Bourcier
became prominent in the number of his papers ; while Boissoneau, De Lattre, Ger vais,
Longuemare, and others made their respective contributions. This was the period of
accumulation rather than of elaboration ; numberless new names were introduced,
but among them were many synonyms, both generic and specific, little or no sys-
tematic revision of the subject being effected, unless Gould's Draft Arrangement,
the precursor of his Monograph, be considered of such character.

The thirteen years, 1849-1861, during which Gould's work was pending, marked the
next period in the history of the subject. The preparation of this great work held
its author, already recognized as the leading Trochilidist, to his subject ; and the
appearance of successive parts served as a continual stimulus to others to move in

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 261

the same directiou. The author published many papers describing cursorily now ob-
jects about to be depicted in his magnificent folios, and several French ornitholo-
gists, notably Bourcier and Mulsant, were little behind him in this respect. The
period was also marked by the appearance in England of Martin's General History,
in some sense a continuation of Jardine's work. It was furthermore characterized
by the malignant epidemic which we may call the genus-itch, which broke out simul-
taneously in 1849, from two foci of contagion, in France and in Germany, and proved
disastrous in the extreme. The infection reappeared in an aggravated form in 1854,
and Trochilidine literature has never entirely recovered from its effect.

Many genera of Hummers, notably Swainson's, Lesson's, and Gould's, had been
found acceptable and, indeed, necessary; but the most embarrassing results attended
the steps of some authors who coined names on the glancing of a feather in this beau-
tiful group of birds. As just stated, serious difficulty began in 1849, in those parts of
Bonaparte's Conspectus and of Reichenbach's Systema which treat of Trochilidce; and
in 1854 each of these authors increased it immeasurably, the one in his Tableau, the
other in his Aufzcililung. But I have on previous pages sufficiently commented upon
this matter.

The completion of Gould's splendid monument closed this period of accumulation.
The subject had grown rapidly and had become unmanageable. Some authors had
simply amused themselves in "playing chess" with the names of Hummers, and
many had pressed forward with new species upon insufficient examination of known
material or inadequate regard for what others had published. The fog of synonymy
had completely enveloped the subject. It was hazardous to enter it, and it seemed
almost hopeless to attempt to lift it. The Monograph represented, therefore,
rather a broad and secure basis for future investigation than any final accomplish-
ment. It gave a series of 360 colored plates of about as many species, real or nomi-
nal, with accompanying descriptive letter-press, other species added in the Intro-
duction raising the total to 416, referred to 123 genera. But many new names,
generic and specific, were still to see the light; many others were to sink into syn-
onymy; the nomenclature was still shifting; in short, studious and judicious syste-
matic revision of the whole subject was imperatively demanded. If Gould's work
made thie necessity apparent, it also immeasurably contributed to the desired result.

Previous to this Gouldian period American writers did next to nothing for the
special literature of the family; but during this time and subsequently many new
species were described by Lawrence. In 1860, and therefore just before the period
closed, Germany brought a fascicle of the Museum Heineanum to bear upon the
subject, many new genera and some new species being described by Cabanis and
Heine. In 1863 the Trochilidica of the last-named author appeared in the J. f. O.,
with a similar result. In 1866 MM. Mulsant and Verreaux's Essai d'une Classification
Methodique appeared as the precursor of a more elaborate work then contem-
plated, containing fresh accessions to the number of genera with which the family
was destined to be burdened and a rearrangement of the whole group. This decade,
1861-1870, saw also a fair number of minor papers, calling, however, for no special
remark here. It represented Hood-tide in the mere describing of species, and their
rearrangement in futile genera ; the ebb necessarily followed.

The state of the case at that moment was faithfully reflected in Gray's Handlist.
This catalogued 469 species, real or nominal, distributed in 163 genera or subgenera
and carrying a load of synonymy amounting in the aggregate to perhaps 800 specific
and 300 generic names. This, it will be remembered, is irrespective of the endless
combinations of generic and specific names which, were they counted, might represent
a total of several thousand binomial names which have been imposed upon a family
of birds consisting of few more than 400 known species, conveniently referable to
about one-fourth as many modern genera!

Such a state of things as this inevitably tended toward a healthy reaction ; and
during the last decade the accessions of new names have been fairly offset by the re-

262 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

duction of others to synonyms. It is true that tho Ffisioirc Naturellc des Oiseaux-<
mouches of MM. Mulsaut and Verreaux and M. Mulsant's (,'atalog lie— these being
among the most notable publications of this period— can scarcely be regarded as tend-
ing in this direction, viewing the many additional new names which they present.
Having seen neither of these treatises, I can not judge of their claims to be considered
as advancing or improving the science. But it can not be doubted that the patient
and faithful study which Messrs. D. G. Elliot and O. Salvin have of late applied to
the amelioration of Trochilidine affairs has done much toward the needed reform.
These skillful ornithologists have published numerous papers reviewing different
groups of Hummers, under the most advantageous circumstances as regards handling
material and examining literature, and their criticisms have been of the greatest
service, not only in defining genera and species, but in sifting synonymy and settling
nomenclature. Mr. Elliot's labors have borne their final fruit in his Classification
and Synopsis of the Trochilidce. However qualified a success the experts may con-
clude this performance to be, it is certainly a great boon to the working ornitholo-
gist, and a faithful reflection of the present state of our knowledge respecting tho
exquisite creatures to the elucidation of whose history it is devoted.

NAMES AND THEIR ORIGIN.

The origin arid meaning of the term " Humming Bird" and of other
names by which these birds are known in various languages are very
tersely explained by Mr. Gould in his magnificent Monograph of the
Trochilidse, as follows :

The questions have often been asked, Whence is the term Humming Bird derived ?
and Why is the bird so called ¥

I may state in reply that owing to the rapid Aove ment of the wings of most of the
members of this group, but especially of the smaller species, a vibratory or humming
sound is produced while the bird is in the air, which may be heard at the distance
of several yards, and that it is from this circumstance that the trivial name by
which these birds are known in England has arisen. In France they are recognized
by the terms Oiseau-Mouche [fly-bird] and Colibri', in Germany their common appel-
lation is Kolibri; by the Dutch they are called Kolibrielje; by the Spaniards, Pica-
Jlores [flower peckers] and Tomino; by the Portuguese, Tomeneco and Beija flor; in
the neighborhood of Xalapa they are known by the names of Chupa-rosa and Chupa-
myrtit, Rose-sucker and Myrtle-sucker; by the Creoles of the Antilles and Guiana
they are known by the names of Mur mures [murmurers], Bourdons, and Frou-frous.
From the Mexicans, Peruvians, and other nations of South America they have
received various appelations, such as Ourissa, Huitzitzil, Tzitztolotl, Guanumbia,
Qiiinti or Quintiut, Quind^, Visiclin, Pigada, and Courbiri, all terms of a metaphorical
character, signifying "rays of the sun," "tresses of the day-star," "murmuring
birds," etc.

In addition to the foregoing, Marcgrave mentions GuainumM or
Quinambi, Aratica, and Aratarataguaca as names by which they were
known among the Brazilian Indians of his day. The English name, Hum-
ming Bird, is sometimes shortened into Hummer, but this term is not so
satisfactory as the other, notwithstanding the advantage of brevity,

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.

The Humming Birds, more than any other family, constitute the
most remarkable feature of the New World bird- life. They have abso-
lutely no representatives in any other part of the world, the Swifts being

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 263

tbe nearest relatives they have in other countries. When, in the classi-
fication of birds, superficial or general resemblance was more considered
than structural affinity, the Humming Birds were supposed to have
representatives in the tropical regions of the eastern hemisphere in the
Sun Birds (Nectariniidcc) ; but the latter belong to a different order,
Passeres, and are not very unlike, in their general structure, the Ameri-
can family of Honey Creepers (CcereMdce), of which they may be con-
sidered the more brilliantly colored Old World analogues.

Of all the maii3r families of birds which are entirely peculiar to the
rich bird-fauna of America, the Humming Birds probably constitute
the most numerous assemblage, about 500 distinct kinds being now
known, while others are being brought to light with almost every fresh
collection made in Mexico, Central America, or the higher lands of
South America.

They abound most in mountainous countries, where the configuration
of the surface and productions of the soil are most diversified within
small areas. Their center of abundance is among the northern Andes,
between the parallels of 10 degrees north and south of the equator, from
which region they gradually diminish in numbers both to the northward
and southward, but much more rapidly toward the extensive lowlands
of the eastern portion of the continent. The northern limit of their
abundance may be approximately given as the Tropic of Cancer, be-
yond which but few of the fifty Mexican species extend, while only
eighteen of them have been detected across the boundary line in the
equally mountainous portions of the southwestern United States, in-
cluding the semitropical Eio Grande Valley. Small as this number
may appear, the southwestern portion of the Union may be considered
richly endowed compared with the vast valley of the Mississippi and
the Atlantic water-shed, a region of unsurpassed fertility and luxuriant
vegetation, yet which throughout its whole extent, even including the
peninsula of Florida, possesses only a single species of Humming Bird !
In this scarcity, compared with the western mountainous regions, of
representatives of a numerous family of birds, we see a certain paral-
lelism with the lowlands of eastern South America as compared with
the Andean highlands, only, on account of climatic differences, the con-
trast is by far more marked. A peculiar group of Humming Birds,
the Hermit Hummers (genera Phaethornis, Glaucis, Androdon, and
Rhamphodon), is more numerously represented in Brazil than elsewhere.
These are all very plainly colored birds, with little metallic coloring,
sometimes none, and instead of living in the sunshine and feeding
among flowers they inhabit the gloomy forests and subsist wholly on
insects gleaned from the branches and leaves of trees.. Apart from these,
however, Humming Birds are poorly represented in Brazil, compared
with the Andean highlands. Mr. Gould comments on this as follows :

Other beautiful kinds do hero and there exist in Brazil, such as the Chrysolampis
moschitus [Ruby and Topaz], the Topaza pella [Topaz-throat], and the Lopkornithes
| Coquette Hamming Birds}* but the greater number are comparatively small and

264 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

inconspicuous. Of the members of the genus Phaethornis, n group of Humming Birds
popularly known by tbe name of Hermits, from their frequenting the darkest and
most retired parts of the forest, three-fourths are natives of Brazil. The great forest-
covered delta of the Amazon, where palms are numerous, seems to be particularly
unfavorable to the Trochilidaj, since from Para to Ega there are scarcely ten species
of the family to be met with.

Taking the different countries of America, without strict reference to
either political or geographical boundaries, they stand in relation to the
number of species of Humming Birds which they possess about as
follows : First, Ecuador, with considerably more than 100, closely fol-
lowed by Colombia, with about 100 species ; next, Peru and Bolivia
together, with about 96; third, Central America (from Veragua to
Guatemala, inclusive), with about 70; fourth, Brazil, with a little over
GO, though many of these belong to the region of the Amazon basin,
and therefore are not properly Brazilian; fifth, Venezuela (including
the islands of Trinidad and Tobago), with between 50 and 60 species;
sixth, Mexico, with about 50 ; seventh, Guiana, with about 30 ; eighth
the West Indies, with less than 20; ninth, the United States, with 17,
of which all but 8 barely come across the boundary from Mexico, and
therefore should hardly be counted; tenth, the southern extremity of
South America (including Chili and the greater part of the Argentine
Republic), where only about 7 occur, and 2 of these merely as intruders
from the warmer regions to the northward. In ^orth America no
Humming Bird is known to occur beyond the parallel of 61 degrees, the
Rufous Humming Bird (Selasphorus rufus) reaching that latitude on
the Pacific coast, while on the eastern side the Ruby-throat (Trochilus
colubris) has been traced to 57 degrees north latitude.

The geographical distribution of Humming Birds is a matter of great
interest, some of them being of widely extended range, while others are
confined to single mountain peaks or valleys. But owing to the care-
less manner in which many authors state the range of species, it is at
present impossible to express with more than approximate correctness
the comparative richness of different countries or faunal provinces in
their representation of these birds. Even some of our standard author-
ities are content to say "Brazil," "Central America," or "Mexico"
when giving the habitat of a species, apparently ignorant of the fact,
or at least quite ignoring it, that it makes all the difference in the
world what particular part of those extensive countries the species in
question may inhabit. Thus, the political boundaries of Brazil include
not only the Brazilian faunal province, but a considerable portion of
the Amazonian province, each with several more or less distinct sub-
divisions, while Central America includes two quite distinct subprov-
inces, composed of the republics of Costa Rica and Nicaragua on the
one hand, and the greater part of Guatemala, Salvador, and Honduras
on the other, though just where the two subprovinces merge together
we do not yet know. That political areas do not by any means corre-
spond with faunal areas is an important fact which should be constantly

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 265

borne in mind by the collector as well as by the compiler; for, until our
knowledge of the range of each species within a given country is far
more complete than it is at the present time, we cannot sketch the
geographical distribution of these birds, as a group, with any degree of
accuracy. In order to fully appreciate this difficulty, it is only neces-
sary for one to understand that when the range of a species is said to
be "Brazil" (as in even the best of books on. the subject), no one
can tell whether it belongs to the true Brazilian or the Amazonian
province, since both are chiefly included within the area of the country
known politically as Brazil, though zoologically they are far more distant
from one another than is North America from Europe or the latter from
temperate Asia ! The true Brazilian Province, moreover, includes, be-
sides a large portion of Brazil itself, the politically distinct countries
of Paraguay and Uruguay, together with adjoining portions of the
Argentine Republic and Bolivia.

Authorities on the subject of geographical distribution of animals
differ as to the relative value or importance of these faunal divisions;
but there is little difference of opinion as to their number and approx-
imate boundaries. Beginning at the south and proceeding, irregu-
larty, northward, they are as follows :

I. The Patagonian or Chilian Province, embracing Tierra del Puego,
Falkland Islands, Chili, Patagonia, the greater part of the Argentine
Republic, and the southeast portion of Bolivia.

II. The South-Brazilian Province, comprising all of Brazil south of
the Amazon basin, the whole of Uruguay and Paraguay, and the north-
east portion of the Argentine Kepublic.

III. The Amazonian Province, including, besides the entire Amazon
basin (below a certain altitude upon the head streams), all of Guiana,
that portion of Venezuela south of the Orinoco, the Amazon water-
shed of Bolivia, the northeast corner of Peru, and the eastern part of
Ecuador and Colombia.

IV. The Colombian Province, comprising the central and littoral
districts of Colombia, Venezuela north of the Orinoco (including the
Islands of Trinidad and Tobago), central and western Ecuador, the
whole of Peru except the northeast corner and the higher Andean
summits, and a part of western and southwestern Bolivia.

V. The Central American Province, embracing that portion of the
continent from the Isthmus of Panama northward to southern Mexico,
where the so-called Neotropical Region merges into the so-called Nearc-
tic Region.

VI. The West Indian Province, which embraces the whole of the
Antillean archipelago, from the Bahamas southwards, but not includ-
ing either Tobago or Trinidad.

For the present purpose, however, it will be more practicable to com-
bine III and IV into one " province," which for convenience may be
termed the Colombo- Amazonian, and extend its limits to the northward

266 REPORT OF .NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

to include the entire isthmus as far as the coast region of Mexico, thus
restricting the Mexican Province to the plateau region and higher
lands for an undetermined distance southward, probably not farther
than the highlands of Guatemala, Honduras, and northern Nicaragua,
but possibly including the higher summits of Costa Rica, where a con-
siderable number of northern types occur.*

Of all these "provinces" the composite one, which I have termed
the Colombo- Amazonian, is incomparably the richest in bird life of any
region of the earth; and it is therefore not strange that nearly one-
half of all the known species of Humming Birds should be peculiar to
its territory. The next in comparative richness in birds of this family
is probably the Mexican, in its comprehensive sense, for owing to the
carelessness of authors in designating localities it is at present imprac-
ticable to separate the species which properly belong to this province
from those belonging to the northern extension of the preceding one.
Of the 93 species and 23 genera peculiar to the country north of the
Isthmus of Panama, about 55 species and 14 genera do not occur south
of Gautemala or Honduras. The Brazilian Province probably comes
next in number of peculiar species, but it is at present impossible to tell
just how many should be credited to it, a very considerable proportion of
the 38 species whose range is given as u Brazil n undoubtedly belonging
to Colombo-Amazonian Province. From the comparatively small num-
ber of Humming Birds peculiar to the Brazilian Province there is a
decided falling off in those of the West Indian Province, where we are
able to count only 18 peculiar species ; but this number seems large
compared with the showing made by the two most widely separated
and coldest provinces, the North American and the Chilian, which have
only 8 and 5 species, respectively, of Humming Birds peculiar to them.

The grand centre or focus of the family of Humming Birds is that
portion of the Colombo-Amazonian Province comprised within the limits
of the State of Ecuador, where considerably more than 100 species occur
(more than one-fifth of all that are known), more than half of them
occurring nowhere else. Colombia is nearly as rich, having about 100
species, nearly 50 of which are peculiar. Peru and Bolivia together
(included within the southwestern portion of the same province) pos-
sess about 90 species, of which more than half are peculiar. North-
ward and northeastward from the " focal center" the number of species
diminishes gradually, Central America (including Guatemala) having
about 70 species (40 peculiar), Mexico, alone, about 50 (28 peculiar),
Venezuela, (including Trinidad and Tobago) between 50 and GO (15 pecu-
liar), Guiana about 36 (12 peculiar), and the West Indies with only
18 (all of them peculiar).

* For example, among Humming Birds four species of the genus SelaspJiorus and
one each of Eugenes, Doricha, Eupher lisa, and Cceligena, and others related to or identical
with more northern forms. It is true a much larger mynber of southern types occur
in the same country, but they are mainly restricted to lower and therefore more
tropical elevations.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 267

On the other hand, the decrease to the southeastward from the " focal
center" in the true Brazilian Province is very great; it is impossible,
at present, to properly estimate the total number of species found there,
but it is probably considerably less than 50, with, however, perhaps more
than half of them peculiar.

MIGRATIONS.

While in tropical regions the Humming Birds are, like other kinds,
permanent residents, or at most make comparatively slight migrations
when the food supply of a given locality fails them, or when, on high
mountains, the increasing cold forces them to descend to the warmer
slopes and valleys, those of temperate regions make extensive and
regular migrations like other birds of the same regions, coming from
the south in spring and returning in autumn. Thus, the common Ruby-
throated Humming Bird (Trochilus colubris) has its summer home in
eastern Forth America, where it occupies the extensive region stretch-
ing from the Gulf of Mexico to half way across the British Provinces
(at least to latitude 57 degrees north), and from the Atlantic coast to
beyond the Mississippi. It breeds throughout this area, but is not
known to do so south of the United States. In winter, however, its
range is shifted far to the southward, the northern recorded limit at
that season being southern Florida (Punta Rassa, latitude about 29
degrees), and the southern limit in Veragua, the western portion of the
Isthmus of Panama, only about 8 degrees north of the equator. It is
thus evident that, notwithstanding their diminutive size, some individ-
uals of this species perform an annual migration of at least 28 degrees
of latitude, equivalent to nearly 2,000 statute miles ! Oh the opposite
side of the continent the highest latitude attained is about that of 61
degrees, on the coast of Alaska, where the Kufous-backed Humming Bird
was found by Kotzebue. The same species win ters in Mexico, so that in
their migrations those individuals which pass the summer farthest north
traverse considerably more than 2,000 miles of territory ! It is only
in the warm valleys of California and in southern Florida that any
species of Humming Bird regularly passes the winter within the borders
of the United States ; in the former the Anna Humming Bird (Calypte
anna), and in the latter the Ituby-throat (Trochilus colubris). All the
species of western North America (including many individuals of G.
anna) winter in Mexico, only one of the truly northern species (Selas-
phorus platycercus) extending its winter range as far as Guatemala.

The vertical range of some species in mountain districts is quite
remarkable. In July, 1868, the writer observed examples of JSelasplwrus
platycercus in the dooryard of a ranch in Ruby Valley, Nevada, the
altitude being between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, and later during the same
day saw a single individual of the same species at the extreme sum-
mit of the immediately adjacent East Humboldt Mountains, nearly 6,000
feet higher.

268 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

HABITS.

The general habits of Humming Birds are in most respects similar to
those of other birds. They are both arboreal and aerial, but are unable
to progress upon the ground, or any flat surface, by means of their legs
and feet alone. They perch frequently upon trees or bushes, or even
in rare instances cling to rocks ; and their mode of nidification presents
nothing that may be deemed peculiar or even specially characteristic.
In their flight and manner of procuring their food, however, they differ
strikingly from other birds, in these respects much more closely resem-
bling certain insects than any of the «* feathered tribe."

Says Prof. Alfred Newton :

Wilson, Audubon, Mr. Gosse, and several others, gifted with the "pen of a ready
writer," have so fully described, as far as words will admit, the habits of different mem-
bers of the family Trochilidce that it is unnecessary to say much upon this score. Their
appearance is soentirely unlike that of any other birds that it is hopeless to attempt in
any way to bring a just conception of it to the ideas of those who have not crossed
the Atlantic ; and even the comparison so often made between them and the Sphingi-
dw, though doubtless in the main true, is much to the advantage of the latter. One
is'admiring the clustering stars of a scarlet Cordia, the snowy cornucopias of a Port-
landia, or some other brilliant and beautiful llower, when between the blossom and
one's eye suddenly appears a small dark object, suspended, as it were, between four
short black threads meeting each other in a cross. For an instant it shows in front of
the flower ; an instant more it steadies itself, and one perceives the space between each
pair of threads occupied by a gray film; again, another instant, and, emitting a mo-
mentary flash of emerald and sapphire light, it is vanishing, lessening in the distance as
it shoots away to a speck that the eye can not take note of, and all this so rapidly that
the word on one's lips is still unspoken, scarcely the thought in one's mind changed.
It was a bold man or an ignorant one who first ventured to depict Humming Birds
flying ; but it can not be denied that representations of them in that attitude are often
of special use to the ornithologist. The peculiar action of one, and probably of many
or all other species of the family, is such that at times, in flying, it makes the wings
almost meet, both in front and behind, at each vibration. Thus, when a bird chances to
enter a room it will generally go buzzing along the cornice ; standing beneath where
it is, one will find that the axis of the body is vertical, and each wing is describing
a nearly perfect semicircle. As might be expected, the pectoral muscles are very
large; indeed, the sternum of this bird is a good deal bigger than that of the common
Chimney-Swallow (Hirundo rmtica, L.) But the extraordinary rapidity with which
the vibrations are effected seems to be chiefly caused by these powerful muscles acting
on the very short wing-bones, which are not half the length of the same parts in the
Swallow; and accordingly, great as this alar action island in spite of the contrary
opinion entertained by Mr. Gosse (Nat. Sojourn in Jamaica, p. 240), it is yet some-
times wanting in power, owing doubtless to the disadvantageous leverage thus ob-
tained ; and the old authors must be credited who speak of cobwebs catching Hum-
ming Birds.

Among the multitude of forms which compose this extensive family
of birds there must necessarily be some which depart, more or less, in
certain particulars as regards their habits, from the more typical kinds ;
but so far as their habits have been recorded, I have been able to find
only one example of unusual or extraordinary peculiarity in this respect,
namely, the curious habit of th« Pioliinclia Hill-star (Oreotrochilus

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 269

pichincha) of clinging to the vertical or overhanging surface of bare
rocks, thus described by Mr. L. Eraser:*

I observed three specimens of this bird, all of a row, hanging to the bare rock (this
now explains the use of those large feet aud claws which the species of this group
have, aud which has hitherfco puzzled me) like Sand-martins ; it was under a ledge,
well protected from the weather, consequently well adapted by nature for nest-build-
ing. (They would fly away and then return ; this was done in my sight three or
four times in succession.) On examining the spot, which was almost inaccessible, I
found much excrement, proving to my mind that they breed in societies. My country-
man, Colonel Stacey, on a visit to this mountain, happened to have on a new bright
yellow oil-skin cover to his wide-awake hat, aud one of these birds flew round aud
round it for a considerable time, as he supposes, mistaking it for a flower.

ABUNDANCE OF INDIVIDUALS.

Iii regions where several species occur, Humming Birds are ofteu as
numerous as bees about the flowers; but in the eastern portion of North
America, where, even in Florida, only one kind is found, they are
seldom seen in any considerable numbers, though during the period
of flowering of some bush or tree the blossoms of which they are spe-
cially fond of (as for example the Black Locust, Kobinia pseudacacia),
one may, under the most favorable circumstances, see scores of them
in different parts of the same tree. In the more southern portion of the
western United States, however, where several species often occur to-
gether, they are far more numerous, on occasions fairly swarming in
their favorite localities. Keferring to Humming Birds observed at one
of his camps in the mountains of New Mexico, near the headwaters of
the Pecos Kiver, Mr. Henshaw writes as follows : t

The number of representatives of this [the Rufous Hummer, Selasphorus rufiis'] and
the preceding species [the Broad-tailed Hummer, S. plalycercus~\ that make their sum-
mer homes in these mountains is simply beyond calculation. No one whose experi-
ence is limited to the eastern United States can form any adequate idea of their abun-
dance. They occur from an altitude of about 7,500 feet far up on the mountain sides,
as high up, in fact, as suitable flowers afford them the means of subsistence.
They are most numerous at an altitude of from 8,000 to i),000 feet. During the entire
summer they frequent almost exclusively a species of Sorophularia which grows in
clumps in the sunnier spots of the valleys. From early dawn till dusk the Humming
Birds throng around these plants intent in surfeiting themselves on honey and the
minute insects that the honey attracts. The scene presented in one of these flowering
areas is a most attractive one. * * *

Some idea of the number of Humming Birds in this locality — and in this respect
this whole mountain area is alike — may be gained from the statement that in a single
clump of the Sorophularia I have counted eighteen Hummers, all within reach of an
ordinary fishing rod. There was scarcely a moment in the day when upwards of fifty
could not be counted within the area of a few yards in any of the patches of this
common plant.

At Apache. Arizona, in the month of August, Mr. Henshaw found the
same species, "literally by hundreds, hovering over the beds of brightly-
tinted flowers, which in the mountains especially grow in the greatest

* In Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, I860, p. 80.
t The Auk, vol. in, 1886, pp. 76-78.

270 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

profusion on the borders of the mountain streams."* In the Oatalina
Mountains of Arizona, in August and September, Mr. W. E. D. Scott
found it " very abundant, feeding on thistles and a kind of scarlet
flower very similar to the Sal via or Scarlet Sage, " it being " no unconi
inoii sight to see from twenty to fifty of the birds at once ; " and in the
valley of the Truckee River, near Pyramid Lake, Nevada, I found them
equally numerous among the sunflowers which grew in patches in the
river bottoms.

In the tropical regions, where, instead of one or at most three or four
species, dozens of kinds inhabit the same district the abundance of
individuals is frequently amazing to one unused to such sights.

Says Mr. Water ton :

Cayenne and Demerara produce the same Humming Birds. Perhaps you would
wish to know something of their haunts. Chiefly in the months of July and August
the tree called Bois Immortel, very common in Deinerara, bears abund ance of blossoms
which stay on the tree for some weeks; then it is that most of the species of Hum-
ming Birds are very plentiful. The wild Red Sage (SaMa splendem) is also their
favorite shrub ; and they buzz like bees round the blossoms of the Wallaba tree ; in-
deed, there is scarcely a flower in the interior or on the seacoast but what receives
frequent visits from one or other of the species.

On entering the forests of the rising land in the interior, the blue and green, the
smallest brown, no bigger than the bumblebee, with two long feathers in the tail>
and the little forked-tail purple-throated Humming Birds glitter before you in ever-
changing attitudes.

As you advance towards the mountains of Demerara other species of Humming
Birds present themselves before you.

The Humming Birds of Jamaica are not as numerous in species as
those of California (there are only three species), but they appear to
make up for this deficiency by abundance of individuals.

I cannot quit the subject [says the Rev. Lansdown Guilding] without speaking of
the delight that was afforded me in Jamaica by seeing Humming Birds feeding on honey
in the florets of the great Aloe (Agave americana, Linn.). On the side of a hill upon
Button's estate (the property of Henry Dawkins, esq.) were a considerable number
of aloe plants, of which about a dozen were in full blossom. They were spread
over a space of about 20 yards square. The spikes, bearing bunches of flowers in a
thyrsus, were from 12 to 15 feet high; on each spike were many hundred flowers of
a bright yellow color, each floret of a tubular shape and containing a good-sized
drop of honey. Such an assemblage of floral splendor was in itself most magnificent
and striking ; but it may be imagined how much the interest caused by this beautiful
exhibition was increased by vast numbers of Humming Birds, of various species,
fluttering at the opening of the flowers, and dipping their bills first into one floret
and then into another, the sun, as usual, shining bright upon their varied and
beautiful plumage. The long-tailed or Bird-of-Paradise Humming Bird was particu-
larly striking, its long feathers waving as it darted from one flower to another. I
was so much delighted with this sight that I visited the spot again in the afternoon,
.after a very long and fatiguing day's ride, accompanied by my wife, on horseback,
when we enjoyed the scene before us for more than half an hour.

* Report of Ornithological Collections, Wheeler's Expedition, p. 131.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 271

ACTIONS AND ATTITUDES.

Humming Birds are so distinct from other birds in their external
structure and manner of flight that they present in every respect, ex-
cept when at rest, an appearance entirely peculiar to themselves. They
spend perhaps the greater part of their time upon the wing, usually
hovering or balancing themselves before a flower from which they are
procuring their sustenance of honey or minute insects. At such time the
body is nearly vertical or inclined at a slight angle, the head bent nearly
at right angles with the axis of the body, the wings spread nearly at
right angles with the same axis, but vibrated so rapidly that they are
visible only as an indistinct haze on each side of the body of the bird.
While in this position the tail is spread, and with it the bird largely
regulates its distance from the flower by flirting the tail forward, or
the reverse, when it wishes to recede or advance, respectively.

While resting they usually select a slender dead twig, in a prominent
or exposed portion of a bush or tree, where they sit in a nearly vertical
position, with head drawn down and feathers of the throat puffed out-
ward, something in the manner of swallows. The wings usually if not
invariably drop beneath the generally unspread tail. They are fond of
preening their plumage, and thus afford a variety of graceful attitudes
for showing off particular parts of the plumage to advantage. Mr.
Audubon observes that they are particularly fond of spreading one
wing at a time and passing each of the quill feathers through their bill
in its whole length, when, if the sun is shining, the wing thus plumed is
rendered extremely transparent and light. Mr. Audubon also observes
that when perching " they move sidewise in prettily measured steps,
frequently opening and closing their wings, pluming, stroking, and ar-
ranging the whole of their apparel with neatness and activity ."

Comparatively few persons have had the opportunity to observe the
actions of the female Humming Bird when setting on her nest or when
maneuvering in its immediate vicinity. The following account of the
actions of a female Euby-throat (Trochilus colubris) will therefore prob-
ably be of special interest :

Although I spent several hours watching this nest, on different occasions, no food
was brought at such times, but the actions of the female, as seen through a strong
field glass at short range, were decidedly interesting. The approach to the nest was
as usually described in about one-third of the records— i. e., directly to a point over
and close to the nest, then dropping lightly into it. The general method, however,
was by a dashing flight to within 12 or 15 feet, a sudden pause while poised in the
air, anxiously looking about her, then 1 or 2 feet farther, another pause with the
same maneuvers, to be repeated until at last she dropped into the nest as ordinarily.
This entire procedure occupied less than 10 seconds. A few times she seemed to fly
directly into the nest without any preliminaries.

Just after settling in the nest she had a habit of occasionally completely turning
around in it oue or more times. This was a hitching motion, as if by the use of her
feet, meanwhile appearing to rearrange the material on the outside and as if shaping
the interior to her better satisfaction by this treading motion. At other times, spread-

272 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

ing her wings over the nest in a seeming ecstacy of delight, she rather flatteringly
turned around in it, apparently without regard for its precious contents.

There seemed to be one never varying position when at rest, that facing the more
open part of the grove, the usual direction of approach being from behind, whereas
the flight from the nest was toward the clearer space in front. The sitting posture
was not one of absolute rest at any time, as the head was constantly in motion, so
that no approach could be made without her knowledge. The flight from the nest
seemed to be directly out of it, without any preliminaries. The weather was warm,
yet she would remain on the nest from 15 to 20 minutes, and in no instance was away
more-than 2 minutes while I had her under observation. The male frequently ap-
peared in the vicinity, but neither ottered food nor even deigned to alight on the same
tree, yet birds wliich had a good claim in the neighborhood dared not approach very
close, as the combined at tack of these active birds always proved so distasteful that
they invariably beat a hasty retreat.*

MANNER OF FLIGHT.

Tbe extraordinary development of the pectoral muscles in the Hum-
ming Birds and its purpose is made a special topic on pages 292, 295; but
a preliminary description of the motion imparted to the wings by these
powerful engines, if such they may be styled, and other particulars relat-
ing to the flight of Humming Birds, may be given here. As birds differ
from all other animals in the possession of feathers, so do Humming
Birds differ from all other birds in their manner of flight, which, as
Mr. Gosse truly says, is entirely thai of an insect, especially a large
beetle or a bee. "To me," says Mr. Gould, "their actions appeared
unlike anything of the kind I had ever seen before, and strongly re-
minded me of a piece of machinery acted upon by a powerful spring.
I was particularly struck by this peculiarity in the flight, as it was
exactly the opposite of what I expected. The bird does not usually
glide through the air with the quick, darting flight of a Swallow or
Swift, but continues tremulously moving its wings while passing from
flower to flower, or when taking a more distant flight over a high tree
or across a river. When poised before any object this action is so
rapidly performed that it is impossible for the eye to follow each stroke,
and a hazy semicircle of indistinctness on each side of the bird is all that
is perceptible, t

The wind produced by this rapid vibration of the wings is very con-
siderable, Mr. Salvin having noticed that while a Humming Bird which
had flown into a room was hovering over a large piece of wool, the
entire surface of the wool was violently agitated.

Probably no one has ever observed the actions of Humming Birds
with greater care than Mr. Gould, whose enthusiastic interest in them

* Edwin H. Eames, in "The Auk," July, 1890, pp. 287,288.

t According to Mr. Gosse ("Birds of Jamaica, " p. 133), the vibration of each wing
in the Mellisuga minima reaches nearly or quite 180 degrees. In several of the plates
of the present work the artists have attempted to depict the appearance of the wings
during flight — the birds being represented in the attitude of poising over the nest.
(See plates XLI and XLII. The appearance of the extended wings in plates xi.in
and XLIV is, of course, incorrect, the object being to show the form of the wing and
arrangement of its feathers. )

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 273

must naturally have reached its culminating point when he first beheld
living specimens in the full freedom of their native haunts. He thus
tersely describes their flight :

Although mauy short intermissions of rest are taken during the day, the bird may
be said to live in air — an element in which it performs every kind of evolution with
the utmost ease, frequently rising perpendicularly, flying backward, pirouetting or
dancing off, as it were.

Regarding the ability of the Humming Bird to fly backward, we
quote the following, by Bradford Torrey, from Science, vol. n, No. 34,
p. 436 :

The Duke of Argyle, in his Reign of Law (p. 145), lays it down in italics, that " no
bird can ever fly backwards." He mentions the Humming Bird as appearing to do so,
but maintains that in reality it falls rather than flies, when, for instance, he comes
out of a tubular flower. But this morning while watching the motions of a Hum-
ming Bird (Trochilus colabris), it occurred to me to test the dictum of the duke, and
unless my eyes were altogether at fault, the bird did actually fly backwards. He was
probing, one after another, the blossoms of a petunia bed, and more than once, when
the flower happened to be low down, he plainly rose rather than fell as lie backed
away from it. .

The present writer has observed the same thing, but has noticed that
the backward motion is greatly assisted by a forward flirt of the ex-
panded tail as the bird shifts from place to place, or from one part of
a tree to another, sometimes descending, at others ascending. It often
towers up above the trees, and then shoots off like a little meteor at a
right angle ; at other times it quietly buzzes away among the flowers
near the ground; at one moment it is poised over a diminutive weed,
at the next it is seen at a distance of 40 yards, whither it has vanished
with the quickness of thought. During the heat of the day the shady
retreats beneath the trees are very frequently visited ; in the morning
and evening the sunny banks, the verandas, and other exposed situa-
tions are more frequently resorted to.

" All the Humming Birds," says Mr. Gosse, u have more or less the
habit when in flight of pausing in the air, and throwing the body and
tail into rapid and odd cortortions; this seems to be mostly the case
with the Mango (Lampornis mango), but perhaps is more observable in
Polytmus from the effect that such motions have on the beautiful long
feathers of the tail. That the object of these quick turns is the capture
of insects I am sure, having watched one thus engaged pretty close to
me. I drew up and observed it carefully and distinctly saw the minute
flies in the air, which it pursued and caught, and heard repeatedly the
snapping of the beak. My presence scarcely disturbed it, if at all."

That there are exceptions to the manner of flight which we have de-
scribed, is true, but they probably are not n umerous. One of the most
notable is that of the Giant Humming Bird (Patagona gigas) of the
Andes, which, Darwin says, whilst hovering over a flower flaps its wings
with a very slow and powerful movement, totally different from that
vibratory one common to most of the species, which produces the huin-
H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 IS

274 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

ming uoise. He " never saw any other bird where the force of its wings
appeared (as in a butterfly) so powerful in proportion to ttye weight of
its body. When hovering by a flower, its tail is constantly expanded
and shut like a fan, the body being kept in a nearly vertical position."
Mr. Darwin does not say whether any sound is produced by the wings
of this species j but I am informed by Mr. W. E. Safford, tT. S. Navy,
who has frequently observed them, that the flight of the Giant Hum-
ming Bird is as noiseless as that of a butterfly.

Those Humming Birds, with elongated spatule-tipped tail feathers
are to a degree peculiar in their flight, although the motion of the
wings themselves is essentially the same as in ordinary kinds. The late
Mr. Dyson informed Mr. Gould that the flight of these Racquet-tailed
Hummers is very peculiar, and that their appearance in the air is most
singular; the tail being not only constantly opened and shut, but the
spatules always in motion, particularly when the bird is poising over a
flower.

Although the muffled buzzing or humming uoise, which has given this
•family of birds its distinctive name is the sound usually accompany-
ing the flight of Humming Birds, the males of some species accompany
their flight with a most remarkable noise, of an entirely different char-
acter. While among the mountains of Utah, in 1869, the writer was
for along time mystified by a shrill screeching noise, something like that
produced by a rapidly revolving circular saw when rubbed by a splin-
ter. This noise was evidently in the air, but I could not discover its
origin, until I discovered a Humming Bird passing through the air over-
head in a curious undulating line of flight. I afterwards heard the
same sound produced by males of the same species (the Broad- tailed
Humming Bird, Selasphorus platycercus), when they were driving other
birds away from the vicinity of their nests. At such times they would
ascend almost perpendicularly to a considerable height, and then de-
scend with the quickness of a flash at the object of their animosity,
which was perhaps more frightened or annoyed by the accompanying
noise than by the attack itself.

Mr. F. Stephens,* calls this the " courtship song," but from the cir.
curnstance that, in the Broad-tailed Humming Bird at least, it is often
produced by solitary individuals while wending their way between dis-
tant points, I hardly think it can properly be so considered. Writing
of Costa's Humming Bird (Calypte costce), he says:

The female is sitting on a twig in a low bush, not on an exposed twig as is often
the case when she is merely resting, but when the male begins she goes further in,
as if she feared that he really intended mischief, while he rises high in the air, and,
with a headlong swoop, comes down, passing her, and turning with a sharp curve
as near her as is possible mounts on high to repeat the maneuver again and again.
A shrill whistle is heard as he begins to descend, starting low and becoming louder
and louder, until as he passes her it becomes a shriek which is plainly audible for a
distance of 100 yards or more. Aa he mounts again it dies away only to be repeated

".Bulletin of the Ridgway Ornithological Club of Chicago, No. 2, 1887, .pp. 44, 45.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 275

at tbo next descent. This is a common maneuver with the species. The whistle
made during the descent was quite low and the buzzing sound made as he passed the
other bird, a young T. costce,, was coarser than I had heretofore thought. It also lacked
all whistling character. I also noticed another swooping back and forth, but heard
no whistle or other vocal sound.

Mr. Heushaw* also is inclined to think that this sound, in the Broad-
tailed Hummer (Selasphorus platycercus), at least, is u analogous to the
love-notes of other birds." Says he:

During the mating, and perhaps also through the entire breeding season, the flight
of the male is always accompanied by a curious, loud, metallic, rattling noise, which
he is enabled to produce in some way by means of the attenuation of the outer prima-
ries. This is, I think, intentionally made, and is analogous to the love notes of other
birds. Though I saw many of these birds in the fall, it was only very rarely that this
whistling noise was heard, and then with greatly diminished force.

DISPOSITION.

In their disposition Humming Birds are not only very tame but
highly curious or inquisitive, and exhibit a special propensity to closely
inspect a human intruder to their domains. One of these little feath-
ered fairies will at such times approach like a flash and poise directly
before one's face, its wings vibrating so rapidly as to appear as a mere
haze on each side of its body, which itself remains so stationary that
the inquiring expression of its bright black eyes and the outline of
nearly every feather of its compact little figure can be seen j then it
shifts rapidly to one side, then to the other, and approaches so near as
to be easily within reach of the hand ; but the slightest demonstration
causes it to vanish so swiftly that the eye can scarcely trace the line
of its flight.

The charming confidence in the human species shown by Humming
Birds when they are treated considerately is well illustrated by an
anecdote related by Lady Emeline Stuart Wortley in her " Travels."
A pair of the minute Vervain Hummer (Mellisuga minima) had built
their nest close to one of the walks of the garden of the place where she
was staying.

The branch, indeed, of the beautiful shrub in which this fairy nest was suspended
almost intruded into the walk; and every time we sauntered by there was much
danger of sweeping against this projecting branch with its precious charge and doing
it some injury, as very little would have demolished the exquisite fabric. In process
of time two lovely pea-like eggs had appeared ; and while we were there we had
the great pleasure of seeing the minute living gems themselves appear, looking like
two very small bees. The mother bird allowed us to look closely at her in the nest
and inspect her little nurslings, when she was flying about near, without appearing
in the least degree disconcerted or alarmed. I never saw so tame or so bold a pet.
But she did not allow the same liberties to be taken by everybody unchecked. One

day, as Sir C was walking in the pretty path beside which the fragile nest was

delicately suspended amid sheltering leaves, he paused in order to look at the lillipu-
tian inhabitants. While thus engaged he felt suddenly a sharp light rapping on the
crown of his hat, which considerably surprised him. He looked roiiud to ascertain

* Report on Ornithological Specimens, Wheeler's Expedition, p. 88.

276 KEPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890,

from whence the singular and unexpected attack proceeded ; but nothing wae to be
seen. Almost thinking he must have been mistaken, he continued his survey, when
a much sharper and louder tat-tat-tat-tat-tat seemed to demand his immediate atten-
tion, and a little to jeopardize the perfect integrity and preservation of the fabric in
question. Again he looked round, far from pleased at such extraordinary imperti-
nence, when what should he see but the beautiful, delicate Humming Bird, with
ruffled feathers and fiery eyes, who seemed by no means inclined to let him off with-
out a further infliction of sharp taps and admonitory raps from her fairy beak., Sho
looked like a little fury in miniature— a winged Xautippe. Those pointed attentions
apprised him that his company was not desired or acceptable; and, much amused at
the excessive boldness of the dauntless little owner of the exquisite nest he had

been contemplating, Sir C moved off, anxious not to disturb or irritate further

this valiant minute mother, who displayed such intrepidity and cool determination.

As to V and me, the darling little pet did not mind us in the least; she allowed

us to watch her to our heart's content during the uninterrupted progress of all her
little household and domestic arrangements, and rather appeared to like our society
than not, and to have the air of saying, " Do you think I manage it well, eh ?"

The following account* of the taming of wild Humming Birds also
shows how easily, with a little pains, these lovely creatures can be
tamed :

A lady residing at San Rafael, one of the many pleasant health resorts of Cali-
fornia, has sent to friends in London an account of the taming of two wild Humming
Birds by her daughter, who. under medical direction, has for some months passed
several hours daily reclining on rugs spread on the garden lawn. " E. has a new
source of interest," her mother writes. "The humming birds have claimed her com-
panionship and manifested their curiosity by inspecting her, with their little wise
heads turned to one side, at a safe distance, watching her movements, evidently
wishing to become acquainted. To entice them to a nearer approach, E. plucked a
fuchsia, attached it to a branch of a tree over her head, and filled it with.sweetened
water. The intelligent little creatures soon had their slender bills thrust into the
flower, from which they took long draughts. Then E. took honey, thinking they
might prefer it, and filled a fresh flower each day. They would sometimes become
so impatient as scarcely to wait for her to leave before they were into the sweets,
and, finally, while she held a flower in one hand and filled it with drops from a spoon,
the now tame little pets would catch the drops as they fell, and dart into the honey
cup their silvery, thread-like tongues. E. is delighted, and so fascinated with them
that she passes hours each day of her resting time talking to them and watching
their quick, lively movements. Although these tiny birds are humming all day
among the flowers, two only have monopolized the honey-filled flower, and these are
both males, consequently there are constant squabbles as to which shall take pos-
session. They will not permit a wasp or a bee to come near their honey flower, and
not only drive them away, but chase them some distance, uttering a shrill note of
protest against all intruders." Referring to them again, at the close of the rainless
California summer, in a letter dated October 26, this lady writes: " We have had
threatening clouds for two days and a heavy rainfall to-day. E. has continued her
devotion to her little Humming Birds. Since the change of weather she has tried to
coax them to the parlor windows. They appeared to think there must be some mis-
take, and would hum about the window where she stood with the honey flower and
spoonful of honey, or they would sit on a branch and watch every movement, yet
not daring to take a sip until to-day, when at her peculiar call, which they always
recognize, one ventured repeatedly to take the honey from her hand.

Though so readily accustomed to the society of human beings, Hum-
ming Birds do not, unfortunately, long survive confinement. Whether

* Taken from the "Scientific American."

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 277

it is the want of suOicicut exercise, or some other uukuovvii cause, they
invariably die within a few weeks, or months at the longest, of their
capture. The first attempt to transport them alive across the Atlantic
seems to be the one related by Latham, as follows :

" A young gentleman, a few days before he sailed from Jamaica for England, met
with a female Humming Bird sitting on the nest and eggs, and cutting off the twig,
he brought altogether on board. The bird became sufficiently tame to suffer herself
to be fed on honey and water during the passage, and hatched two young ones. The
mother, however, did not long survive, but the young were brought to England, and
continued for some time in the possession of Lady Hammond. The little creatures
readily took honey from the lips of Lady Hammond, and though the one did not live
long, the other survived for at least two months from the time of their arrival."

Mr. Gould was partially successful in his attempt to carry living speci-
mens of the Ruby-throat (Trocliilus colubris} to England, his experience
being related as follows :

"A Trochilus colubris captured for me by some friends in Washington . . . im-
mediately afterwards partook of some saccharine food that was presented to it, and
in 2 hours it pumped the fluid out of a little bottle whenever I offered it; and in
this way it lived with me a constant companion for several days, traveling in a little
thin, gauzy bag distended by a slender piece of whale bone and suspended to a but-
ton of my coat. It was only necessary for me to take the little bottle from my pocket
to induce it to thrust its spiny bill through the gauze, protrude its lengthened tongue
down the neck of the bottle, and pump up the fluid until it was satiated; it would
then retire to the bottom of its little home, preen its wings and tail-feathers, and
seem quite content.

The specimens I brought alive to this country were as docile and fearless as a great
moth or any other insect would be under similar treatment. The little cage in which
they lived was 12 inches long by 7 inches wide and 8 inches high. In this was
placed a diminutive twig of a tree, and, suspended to the side, a glass vial which I
daily supplied with saccharine matter in the form of sugar or honey and water, with
the addition of the yolk of an unboiled egg. Upon this food they appeared to thrive
and be happy during the voyage along the seaboard of America and across the
Atlantic, until they arrived within the influence of the climate of Europe. Off the
western part of Ireland symptoms of drooping unmistakably exhibited themselves ;
but, although they never fully rallied, I, as before stated, succeeded in bringing one
of them alive to London, where it died on the second day after its arrival at my
house. The vessel in which I made the passage took a northerly course, which car-
ried us over the banks of Newfoundland, and, although the cold was rather severe
during part of the time, the only effect it appeared to have upon ray little pets was
to induce a kind of torpidity from which, however, they were readily aroused by
placing them in the sunshine or in some warm situation, such as before a fire, in the
bosom, etc. I do assure my readors that I have seen these birds cold and stiff, and
to all appearances dead, and from this state they were readily restored by a little
attention and removed into light and heat, when they would " perk up," flutter their
little wings, and feast away upon their usual food as if in the best state of health.

The experience of Mr. Gosse in his attempt to domesticate the beau-
tiful Long-tailed Humming Bird of Jamaica (Aithurus polytmus) was
equally discouraging.

Some [says he] were taken with the net, others with birdlime, but though trans-
ferred to a basket or to a cage immediately on capture, not a few were found dead on
arrival at home. This sudden death I could not at "all account for; they did not

278 REPORT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

boat themselves against tlio sides, though they frequently clung to them. From the
wild look of several that were alive when arrived, sitting on the bottom of the cage
looking upward, I suspect terror at their capture and novel position had no small
influence. Many of those which were found alive were in a dying state, and of those
which were turned out into the room several more died in the first 24 hours, gener-
ally because, not observing the lines which the domesticated ones used as perches,
they would fly against the perpendicular walls, where, after fluttering awhile sus-
pended, they would at length sink exhausted perpendicularly downwards, the wings
still vibrating, and alight on the object that intercepted their downward course. If
this was the floor they would presently rise on the wing, ouly^agaiu to flutter against
the wall as before ; but often it would happen that they would sink behind some of
the many boxes with which the shelves were lumbered, in which case, the space
being too narrow for the use of their wings, they soon died unobserved, and were
found dead only upon searching. This was the fate of many, so that out of the 25
only 7 were domesticated. These, however, became quite at home ; and I may here
observe that there was much difference in the tempers of individuals, some being
moody and sulky, others very timid, and others gentle and confiding from the first.
I have noticed this in other birds also.

Those which survived the longest, however, finally died, and the
cause of their death he conjectured to have been the want of insect
food, and that, notwithstanding their frequent sipping at the syrup
they were really starved to death. He was led to this conclusion by
having found, on dissecting those which died, that they were exces-
sively meagre in flesh, and that the stomach, which ordinarily is as
large as a pea, and distended with insects, was in these shrunken to a
minute collapsed membrane.

Notwithstanding their diminutive size, pugnacity is one of the most
conspicuous traits of Humming Birds. Particularly is this true of the
male during the breeding season, when not only are others of the same
species which imprudently approach the vicinity of his nest promptly
attacked and driven away, but other and much larger birds also ; even
King Birds and the boldest hawks beat a precipitate retreat before
the impetuous assaults of the tiny warrior, whose boldness is only
equalled by the lightning-like rapidity of his movements, thus baffling
auy attempt at resistance on the part of the more powerful adversary.
Intruders of the human species are not, under such circumstances,
always exempt from his vehement attacks, but oftener, perhaps, the
little champion is content with mere " skirmishing" demonstrations.

It is not only when defending their nest or young that Humming
Birds display this combative spirit, nor is it confined to the male-
alone ; for, when two or more individuals, of either sex, happen near
the same spot, spirited and often violent conflicts are almost certain to
ensue. Such a contest is very accurately and graphically described by
a writer in " Forest and Stream » * as follows :

I was walking along one of the streets of this village, and passed by a flower gar-
den where a large bed or bush of salvia grew against the front palings. The plant or
plants was filled with a great profusion of bright red flo \vers, some of which reached

* " Coaboma," in the issue of October 24, 1889. The species is the common Ruby-
throat, and the locality Cambridge, Mississippi.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 279

above the feuco. Hovering over these were two Humming Birds whose coats of me-
tallic sheen glistened in the sun like burnished gold and silver. The little creatures
darted hither and thither, inserting their long bills into the tube-like flowers with ab-
solute precision and lightning-like rapidity, but all the while engaged in a fierce com-
bat with each other. They constantly maintained a position facing one another, and
only 6 or 8 inches apart, suddenly rising a dozen feet into the air, where they would
have a little battle, and as suddenly dropping like two bullets on one string back to
the flowers, over and among which they would flit about like animated sun -beams.

Occasionally they would " hitch " and flutter all the way to the ground through the
leaves and branches, where they would lie and pummel each other like two school-
boys, one on top and the other beneath, the top fellow pausing to take breath and then
pummeling some more.

The under bird would appear to give up and look very dilapidated, with outstretched
wings and disordered feathers, but the moment the top fellow let go and rose up to
the top of the bush the bottom one would be there facing him again.

The most interesting feature of the performance was their utter obliviousness to my
presence. As I stood near the palings watching them, which I did for a quarter of an
hour, they would flutter around my head and about my face, occasionally striking me
with their fluttering wings on face and hands, and one of them lighted for a moment
on my thumb.

One now and again lighted on a picket within a foot of me and gave a quick side
glance toward me, which was the only notice I appeared to excite from them. At
last one of them retired, vanquished, and the other exultantly took possession of the
flowers.

More graphically perhaps than by any other writer is this combat-
ive spirit of the Humming Bird described by Mr. H. W. Henshaw, in
an interesting article on the birds of the Upper Pecos River, New
Mexico, in uThe Auk" for January, 1886 (pp. 76, 77), the species de-
scribed being the Rufous-backed Hummer (Selasphorus rufus) :

Males and females all flock to the common feeding ground, and as the Hummers,
especially of the Rufous-backed species, are pugnacious and hot tempered in the
extreme, the field becomes a constant battle ground whereon favorite flowers and
favorite perching grounds are contested for with all the ardor that attaches to more
important conquests. The fiery red throat of the Rufous-backed Hummer is an index
of impetuous, aggressive disposition, and when brought into conflict with the other
species it invariably asserts its supremacy and drives its rival in utter rout from the
field. Nor do the males of this species confine their warfare to their own sex. Gal-
lantry has no place apparently in their breasts, and when conquest has put them in
possession of a perch near a clump of flowers they wage war on all comers, females
as well as males.

Nor is the pugnacity of this Humming Bird limited to attacks on other species*
The presence of a male of its own kind is sufficient to arouse it to the highest pitch
of fury, and should the contestants be equally matched they will seize each other by
the bill and, using their wings as offensive weapons, fall to the ground, roll over and
over in fierce strife until exhausted, or until one is worsted, when he is off like^a
bullet for less dangerous hunting grounds followed by the exulting victor, who,
however, soon gives over pursuit and returns to the perch he has so well won to
preen his disordered plumage and make ready for a fresh contest.

When the attack is urged against the males of the Broad-tailed species the contest
is less fierce, the latter species usually abandoning the ground in hot haste. The
latter result always follows the assault of a male upon the females who, if less vaU
iaut in battle, are scarcely backward when it comes to the assertion of their rights
against intruders of their own sex. The rivalry the females display is not less
marked if the battles it prompts are less fierce than when the males are engaged;

280 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

occasionally the females will fight with all the ardor displayed by the males. The
mimic contests thus hinted at rather than described — for the fury and spirit dis-
played in their battles must be seen to be appreciated — are continued all day long,
and were the strength of the combatants at all proportionate to their fury the prob-
lem of Hummiug-Bird life would simply resolve itself down to a question of the sur-
vival of the strongest. But the tiny strength of these pigmies, though backed by
never so much warlike spirit, is scarcely sufficient to detach a feather from each
other's gleaming bodies, and even at the close of the season the male birds show
liltle wear and tear and are in prime condition as regards their plumage.

If they have occasion to fear each other — and sometimes I have thought they fight
merely for the pure fun of it— they fear nothing else. About our camp, where were
a few clumps of the Scrophularia, they were especially fearless, and provided one
remained reasonably quiet they would approach within 2 or 3 feet. When in such
proximity their sharp eyes were constantly on the watch, and a hostile movement
sent them away like streaks of flame. By gradual approach, however, I was able
on several occasions to strike one down with rny hat and secure it uninjured before
it recovered either presence of mind or strength to get on wing.

On another occasion, Mr. Hensbaw observed that " they manifested
an especial animosity against the Broad-tailed Hummer (Selaspliorm
platycereus), and, on the appearance of one would instantly dart forth
with shrill, angry notes, and attack and drive away the intruder, while
the female, sitting on some neighboring tree, would watch the oft-
repeated contest with evident interest and solicitude."

Dr. Edgar A. Mearns once saw a Euby-throat ( Trochilus colubris)
attack a pair of Downy Woodpeckers upon the tree which it had
chosen for its nest, and drive them off, while he also saw one dart furi-
ously at a small red toy balloon which a boy was flying in a field.

That their contests with one another are not always of a sportive
character, as suggested by Mr. Henshaw, is shown by Mr. Gosse's
observations on the Jamaican species, which are recorded as follows:

The pugnacity of the Humming Bird has been often spoken of; two of one species
can rarelysuck flowers from the same bush without a rencontre. I once witnessed a
combat between two, which was prosecuted with much pertinacity and protracted to
an unusual length. In the garden were two trees of the kind called Malay Apple
(Eugenia malaccensis), one of which was but a yard or two from my window. The
genial influence of the spring rains had covered them with a profusion of beautiful
blossoms, each consisting of a multitude of crimson stamens, with very minute
petals, like bunches of crimson tassels; but the leaf buds were only beginning to
open. A Humming Bird had every day and all day long been paying his devoirs to
these charming blossoms. On the morning to which I allude, another came, and
the maneuvers of these two tiny creatures became very interesting. They chased
each other through the labyrinths of twigs and flowers, till, an opportunity occur-
ring, the one would dart with seeming fury upon the other, and then, with a loud
rifstling of their wings, they would twirl together round and round, till they nearly
canae to the earth. It was some time before I could see, with any distinctness, what
took place in these tussles; their twirlings were so rapid as to baffle all attempts at
discrimination. At length an encounter took place pretty close to me, and I per-
ceived that the beak of the one grasped the beak of the other, and thus fastened both
whirled round and round in their perpendicular descent, the point of contact being
the center of the gyrations, till, when another second would have brought them both
on the ground, they separated, and the one chased the other for about 100 yards, and
then returned in triumph to the tree, where, perched ou a lofty twig, he cbirped
monotonously and pertinaciously for some time— I could not help thinking, in

THE IirMMING BIRDS. 281

defiance. In a few minutes, however, the banished one returned and began chirping
no less provokiugly, which soon brought on another chase and another tussle. I am
persuaded that these were hostile encounters, for one seemed evidently afraid of the
other, lleeing when the other pursued, though his indomitable spirit would prompt
the chirp of defiance; and when resting after a battle, I noticed that this one held
his beak open as if panting. Sometimes they would suspend hostilities to suck a
few blossoms ; but mutual proximity was sure to bring them on again, with the
same result. In their tortuous and rapid evolutions, the light from their ruby necks
would occasionally flash in the sun with gem-like radiance, and as they now
and then hovered motionless, the broadly-expanded tail, the outer feathers of
which are crimson-purple, but when intercepting the sun's rays transmit orange-
colored light, added much to their beauty. A little Banana Quit (Certhiola flaveola),
that was peeping among the blossoms in his own quiet way, seemed now and then to
look with surprise on the combatants; but when the one had driven his rival to a
longer distance than usual, the victor set upon the unoffending Quit, who soon
yielded the point, and retired humbly enough to a neighboring tree. The war (for
it was a thorough campaign, a regular succession of battles) lasted fully an hour,
and then I was called away from the post of observation.

While invincible against other birds of whatsoever kind, Humming
Birds are, according to Mr. Gould, sometimes chased by the larger
kinds of bumblebees, of which they seldom take the least notice, as
their superiority of flight is sufficient to enable them to leave those
slow-moving insects far behind in the short space of a minute.

INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Gould refers to the high order of intelligence " so nearly ap-
proaching to that of reason" possessed by Humming Birds, and others
add their testimony to that presented by him. This great intelligence
is most obvious in connection with their nesting, when some kinds, in
certain exigencies, seem really to possess a distinct knowledge of the
laws of equilibrium and gravitation, as the following will show:

Some of the Humming Birds [says 'Mr. Gould] are said to suspend their great
nests by the middle from the fine hanging roots of a tree, or a tendril; and should
the nest, which is of a curved form and built of any coarse materials at hand, prove
to be heavier on one side than the other, the higher side is weighted with a small
stone or square piece of earth until an equilibrium is established and the eggs pre-
vented from rolling out. If such powers, so nearly approaching to that of reason,
should be doubted by some of my readers, I can assure them one or more of these
loaded nests are contained in the Loddigesian Collection, and one is at this moment
before me, an examination of which will satisfy the most skeptical of the truth of
this statement. Occasionally the old nests are repaired or [new ones are] built over
the old one, two, three, or more years in succession.

The Humming Birds which thus display so much intelligence belong
to the genus Oreotrochilus, the species of which inhabit the higher
regions of the Andes immediately below the line of perpetual snow.
One of them, the Pichincha Humming Bird (Oreotrochilus pichincha),
builds a nest similar to that described above, but usually secures the
equilibrium of the nest by simply adding to the ordinary materials on
one side, thus by increasing the bulk on that side also adding to the
weight. *

*A nest of this species is shown on plate VI, Fig. 2

282 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

A nest of Doricha enicura fouud by Mr. Salviu iii Guatemala further
illustrates the remarkable reasoning faculties of Humming Birds. It
" was most curiously placed in the cup-shaped top of a fruit of the
Nopal (Cactus cochinellifera}, the fastenings being dexterously wound
round the clustering prickles and thus retaining the whole structure
firmly in its place." It was remarkably shallow, so much so, in fact,
that had it not contained two eggs Mr. Salvin " would have pronounced
it far from complete;" and he adds that "it may be that, being based on
a firm foundation (one not nearly so liable to oscillation by the wind),
the bird had fouud that a greater depth was not necessary to keep the
eggs from falling out. Had she placed her nest on a slender twig, as
usual, the case might have been different." (The Ibis, vol. n, p. 264.)

An extraordinary and most convincing exhibition of a Humming
Bird's intelligence once came under the personal observation of the
writer. A nest of the Broad- tailed Humming Bird (Selasphorus platy-
cercus) had been built upon a dead twig of an aspen bush, some 3
feet from the ground ; the dry atmosphere had caused the bark of the
twig to crack, making a transverse fissure on each side of the nest, the
wood at the same time shrinking so that the cylinder-like section of
bark inclosed it loosely. After the eggs were laid something had
caused the section of bark to turn, so that the nest hung inverted on
the under side of the branch, of course spilling out the eggs. When
found by the writer the nest was in this position, with the fragments
of the eggs lying on the ground beneath it; but immediately above the
original nest was a new one, very much smaller than the first, contain-
ing two fresh eggs. Evidently the owners knew that by building a
much smaller nest above the old one (which was rather a bulky one for
the species) the greater weight of the latter would keep the former in
position and thus prevent a recurrence of the accident.

Mr. C. H. Holden was " struck with the wisdom'11 of this same species
in the matter of nest-building, a nest which he found in the Black Hills
of Wyoming having been built upon one of the lower branches of a tree
that had fallen across a brook, in such a way that the trunk of the tree
effectually shielded it from the rain and sun.

Other Humming Birds, again, build their nests of materials corre-
sponding exactly in color with the branches to which they are attached,
this being frequently the case with the Calliope Humming Bird (Stel-
lula calliope) of the western United States, which often builds its nest
upon a dead pine branch, upon or near a cone of similar size and color,
as shown on plates n and in, while some of the tropical species, of the
genus Phaethornis, attach theirs to the tip of a long pendant leaf of a
palm, as shown on plates iv and v.

NESTS AND EGGS.

Humming Birds' nests are among the most beautiful examples of bird
architecture. They are usually compactly felted structures, of various
forms, the cup-shaped or turban-shaped, however, prevailing, the uia-

Report of National Museum, 1890. Ridgway.

PLATE I.

FOUR NESTS OF CALLIOPE HUMMING BIRD (Stellula calliope) on one branch, probably built during succes-
sive seasons. (Cat. No. 18915, U. S. N. M. Baird, California. Collected by Charles H.Townsend.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE

NEST OF CALLIOPE HUMMING BIRD (Stellula calliope) on dead pine branch with cones. (Cat No 21758
U.S.N.M. Fort Klamath, Oregon. Collected and presented by Capt. Charles E. Bendire, U. S. A.) '

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE III.

NEST OP CALLIOPE HUMMING BIRD (Stellula calliope) on dead branch of pine, canopied by and mimic-
ing cone. (Cat. No. 21759, U. S. N. M. Fort Klamath, Oregon. Collected and presented by Captain
Charles E. Bendire, U. S. A.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 283

terials of which they are composed consisting chiefly of plant down,
interwoven and strengthened by spiders' webs, and often ornamented
by an external mosaic of small lichens, small soft feathers being more
rarely employed. Their method of attachment to their support varies
greatly according to the species. Ordinarily the nest is saddled upon
a horizontal or slanting twig, to which it is very firmly bound by the
spiders7 webs of which it is largely composed. The Hermit Humming
Birds (genus Phaeihornis), however, fasten their elongated nests to one
side of the extremity of long pointed leaves, for protection, it is sup-
posed, against monkeys and other predaceous animals. Others, accord-
ing to Mr. Gould, are hammock-shaped, and are most ingeniously at-
tached to the face of cliffs or rocks by means of spiders7 webs. Those
made by the u Hill-stars " (genus Oreotrochilus), of the snowy regions
of the Andes, are described by Mr. Gould as being u very large, and
composed of wool, llama hair, moss, and feathers; at the top of this
great mass, of nearly the size of a man's head, is a little cup-shaped
depression in which the eggs are deposited." A nest of the Pichincha
Hill-star (0. pichincha) was found by Professor Jameson at a farm-house
on the snowy mountain of Antisaua, in Ecuador, at an altitude of 13,500
feet. It was attached to a straw rope suspended from the roof, in one
of the lower apartments to the house, the entrance to which was un-
provided with a door. (See pi. vi, fig. 2.) In the series of illustra-
tions comprising plates n-xiv we have selected examples of the ex-
treme variations of form and other characters in Humming Bird
nest architecture, and to these the reader is referred for further informa-
tion.

The high degree of intelligence displayed by Humming Birds in con-
cealing their nests by making them of such form or material as will
serve to imitate natural excrescences of 'a branch, such as a knot or a
pine cone, andjn repairing accidents, has been referred to on the preced-
ing page. Sometimes the location of a nest pleases the owners so well
that they are unwilling to abandon the site, a new nest being added to
the one of the preceding year for several consecutive seasons. A beau-
tiful example of this is shown on plate I. The specimen from which
the illustration is taken is a nest of the Calliope Humming Bird (Stellula
calliope) in the National Museum collection, collected by Mr. Charles
H. Townsend on the St. Cloud Kiver, northern California, June 9, 1883,
and shows distinctly four nests thus united. The writer once found a
double nest of the Broad-tailed Humming Bird (Selasphorus platycercus),
the older one having, by the loosening and cracking of the bark to which
it was fastened, fallen around on the under side of the twig, the new
one being built immediately above it (see page 282). A double nest of
the Ruby- throat (Trochilus colubris) is described by Mr. Edwin H.
Eames in " The Hub " for July, 1890 (pp. 286, 287), as follows :

On June 5, 1888, I secured a nest, containing one young bird and an egg on the
point of hatching, of the Ruby-throated Humming Bird. The nest is a very peculiar
one, being constructed upon one of the preceding year, and in a very conspicuous sit-

284 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

uatiou upon a brauch of a sycamore, which inclined at an angle of 45 degrees. It was
about 12 feet from the ground, on the lowest branch (a dead one), w7ith no foliage
whatever to afford concealment, and could be readily seen from a distance of 60 to 75
feet in any direction.

The old nest is much the worse for wear, having passed through at least one winter ;
the new one was built partly on one edge of this and partly on the adjoining branch,
leaving fully one-half of the distorted cavity at the base exposed. The entire ex-
ternal surface of bofeh is covered in the usual way with lichens, although not in any
way resembling the smooth, mottled surfaces adjoining. It would seem that the
scenes of bygone associations have some permanent attractions, even though com-
paratively barren to our eyes.

While, as a rule, bat little attempt is made at concealment by hiding it
behind foliage in the usual manner of most birds, so much does the nest
of the average Humming Bird resemble some natural excrescence or bit
of rubbish that it might easily pass undetected. In fact, most Humming
Birds' nests which are discovered are found by accident or by carefully
watching the movements of the birds when they are suspected to have
anestin the vicinity; and all that the writer has found, with perhaps two
or three exceptions, were discovered by accidentally brushing against
the bush or brauch on which it was located, causing the parent to hastily
fly out and thus betraying its proximity.

The eggs of Humming Birds are universally only two in number
and immaculate white in color, though, according to Mr. Gould, there
is " one supposed exception, namely, that of a species inhabiting the
upper Amazon, which, according to Mr. Edwards, lays a spotted egg."
But there can be little doubt that this supposed exception does not in
reality exist, the egg of some small Passerine bird having been wrongly
identified as that of a. Humming Bird.

The eggs of Humming Birds are large in comparison to the bird which
lays them ; in form .they are usually oblong, or nearly alike at both
ends, though sometimes one eud is a little smaller than the other ; the
color, even when freshly laid, is a nearly dead pure white, the compar-
ative thickness of the shell preventing that pinkish glow so frequently
seen in eggs of small Passerine birds.

According to Mr. Gould two broods are produced in a season, the
period of incubation occupying 12 to 14, or according to Captain Lyon,
18 days.

VOICE.

The voice of Humming Birds, as a rule, is of a twittering character,
not conspicuous for loudness or any other quality, and may be compared
with the vocal utterances of the Swifts better perhaps than those of any
other group of birds. The notes are of course varied to a degree, accord-
ing to the mood of the bird which utters them, auger, pleasure, and
alarm each calling forth its peculiar expression. Some species are said
to possess a song, but it is doubtful if any approach more nearly to a
song than a sort of warbling twitter, which the males of many kinds
produce during the pairing season. Mr. Gosse says that the Vervain

Report of National Museum, 1890 Ridgway

I

PLATE IV.

NESTS OF GRAY-THROATED HERMIT (Phaethornis griseigularis).

(After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE V.

NEST OF PYGMY HERMIT (Phaethomis pygmceus). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE VI.

Fig. l. NEST OF FRILLED COQUETTE (Lophornis magnificus). (After Gould.)

Fig. 2. NEST OP PICHINCHIAN HILL-STAR (Oreotrochilvs piriiincha). (From Proc. Zool. Soc. London
1860, p. 80. Half natural size.)

Report of National Museum, 1890 Ridgway.

PLATE VII,

j?

NEST OP ALLIED EMERALD (Agyrtria affinis). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE VIII.

NEST OF BRAZILIAN EMERALD (Chlorostilbon prasinus). (After Gould.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE IX.

NEST OF RED-THROATED SAPPHIRE (Hylocharis sapphirina). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890 Ridgway.

PLATE X.

NEST OF BRAZILIAN WOOD NYMPH (Thalurania glaucopis). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XI.

NEST OF SHORT-BILLED EMERALD (Agyrtria brevirostris). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XII.

NEST OP THE SPARKLING-TAIL (Tilmatura duponti). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890. Ridgway.

PLATE XIII.

NEST OF FIERY TOPAZ (Topaza pyra). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XIV.

NEST OP DE LALAND'S PLOVER-CREST (Cepliallepis delalandi). (After Gould.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 285

Humming Bird (Mellisuga minima) of Jamaica is the only one kuowu
to him which has a real song. Soon after sunrise, says he, in the spring
months, it is fond of sitting on the topmost branch of a mango or orange
tree, where it warbles in a very weak but very sweet tone a continuous
melody for 10 minutes at a time, but the so-called song has little
variety. A Mexican Humming Bird (the Wedge-tailed Sabre-wing,
Splienoproctus curvipennis), according to Mr. K. Moutes d'Oca, is called'
by the people of Coan tepee, near Jalapa, Chupamirto fandanguero,
which means "Fandango Myrtle-sucker," on account of its somewhat
musical voice. It is the only Humming Bird of his acquaintance whose
notes are sufficiently distinctive to recognize it by in the woods, and
though monotonous they are very pleasing.

Speaking of the notes of several of the Humming Birds of Arizona,
Mr. F. Stephens * says that of Calypte costce, the female, while feeding,
keeps up a pretty constant vocal noise which somewhat resembles the
buzz of the wings, and that the feeding note of tlie male is finer and
not so frequent. Of TrocMlus alexandri he says that its notes, both of
the male and the female, are similar to those of G. costce.

I have heard the song of each [says he], but it was some time since, and, as Ire-
member it, there was little difference between the two species. I think that the
males are the only ones who sing. The song is sweet and very low, but if it is perfectly
quiet around it can be distinctly heard for a distance of 10 yards. As might be expected
from the size of the bird, it is on a very high key, something like the sound produced
by whistling between the teeth, very low yefc at a high pitch. It might be called a
warble, and I have heard it kept up for several minutes at a titne. At such times I
have never been able to find a female in the vicinity, and have come to the conclusion
that it was snng for the individual's own amusement.

There is still another Hummer note — that of the chase. They are very fond of
chasing one another, sometimes for sport, often for spite. This note also resembles
the feeding note, but is louder and possesses a chippering character, sometimes almost
like the sound produced by lightly and rapidly smacking the lips together. I can
detect but little difference between the sexes and it appears much the same whether
the chase is in sport or in anger. Furthermore, it is often made by the pursued as well
as the pursuer. At such times I am always reminded of a lot of schoolboys playing
tag.

If a Hummer is perched and a person passes near they start off, uttering a note
similar to that made while feeding, but, should it be a female which you have fright-
ened from her nest, she will go off silently.

FOOD.

In feeding from flower to flower Humming Birds, besides obtaining
nourishment for themselves, perform in the economy of nature the
same office as insects, by transferring pollen from one bloom to another,
and thus assisting in their fertilization.

Humming Birds that peer like bees
In stamen and in pistil. — MACKAY.

* Bulletin of the Ridgway Ornithological Club of Chicago, No. 2, April, 1887, pp.
42-45.

288 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

completely numbed it, so that it was again taken to the house a mere bunch of
rumpled feathers— no life then being apparent. A sligbt warming quite unexpect-
edly revived it, and it was but a short time before it opened its eyes and flew to a
nail, and then immediately began to rearrange its plumage. As flowers and sweet-
ened water were offered to this captive before it was taken to the arbor, without its
once noticing them, Miss Brubaker was rather at a loss to know how to feed it ; but
at last she conceived of placing some sugar and water in a conspicuous gladiolus
blossom, which the Humming Bird soon discovered and visited, drinking greedily the
honey that was in the blossom. After this it became quite lively, flying from its nail
to some dried flowers and grasses in another room, where it had rested during the
two days it had remained in the house without food or water.

With the aid of a petunia blossom as a decoy, this little bird was soon taught to
drink from a small phial, holding about two teaspoonfuls of sugar and water (about
one-third sugar), that was suspended by a string to the window casing. It was but
a day or so before it seemed perfectly contented, not showing the least fear, but seem-
ingly growing stronger as well as larger in its" new home.

Miss Brubaker thinks the bird was not an old one, as its tail feathers grew consid-
erably after she had it. She says that at first they kept a variety of cut flowers in
the room with it, but it barely alighted upon them, flying at once to the bottle which
it had learned to appreciate. Somewhat after the manner of obtaining nectar from
a flowsr, it would sip a moment at the bottle and then dart away ; but it was not
long in finding that the supply of sweetened water was inexhaustible, and that there
was no necessity of hastening its meal. At times it would drink so much that its
wings were unable to sustain the weight of the body, and a fall to the floor was the
result of its excessive fondness for this artificial nectar. When left to itself and no
check put upon its drinking, it would consume at least half the contents of the phial
daily — at least one-half as much as its own bulk.

"We are certain," she writes, " that for at least a month the bird had access to no
flowers whatever, thus making it certain that the sweetened water furnished it its
sole nourishment, and during this captivity it did not show the first signs of dimin-
ishing strength."

At the approach of cold weather it was placed in a cage, in which its little history
was brought to a close by its accidentally entangling one of its claws in a loose wire
which secured a small perch into the cage, and thus suspended with its head down-
ward it was found by Miss Brubaker the next morning — another "bunch " of rumpled
feathers.

The following very interesting description of the manner of feeding
of the Long-tailed Humming Bird (Aithurus polytmm) is to be found in
that delightful little book, Gosse's Birds of Jamaica :

Perceiving that he [the captive] had exhausted the flowers, I prepared a tube,
made of the barrel of a goose-quill, which I inserted into the cork of a bottle to
secure its steadiness and upright position, and filled with juice of sugar-cane. I
then took a large Ipomcea, and, having cut off the bottom, I slipped the flower over
the tube, so that the quill took the place of the nectary of the flower. The bird
flew to it in a moment, clung to the bottle rim, and bringing his beak perpendicular,
thrust it into the tube. It was at once evident that the repast was agreeable, for he
continued pumping for several seconds, and, on his flying off, I found the quill emp-
tied. As he had torn off the flower in his eagerness for more and even followed the
fragments of the corolla as they lay on the table to search them, I refilled the quill
and put a blossom of the Marvel of Peru into it, so that the flower expanded over
the top. The little toper found it again, and, after drinking freely, withdrew his
beak, but the blossom was adhering to it as a sheath. This iucumbrauce he prcs-
ently got rid of, and then (which was most interesting to me) he returned imme-
diately and, inserting his beak into the bare quill, finished the contents. It was

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 289

amusing to see the odd position of his bead and boxly as he clung to the bottle with
his beak inserted perpendicularly into the cork. Several times in the course of the
eveniug he had recourse to his new fountain, which was as often replenished for him,
and at length, about sunset, betook himself to a line stretched across the room for
repose.

In view of the somewhat conflicting evidence as to whether insects
or nectar constitute their principal food, it may be well to examine the
structure of the tongue of Humming Birds, and by doing so determine,
if possible, which side of the controversy is most favored thereby.
No one has described the tongue of a Humming Bird so tersely as Mr.
Gosse, whose description of the tongue of Aithurus polytmus, herewith
given, was taken from freshly killed specimens :

The tongue of this species (and doubtless others have a similar conformation) pre-
sents, when recent, the appearance of two tubes laid side by side, united for half
their length, but separate for the remainder. Their substance is transparent in the
same degree as a good quill, which they much resemble. Each tube is formed by a
lamina rolled up, yet not so as to bring the edges into actual contact, for there is a
longitudinal fissure on the outer side, running up considerably higher than the junc-
tion of the tubes; into this fissure the point of a pin may be inserted and moved up
and down the length. Near the top the outer edge of each lamina ceases to be con-
voluted, but is spread out, and split at the margin into irregular fimbriic which point
backward, somewhat like the vane of a feather. These are not barbs, however, but
simply soft and flexible points, such as might be produced by snipping diagonally the
edge of a strip of paper. I conjecture that the nectar of flowers is pumped up the
tubes, and that minute insects are caught, when in flowers, in these spoon-like tips,
their minute limbs being perhaps entangled in the firnbriae, when the tongue is
retracted into the beak, and the insects swallowed by the ordinary process, as doubt-
less those are which are captured with the beak in flight. I do not thoroughly
understand the mode by which liquids are taken up by a Humming Bird's tongue,
though I have carefully watched the process. If syrup be presented to one in a
quill, the tongue is protruded for about half an inch into the liquor, the beak resting
in the pen, as it is held horizontal ; there is a slight but rapid and constant projection
and retraction of the tubes, and the liquor disappears very fast, perhaps by capillary
attraction, perhaps by a sort of pumping, certainly not by licking. *

CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS,

Art thou a bird, a bee, or butterfly ?
"Each and all three— a bird in shape am I,
A bee collecting sweets from bloom to bloom,
A butterfly in brilliancy of plume."

— MONTGOMERY.

Humming Birds may be distinguished from all other birds by the
structure of the wing alone, which is entirely peculiar in the excessive
development of the primary and abbreviation of the secondary quills,
the latter only six in number and not extending beyond the tip of the
shortest (innermost) primary, and shorter than the longest primary
coverts. The primaries are always ten in number, of which the first is
longest, or at least equal to the longest, except in a single uiouotypic
genus (Aithurus), and constitute much the greater part of the wing.
The bill and tongue are also peculiar in their structure. The former is

* See, however, what Mr. W. H. Ballou says, on p. 287.
H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 19

288 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

completely numbed it, so that it was again taken to the house a mere bunch of
rumpled feathers — no life then being apparent. A slight warming quite unexpect-
edly revived it, and it was but a short time before it opened its eyes and flew to a
nail, and then immediately began to rearrange its plumage. As flowers and sweet-
ened water were offered to this captive before it was taken to the arbor, without its
once noticing them, Miss Brubaker was rather at a loss to know how to feed it ; but
at last she conceived of placing some sugar and water in a conspicuous gladiolus
blossom, which the Humming Bird soon discovered and visited, drinking greedily the
honey that was in the blossom. After this it became quite lively, flying from its nail
to some dried flowers and grasses in another room, where it had rested during the
two days it had remained in the house without food or water.

With the aid of a petunia blossom as a decoy, this little bird was soon taught to
drink from a small phial, holding about two teaspoonfuls of sugar and water (about
one-third sugar), that was suspended by a string to the window casing. It was but
a day or so before it seemed perfectly contented, not showing the least fear, but seem-
ingly growing stronger as well as larger in its" new home.

Miss Brubaker thinks the bird was not an old one, as its tail feathers grew consid-
erably after she had it. She says that at first they kept a variety of cut flowers in
the room with it, but it barely alighted upon them, flying at once to the bottle which
it had learned to appreciate. Somewhat after the manner of obtaining nectar from
a flower, it would sip a moment at the bottle and then dart away ; but it was not
long in finding that the supply of sweetened water was inexhaustible, and that there
was no necessity of hastening its meal. At times it would drink so mnch that its
wings were unable to sustain the weight of the body, and a fall to the floor was the
result of its excessive fondness for this artificial nectar. When left to itself and no
check put upon its drinking, it would consume at least half the contents of the phial
daily — at least one-half as much as its own bulk.

" We are certain," she writes, " that for at least a month the bird had access to no
flowers whatever, thus making it certain that the sweetened water furnished it its
sole nourishment, and during this captivity it did not show the first signs of dimin-
ishing strength."

At the approach of cold weather it was placed in a cage, in which its little history
was brought to a close by its accidentally entangling one of its claws in a loose wire
which secured a small perch into the cage, and thus suspended with its head down-
ward it was found by Miss Brubaker the next morning — another "bunch " of rumpled
feathers.

The following very interesting description of the manner of feeding
of the Long-tailed Humming Bird ( Aithurus polytmus] is to be found in
that delightful little book, Gosse's Birds of Jamaica :

Perceiving that he [the captive] had exhausted the flowers, I prepared a tube,
made of the barrel of a goose-quill, which I inserted into the cork of a bottle to
secure its steadiness and upright position, and filled with juice of sugar-cane. I
then took a large Ipomcea, and, having cut off the bottom, I slipped the flower over
the tube, so that the quill took the place of the nectary of the flower. The bird
flew to it in a moment, clung to the bottle rim, and bringing his beak perpendicular,
thrust it into the tube. It was at once evident that the repast was agreeable, for he
continued pumping for several seconds, and, on his flying off, I found the quill emp-
tied. As he had torn off the flower in his eagerness for more and even followed the
fragments of the corolla as they lay on the table to search them, I refilled the quill
and put a blossom of the Marvel of Peru into it, so that the flower expanded over
the top. The little toper found it again, and, after drinking freely, withdrew his
beak, but the blossom was adhering to it as a sheath. This iucuuibrance he pres-
ently got rid of, and then (which was most interesting to me) he returned imme-
diately and, inserting his beak into the bare quill, finished the contents. It was

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 289

amusing to see the odd position of his Lead and body as he clung to the bottle with
his beak inserted perpendicularly into the cork. Several times in the coursa of the
evening he had recourse to his new fountain, which was as often replenished for him,
and at length, about sunset, betook himself to a line stretched across the room for
repose.

In view of the somewhat conflicting evidence as to whether insects
or nectar constitute their principal food, it may be well to examine the
structure of the tongue of Humming Birds, and by doing so determine,
if possible, which side of the controversy is most favored thereby.
No one has described the tongue of a Humming Bird so tersely as Mr.
Gosse, whose description of the tongue of Aithurus polytmus, herewith
given, was taken from freshly killed specimens :

The tongue of this species (and doubtless others have a similar conformation) pre-
sents, when recent, the appearance of two tubes laid side by side, united for half
their length, but separate for the remainder. Their substance is transparent in the
same degree as a good quill, which they much resemble. Each tube is formed by a
lamina rolled up, yet not so as to bring the edges into actual contact, for there is a
longitudinal fissure on the outer side, running up considerably higher than the junc-
tion of the tubes ; into this fissure the point of a pin may be inserted and moved up
and down the length. Near the top the outer edge of each lamina ceases to be con-
voluted, but is spread out, and split at the margin into irregular fimbrijje which point
backward, somewhat like the vane of a feather. These are not barbs, however, but
simply soft and flexible points, such as might be produced by snipping diagonally the
edge of a strip of paper. I conjecture that the nectar of flowers is pumped up the
tubes, and that minute insects are caught, when in flowers, in these spoon-like tips,
their minute limbs being perhaps entangled in the fimbrias, when the tongue is
retracted into the beak, and the insects swallowed by the ordinary process, as doubt-
less those are which are captured with the beak in flight. I do not thoroughly
understand the mode by which liquids are taken up by a Humming Bird's tongue,
though I have carefully watched the process. If syrup be presented to one in a
quill, the tongue is protruded for about half an inch into the liquor, the beak resting
in the pen, as it is held horizontal ; there is a slight but rapid and constant projection
and retraction of the tubes, and the liquor disappears very fast, perhaps by capillary
attraction, perhaps by a sort of pumping, certainly not by licking. *

CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS.

Art thou a bird, a bee, or butterfly ?
"Each and all three — a bird in shape am I,
A bee collecting sweets from bloom to bloom,
A butterfly in brilliancy of plume."

— MONTGOMERY.

Humming Birds may be distinguished from all other birds by the
structure of the wing alone, which is entirely peculiar in the excessive
development of the primary and abbreviation of the secondary quills,
the latter only six in number and not extending beyond the tip of the
shortest (innermost) primary, and shorter than the longest primary
coverts. The primaries are always ten in number, of which the first is
longest, or at least equal to the longest, except in a single uiouotypic
genus (Aithurus), and constitute much the greater part of the wing.
The bill and tongue are also peculiar in their structure. The former is

* See, however, what Mr. W. H. Ballou says, on p. 287.
H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 19

290 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

always slender, and when closed forms a tube by the iuclosure of the
under inaudible between the flexible edges of the upper, the tip of both
being acuminate. The tongue is slender and very extensile, like that of
the woodpeckers, the two branches of the hyoid curving, when the
tongue is drawn within the bill, upward around the back of the skull and
then forward over the top of the head. Instead, however, of its beiog,
as in the Woodpeckers, solid and tipped with a barbed horny point, it
is hollow and divided at the tip into two slender brancMs, each of
which is fringed on the outer margin by a thin membrar

In all other characters, the Humming Birds posses.1 nothing abso-
lutely peculiar, although certain features, shared by other groups of
birds, notably the Swifts (Micropodidce), are developed to an extreme
degree ; as, for example, the very high keel to the sternum and conse-
quent excessive development of the pectoral muscles, the short arm-
wing (humerus) and extremely long hand-wing (manus), and minute
feet with relatively large, strongly curved, and sharp claws. The Hum-
ming Birds and Swifts further agree in numerous anatomical charac-
ters, and there can be no doubt that they are more closely related to
each other than are either to any other group of birds. In fact, except
in the shape of the bill and structure of the bones of the face, the Hum-
ming Birds and Swifts present no definite differences of osteological
structure.

As being probably more familiar with the anatomy of Humming Birds
than any other person, having made the subject one of special and
painstaking investigation, Mr. Frederic A. Lucas, of the National
Museum, has, at my request, prepared for this work a brief summary of
the osteological and some other anatomical characters of the Trocli-
ilidce, which I take great pleasure in presenting herewith :

Pterylosis. — The manner in which the feathers of a bird are arranged is termed its
plerylosis; and this varies in the different groups of birds, none, save the Penguins,
having the body completely and evenly covered with feathers, the plumage ordinarily
being distributed in well-defined patches, known as feather-tracts or pterylce, inter-
spersed with bare spots called apteria.

Comparatively little is known of the pterylosis of Humming Birds, only a few out
of the several hundred species having been thus described, but that of Florisuga
mellivora, shown in the accompanying figures, does not differ materially from what has
been found in other species. Like other characters, the pterylosis of Humming
Birds seems to a great extent to be peculiar to the group, although both Humming
Birds and Swifts agree in having the long, narrow, bare tracts down the back, and
under the throat, as well as a similar disposition of the feathers on the under side of
the body. Some of the Swifts, too, possess the bare space on the back of the neck,
and, while this is usually quite short, yet in the species that makes the edible nests
(Collocaliafuciphaga), and which has a very long neck, the nape tract is also long.

There is, however, one curious feature common to both these groups of birds, this
being the existence of a small, naked patch near the tip of the wing, above and be-
low, colored black. This is not known to occur at all among Passeres, and has not as
yet been found in auy of our small North American species of Humming Birds, al-
though very conspicuous in many large southern forms, such as Campy lopterus.

The pterylosis of all birds is more or less adaptive, having some direct relation to
their habits, and this adaptation is well seen in Humming Birds. The bare tracts on

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XV.

THE HUMMING BIRDS.

291

the nape and along the throat allow the neck to readily lie against the middle of the
back, or to bend downward over the point of the breastbone, while the bare spaces
under the wing and along the sides of the body permit thd wings to be easily closed
and applied to the body, the side spaces conforming almost exactly to the curve of the
edge of the folded wing. The large bare space on the under side, found in nearly all

FIG. 1. — The above illustration shows the dorsal and ventral aspects of the pteryloais of a Humming
Bird (Florisuga mellivora). A small triangular space on the crown of the head is not seen. (Natural
size.)

birds save water-fowl, is mainly to allow the warmth of the body to be directly ap-
plied to the eggs during incoibatiou, and in birds like ducks and penguins, which are
densely or completely feathered beneath, a bare spot is present during the breeding
season.

Skeleton. — The most obvious features in the skeleton of a Humming Bird are the
width of the front portion of the skull, long neck, short wing, and, above all, dispro-
portionately large breastbone.

The arrangement of the bones of the palate is of the kind termed schizognathous,*
and, while the skull iii general shows but little to indicate relationship with other
groups of birds, the base of the cranium is very Swiftlike and the palate and frontal
region have some slight leanings toward the Woodpeckers.

The length of the neck may be best appreciated by saying that in Hamming Birds
the neck forms four-sevenths of the vertebral column, while among Swallows it forms
but three-sevenths, the number of vertebra being the same— fourteen— in each case.

Following the neck vertebne are three free dorsal vertebrte and these are succeeded
by a " sacrum" of twelve fused vertebrae, the vertebral column being terminated by
six caudals.

There are eight pairs of ribs, this being an unusually large number among birds,
and especially among land birds, where the ordinary number is six pairs. The first
three pairs of ribs join the three free dorsals, the succeeding four pairs are attached

*The description here given of the skeleton is based on Trochilus colubris, and while
this species agrees in all save very minute points with other species examined, it is
to be expected that when more is known of the osteology of the Trochiljjd^ skeletal
differences will be found to exist in the group.

292 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

to the first four vertebrae of the '" sacral" series, while the eighth and last pair is
entirely free at the upper end. The last ribs almost meet the long, slender, down-
curved pubic portion of the pelvis, securely hooping in the viscera and giving an un-
usual air of strength to the skeleton.

The bones supporting the tail are provided with long recurved processes to furnish
ample attachment for the well-developed caudal muscles, for the tail forms an im-
portant adjunct to the wings when the Humming Bird hangs poised in the air, extract,
ing the honey from some flower.

The shortness of the wing is due to the shortened humerus, radius, and ulna, the
remainder of the wing bones being rather long.

The coracoid, the bone to'which the wing is hinged, Las a very peculiar form among
Humming Birds. In the large majority of birds, the tendon running from the muscles
that raise the wing plays in a notch in the upper end of the coracoid, but in the
Humming Bird this notch is bridged over and the tendon plays secuiely through the
perforation thus formed.

FIG. 2. — The above figure of the shoulder-girdle and attached portion of the skeleton of a Humming
Bird (Selasphorus platycercus) , seen from below, shows the coracoid with its perforations, and the ex-
tremely long bones of the hand, the figure being twice the natural size.

The legs seem small, but in reality are proportionately larger than in many other
birds, the sharp, curved claws in particular being decidedly well developed.

Skeletal affinities. — In the number of ribs the Humming Birds are approached, but
not equaled, by some Swifts, both groups agreeing in the incomplete character of the
last pair when more than six pairs are present in any Swift.

The wing of the Humming Bird is largely unique in character and in minor points
is intermediate between the Swifts and Passeres.

The manner in which the coracoid joins the sternum — by a shallow cup-and-ball
joint— is peculiar to Swifts and Hummers.

In the character of the sternum and the manner in which the ribs are attached to
its sides the two groups are nearly alike, while the posterior limbs of both agree in
many particulars.

Generalizations.— Skeletal modifications are of two kinds, technically termed mor-
phological and physiological, the former depending on the relationships of the animal
the latter on its habits.

In order to better understand the skeleton of the Humming Bird, the form of the
feathered wing and mode of its flight -should continually be borne in mind, for the
Humming Bird is emphatically a bird of the air, and all its parts are modified accord-
ingly.

The external wing is characterized by the great development of the primaries and
almost complete functional suppression of the secondaries, while the wing beats are
frequent and all movements of the bird sudden. Just how rapid the wing beats are
must for the present be merely a matter of conjecture, but it can be said that the

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 293

Ganuet, a bird of moderately slow stroke, makes ordinarily one hundred and fifty
strokes a minute, and that judging from the appearance of a small wheel driven at
the rate of a thousand revolutions a minute the wings of a Humming Bird make not
far from five hundred vibrations in the same short space of time.

So great an exercise of muscular power as that involved in such rapid movements
necessarily causes rapid waste of tissue and calls for an ample supply of blood, and
we find that this is provided for by a remarkable large heart.*

The actual speed of the Humming Bird is less than the ordinary observer might
suspect, for the small size of the creature adds to the seeming rapidity of its flight,
just as the little puffing tug appears to move faster than the ferryboat, although it
really does not do so.

The wing and flight of a Humming Bird are comparable to the wing and flight of
a fly, or, better still, a Hawk Moth, both possessing a rigid wing driven at a high
rate of speed, and both possessing the ability to hang suspended in the air or to
dart erratically about in a manner that defies the eye to follow.

Rapidity in the stroke of the wing is gained by shortening the upper arm bones,
the bones of the hand on the contrary being lengthened to support the shafts of the
large primaries. The inner portion of the wing is furthermore shortened, and speed
consequently gained, by flexing the forearm, and examination of a bird in the flesh
will show that it is quite impossible for a Humming Bird to extend its wings as do
other birds.

The wing of a bird is a lever of the third order, and since the power is applied at
a disadvantage, any increase of speed calls for corresponding increase in driving
power, -which in a bird means larger pectoral muscles and a larger breastbone. Now
the sternum of a Humming Bird is, relatively to the size of the bird, by far the
largest in the entire class of birds, and although the proportion of length to depth
of keel is equaled in some Swifts, it must be remembered that the sternum of a Hum-
ming Bird is not only deep, but long, running nearly the entire length of the body.
The increased size of the pectoral muscles not only adds to the power of flight, but
to the stability of the bird, for the weight, like the ballast of a cutter yacht, is thus
brought low down.

All attachments to the wing muscles are large, and when the humerus is magni-
fied to the size of that of a Swift it is seen to be the more rugose of the two. At
first sight the breastbone might appear too thin to resist the strain of the muscles
it supports, but these being arranged in pairs pull as it were one against the other,
thus relieving the sternum of the strain that would otherwise be brought upon it.

In short, the Humming Bird is a piece of mechanism most admirably adapted for
flight, and wonderful as are the modifications of plumage in various members of the
group, no less remarkable is the adaptation of the skeleton for the most rapid and
remarkable aerial maneuvers.

Description of the tongue. — The tongue of the Humming Bird, like that of the
Woodpecker, is extremely long, but the two differ decidedly in their structure, and
the muscles by which the tongue is protruded and retracted are applied in a totally
different manner in the two birds.

The free portion of the tongue is divided for about half its length, and when with-
drawn lies just within the lower mandible. Toward the base it consists of a some-
what flattened tube of dense cartilage, grooved along the center above and below,
and with a slighter groove on the upper exterior surface. This single tube divides
before reaching the forked part of the tongue, and a flange is developed along the
outer edge. This flange, or border, becomes membraneous, and seems to curl up-
ward and inward, converting the forked tip into two tubes or gutters. That these

* According to Mr. G. Gulliver (in Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,
1846, p. 28), the blood-corpuscles of a Humming Bird (species not stated) measure
ToW of an inch, the long diameter of the nucleus being very nearly f^ of an

294

REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

serve for the passage of nectar from flowers seeras a little doubtful, the peculiar modi-
fication of the tongue probably being for the capture of minute insects. The ante-
rior half of this membraneous flange is more or less fringed, as noted by Gosse and

FIG. 3. The accompany ins figure of the head of a Humming Bird (Eulampis holosericeus), seen from
above, shows the termination of the hyoid, or tongue, bones h. The shaded bands indicate the
muscles whica retract the tongue. (The figure is twice the natural size.)

others, but how much of this fimbriation is normal and how much is due to the
whipping out of the membrane by use is not quite evident. That some of the iim-
briatiou is due to wear is certain from its appearance under the microscope.

FIG. 4. Tho accompanying figures, showing del ails in the structure of the tongue of a Humming
Bird (Eulampis holosericeus}, may be described as follows :

No. 1 shows the tongue, twice the natural size, with the free portions separated and the membrane
spread out.

No. 2 shows the anterior portion of the tongue, greatly enlarged, with the membraneous fringe
curled up, as in life.

Nos. 3, 4, and 5 ar-e sections through the tongue at 3', 4', and 5', greatly enlarged.

No. 6 represents the termination of one of the free portions of the tongue very much enlarged.

VARIATIONS.

The raDge of variation in the details of form or external structure,
size, and coloration in the Humming Birds is very great — perhaps more
so than in any other group of coordinate rank among birds, this varia-
tion affecting chiefly the bill, as to its proportionate length and whether
straight or curved, and if curved to what degree and in what direction ;
the tail (which, however, always consists of ten rectrices?)*, in the rela-
tive length of different feathers, one or more pairs of which are some-
times singularly or even extraordinarily developed or aborted ; and the
wing, as to the shape of the outer primary and the thickness of its
shaft. These variations are so complex, however, that it will be best
to treat of them under distinct headings. Indeed "it is the great
diversity of form in this family of birds, " says Mr. Gould, "which ren-
ders the study of them so very interesting. If these little objects were

* See remarks as to this on page 300.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XVI.

> 'fM

Report of National Museum, 1 890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XVII.

VERVAIN HUMMING BIRD (Mellisuga minima).

Male. (Cat. No. 30274, U. S. N. M. Jamaica. Collected by W.T. March.)
Nest and eggs. (Cat. No. 8426, U. S. N. M. Jamaica. Collected by W. T. March.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS.

295

magnified to the size of eagles, their structural differences would stand
out in very bold relief, and the many marked generic distinctions they
present would be far more clearly perceptible. n

Variations in size: — The variation in size, while very considerable, is
not greater than in some other groups of birds, as, for instance, the
diurnal birds of prey and the crow family. While as a family, or group,
the Humming Birds are the smallest of birds, many kinds are consid-
erably larger than the smallest Passerine birds, as the Kinglets, Creep-
ers, and smaller Wrens; while, owing to their shorter, more scale-like
feathering, and greater compactness of body, many Humming Birds far
exceed in actual bulk and weight the above-mentioned members of the
Oscinine Sub-Order.

The giant of Humming Birds is the Patagona gigas, a plainly colored
species inhabiting the higher portions of the Andes range (from Chile
to Ecuador), which in bulk equals a good-sized Swift, being about 8J
inches in length, with the wing 5 inches or more and the tail nearly 4
inches. The smallest known species is Princess Helena's Humming
Bird (Calypte lielence, GOULD), of Cuba, the entire bulk of which is much
less than the head alone of the Giant Hummer, the total length being
only about 2J inches. The distinction of being the smallest among
birds has usually been accorded to the Vervain Humming Bird (Melli-
suga minima}, of Jamaica, but that it is considerably larger than the
Cuban Calypte, the following comparative measurements will show:

Wing.

Tail.

Exposed
culmen.

1 10 1 15

0 65

0 40

Mellisuga minima, male

1. 40-1. 48

0. 82-0. 85

0. 38-0. 40

We are fortunately able to show, in the accompanying plates, full-
length, natural size drawings of the Giant and Vervain Hummers, the
latter with its nest and eggs.*

The nest of the Vervain Humming Bird measures only about three-
fourths of an inch in diameter across the cavity, and a little more than
an inch in total diameter, while the eggs are only about 0.28 of an inch
in length by 0.20 of an inch in width.

The accompanying illustration shows the male and the nest and eggs
of this species, natural size.

Variations of the bill. — The extremes of length in this member are
represented in the genera Docimastes and Rliamplwmicron, in both of
which it is straight. In the former it exceeds in length the combined
length of the head, neck, body, and tail of the bird itself, being some-
times as much as 4J (or according to Mr. Gould, sometimes more than
5) inches in extent. In the smallest species of the latter genus, R,

* The discovery that Calypte lielence is smaller than M. minima was not made until
after the drawing of the latter was completed.

296

REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

\

FiG.6.— Head of Rham-
phomicron microrhyn-
chum.

microrhynchumj it is only a quarter of an inch in length. il The bill of
I), ensifer, which is more than 5 inches long, and which contains a
tongue capable of being protruded nearly as far beyond
its tip, is most admirably fitted for the exploration of
the lengthened and pendent corrollas of the Brug-
mansiw, while the short-billed Lesbice cling to the
upper portion of those flowers, pierce their bases, and
with the delicate feelers at the extremities of the
tongue, readily secure the insects which there abound."
In the various genera there is every gradation from
a perfectly straight bill to one that is decidedly curved
or arched ; but in one genus (Eutoxeres) it is so greatly
decurved as to constitute almost one-third of a circle,
thus justifying the very appropriate name of Sickle-
billed Hummers, by which the birds of this genus are
known. This variation in the length and shape of the
bill, it may be remarked, is necessi-
tated by some peculiarity of the
flower in which, chiefly or exclu-
sively, the bird seeks its food. For
example, the excessively lengthened
beak of the " sword bearer" (l)oci-
mastes), as explained above, is neces-
sary for reaching the honey- glands of very long trumpet-
shaped blossoms, while the hook-like beak of the
" sickle bill" is evidently designed for insertion into
the curved throat of certain orchids, palms, or other
flowers of unusual form.

The manner in which the Sickle-billed Humming
Bird feeds is thus described by Dr. J. King Merritt in
the Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New
York, vol. 6, p. 139:

One day, while out hunting a short distance from camp, I was
startled by the swift approach of a small object through the
dense thicket, which darted like a rifle-bullet past me, with a
loud hum and buzzing of the wings. Indeed it was this great
noise that accompanied its flight that especially attracted rny
attention as something uncommon.
The bird continued its flight but a short distance beyond the spot where I stood,
when it suddenly stopped in its rapid course directly in front of a flower. There for
a moment poising itself in this position it darted upon the flower in a peculiar manner;
in fact, the movements which now followed were exceedingly curious. Instead of in-
serting its beak in the calyx by advancing in a direct line toward the flower, as cus-
tomary with this class of birds, this one performed a curvilinear movement, at first
stooping forward while it introduced its beak into the calyx, and then, when appar-
ently the point of the beak had reached the desired locality in the flower, its body
suddenly dropped downwards, so that it seemed as though it was suspended from the
flower by the beak. That this was not actually the case the continued rapid move-
ment of its wings demonstrated beyond a doubt. In this. position it remained the

Fio. 5.— Head of Doci-
inastes ensiferus.

. THE HUMMING BIRDS.

297

ordinary length of time, and then, by performing these movements in the reverse or-
der and direction, it freed itself from the flower, and afterwards proceeded to the ad-
joining one, when the same operation was repeated as already described.

FIG. 7— Bill of Eutoxeres aquila.

FIG. 8— Bill of neliotrypha
exortis.

FIG. 9— Bill of Avocettida recitrvi-
rostris.

The flower resembles some what inform the Roman helmet inverted, and is attached,
as it were, by the point of the crest to the stalk.

Regarding the recurved bill of Avocettula, the use for which it is
adapted is thus conjectured by Mr. Swainson :

The extraordinary formation in the bill of this beautiful little creature, is without
parallel in any laud bird yet described, and presents in miniatura a striking resem-
blance to that of the avoset. It is almost impossible to conjecture rightly the use of
this singular formation ; but it appears to me not improbable, that the principal sus-
tenance of the bird may be drawn from the pendent bignouaceae, and other similar
plants, so common in South America, whose corollae are long, and generally bent in
their tube ; the nectar being at the bottom, could not be reached either by a straight
or a curved bill, though very easily by one corresponding to the shape of the flower.

Another distinct type of bill is the wedge-shaped, seen in the genera
Heliothrix and Schistes, in which the terminal portion (almost the termi-
nal half in Heliothrix) is very much compressed, the tip, when viewed
from above, forming the finest possible point, as shown below :

FIG. 10 — Bill of Heliotlirix auritus, showing the ex-
tremely compressed tip, a being a vertical view.

FIG. 11— Bill of Schistespersonatug.

Some genera which, instead of extracting their food from flowers, feed
upon spiders and other insects, while hovering in the usual manner,
which they sna'ch from the under surface of leaves or from the branches
of trees, have the tip of the bill hooked, and the edge of the mandible
finely toothed or fringed near the tip, the better to secure their prey.

FIG. 12 — Bill of Androdon (eqitatorictlis.

The nostrils are situated at the base of the upper mandible, on each
side, and are overhung by a distinct scale or operculum. Sometimes
this latter is wholly uncovered, and is then very conspicuous; but
oftener it is entirely hidden by short imbricated feathers, entirely cou.

298

REPORT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

cealing the nostrils or else permitting them to be seen only as a narrow
slit beneath the lower edge of the feathering.

FIG. 13. — Head of Hylocharis sapphirinz, show- FiG.14 — .Head of Eugenia imperatrix, showing dense
ing naked nostrils, with overhanging mem- leathering over nostrils,

brane.

Variations in the form of the wing. — As already stated (see page 289),
the first primary is invariably the longest, except in two genera, Aithu-
rus, in which it is decidely shorter than the second, and Altliis, in
which the first and second are about the same length.

FIG. 15. — Wing Aithurus polytmus.

FIG. 16.— Wing of Bylonympha macrocerca.

Usually, the outer primary is not different in shape from the second ;
but occasionally it is quite different, as in the genera Lafresnaya and
Agcelactis, in which it is very narrow for the entire length, the tip

FIG. 17.— Wing of Atthis cllioti. FIG. 18.— Primaries of Selasphorut platycerus. (Under

sido showing peculiar form of first and second
quills.)

curved inward or upward; and in certain species of Selasphorus, in
which the tip is contracted and curved outward, as shown in the ac-
companying diagrams : .

FIG. 19,— Wing of Lafresnaya flavicaudata.

FlG. 20— Wing of Aglceactis cnpreipennis. (Under sido, showing very narrow outer quill.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS.

299

Ordinarily, there is a regular gradation in the size and shape from
the first to the tenth primary ; but sometimes this is not the case, the

FIG. 21.— Wing of Trochilus colubris, adult male.

male of the common Ruby-throated Humming Bird (Trochilus colubris)
affording a conspicuous example. In this, the six innermost quills are

FIG. 22. —Wing of Sphenoproctus pampct, to show excessively thickened shafts of three outer primaries'.

not only abruptly much smaller than the others, but they are quite
differently shaped at their tips (see Fig. 21).

FIG. 23. — Wing ofEupetomena macroura.

Although the shafts of the primaries are always hard and strong, to
enable them to endure the rapid vibrations to which they are subjected
during flight, they are not often conspicuous for their unusual thick-

FIG. 24. — Wing of Aphantochroa cirrhochloris.

ness. In some genera, however, they are thus extraordinarily devel-
oped, in Sphenoproctus and some species of Campylopterm, for example,
appearing almost like a monstrosity or abnormal swelling, as shown

FIG. 25.— Outer primary of a species of Campylopterus, showing thickened shaft,

in (Figs. 22 and 25), which is accompanied by others (Figs. 23 and 24)
to show the gradual transition through which this excessive develop-
ment is reached.

300 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

Variations in the form of the tail. — The number of tail-feathers is
usually, perhaps always, ten. One species, the Marvellous Humming
Bird (Loddigesia mirabilis), is said to possess only four; but, although
I have not seen the bird in question, I can not help thinking that the
apparently absent rectrices are aborted and confounded with the
coverts.* Certainly in at least one other genus (Myrtis), such an abor-
tion of the middle pair of tail-feathers is very evident, these being so
much reduced in size as to be entirely concealed by the upper tail-
coverts, t On the other hand, another genus (Florisuga] seems to pos-
sess twelve tail-feathers ; but a close examination will show that what
are apparently the middle pair of rectrices are in reality the two longest
upper tail-coverts.

FIG. 26.— Tail of Myrtis fanny, showing FIG. 27.— Tail of Florisuga mellivora, showing

aborted middle rectrices (x x), the specialized pair of uoper coverts (a a).

upper tail-coverts being parted to ex-
pose them to view.

The shape and development of the tail-feathers in the Humming Birds
vary to a degree that has no parallel among other birds, many of the
forms assumed being also entirely unique. Much the larger number
of species have the tail of a shape not very different from the ordinary
types among birds, that is to say, moderately rounded or forked, or
nearly even ; but besides tails of a normal shape there are deeply
forked or forficate (scissors shaped) tails, graduated or wedge shaped
tails, double-rounded and double-emarginated tails, tails with streamers,
tails with racket- or paddle shaped feathers, and tails whose shape can
not be designated by any special term. Putting aside those which
depart least from the ordinary shapes, the different types, with their
variations, are illustrated by the figures composing Plates xYiii-xxiv.

Variations in development of the tail-coverts. — Excepting the case of
Florisuga, referred to above, there are few notable modifications of the
tail-coverts. Two genera, however, may be mentioned which have these
feathers conspicuously developed, the one as to size, the other as to

* In Acestrtira micrura, according to Mr. Gould, all the rectrices are thus aborted,
the entire tail being concealed by the coverts.

t Gould also cites as examples Thaumastura cora and DoricJia enicura ; but in these
species the middle pair of rectrices while very short are not wholly hidden by the
coverts, as is the case in Myrtis fanny. (See Plate xxiv, Fig. 1, and Plate xxn, Fig. 1).

Report of National' museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XVII!.

OUTLINES oE TAILS OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Fig. 1. Phlogophilus hemileucurus

Fig. 2. Schistes geoffroyi.

Fig. 3. Sphenoproctus pampa.

Fig. 4. Juhamyia julie.

Fig. 5. Phaethornis super ciliosus.

Fig. 6. Heliothrix auritus.
Fig. 7. Leucochloris albicollis.
Fig. 8. Selasphorus alleni.
Fig. 9. Heliactin cornuta.

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XIX.

OUTLINES OF TAILS OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Fig. 1. Docimastfls ensiferus.
Fig. ?. Heliodoxa jacula.
Fig. 3. Oreonympha nobilis.

Fig. 4. Pterophanes temmincki.
Fig. 5. Helianthea typica.
Fig. 6. Oreotrochilus pichincha.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XX.

OUTLINES OF TAILS OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Fig. i. Sporadinus elegans.
Fig. 2. Heliomaster furcifer.
Fig. 3. Popelairia langsdorfi.
Fig. 4. Ptochoptera iolcema.

Fig. 5. Tilmatura duponti.
Fig. 6. Rhodopis vesper.
Fig. 7. Popelairia conversi.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXI.

OUTLINES OF TAILS OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Fig. 1. Eugenia imperatrix.
Fig. 2. Eupetomena macroura.

Fig. 3. Hylonympha macrocerca.
Fig. 4. Sappho sparganura.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXII.

3 4

OUTLINES OF TAILS OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Fig. 1. Doricha enicura.

Fig. 2. Calliphlox amethystina.

Fig. 3. Lesbianuna.

Fig. 4. Cyanolesbia forficata.

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXIII.

cc

00

a 3

I!

& I

u. e

O .-„

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXIV.

1 4 5

OUTLINES OF TAILS OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Fig. 1. Thaumastura cora.
Fig. 2. Chcetocercus jourdani.
Fig. 3. Calothorax lucifer.
Fig. 4. Aithurus polytmus.

Fig. 5. Topaza pella.
Fig. 6. Acestrura mulsanti.
Fig. 7. Myrtis fanny.
Fig. 8. Trochilus colubris.

THE HUMMING BIRDS.

301

form. These are Eulampis, in the species of which the upper tail-
eoverls are large, broad, and rounded, covering more than half of the

FIG. 28.— Tail of Eulampis jugularis, showing
enlarged upper coverts.

FIG. 29.— Tail of Chalybura bu/oni,
showing plume-like under coverts.

tail and very billiautly colored, and Chalybura, in which the under tail-
ce verts have very downy and decomposed webs, thus somewhat resem-
bling miniature ostrich plumes.

HEAD ORNAMENTS, ETC.

Of all birds only the Birds of Paradise can rival the Humming Birds
in the extraordinary development of portions of their feathering. Un-
usual developments of the tail have already been described (see page
300), as have also occasional modifications of the tail-coverts; but there
remains to be specially mentioned the various kinds of head ornaments
with which the males of many species are adorned. The most frequent
head ornament of the Humming Birds is a " gorget " or patch of imbri-
cated feathers covering the throat of the male, the color of which is
usually brilliantly metallic and very different from that of other portions
of the bird's plumage. This gorget is well shown in the male of the
common Ruby-throated Humming Bird (Trochilus colubris), in which
the feathers on the sides of the throat are only slightly elongated. In
other genera (as for example Myrtis) these feathers are of uniform
length, while in others, notably Galothorax and Acestrura and some
species of Selaspliorus and Calypte, the lateral feathers of the gorget
are greatly elongated, forming a conspicuous ruff on each side of the
throat, as shown in figures 32-36. In the genus Stellula the feathers
of the ruff, instead of being rounded and scale like, are narrow and
lengthened — almost lanceolate — the individuality of each one being
strengthened by the peculiar coloration, the tips being metallic purple
and the basal portion snow-white. (See Fig. 35.)

Of all the gorgeted Humming Birds by far the finest are the two
species of the genus Calypte which inhabit parts of Mexico and Cali-
fornia and the single one found in Cuba. In these birds not only is the
gorget, with its elongated lateral extensions, but the whole top of the
head also, of the most brilliant imaginable metallic red or violet (accord-

302

REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

ing to the species) ; indeed, as Mr. Gould truly says, these birds " are
unequaled for the rich metallic brilliancy of certain parts of their

FIG. 32.— Head of Calothorax lucifer, J.

FIG. 33.— Head of Trochilus colubris. J1.

FIG. 34.— Head of Myrtis fanny, <S .

plumage by any other members of the family," the color of the head
and ruff's being " as glitteringly resplendent as if they had been dipped
in molten metal."

FIG. 35.— Head of Stellula calliope,

FIG. 36.— Head of Calypte anna, <f.

In all the gorgeted Humming Birds except the genera Atthis and
Tilmatura the males have the tail either plain purplish dusky or else
varied only with rufous (as in the species of Selasphorus), the middle
pair of feathers, however, usually shining green, like the back. The
females all have the tail not only different in form but also totally dif-
ferent in coloration ; the feathers, except the middle pair (sometimes
two middle pairs), having a white tip, preceded by a subterminal baud
or space of blackish, the basal portion being green or rufous. This
type of coloration, however, characterizes both sexes in the genus
Atthis, which otherwise appears closely related to the genera Trochilus,
Selasphorus, and Calypte. In Tilmaiura the tail feathers are strikingly
marked with alternate patches of black, white, and rufous.

Other genera have instead of the typical humming-bird gorget a
beard-like tuft depending from the middle of the throat, and usually
very brilliantly metallic in coloration. The extreme forms which this
beard-like tuft assume are shown by the accompanying figures.

The fantastic markings, towering crests, and lengthened beards of
the species of Oxypogon, says Mr. Gould, render these birds very con-
spicuous objects notwithstanding their plain coloration.

Crests are comparatively uncommon among the Humming Birds, only
nine of the more than one hundred genera containing species which are

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXV.

WHITE-BOOTED RACKET-TAIL (Steganura underwoodi). (After Gould.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS,

303

crested. These are Aithurus, Hdiactin, and Chrysolampis, of one spe-
cies each ; Polemistria and Cephallepis, of two species each ; Bellona,

FIG. yi. — Oreonymphanobilis.

FIG. 38.—Oxypogon lindeni.

FIG. 39. — Augastes lumachellus.

FIG. 40.— Urosticte benjamini.

with two or three; Oxypogon, consisting of three species, and Lophornis
and Popeldiria, each with several species, but only a part of them fur-
nished with crests. Altogether there are only about twenty of the five
hundred species, or a little more than 4 per cent, of the whole number,
that are crested, or only about one to every five species the males of
which possess a metallic gorget.*

Aithurus and Heliactin possess a double crest springing from each
side of the hinder ^crown or occiput. In the two genera, however, these
ornaments are quite different in form, as may be seen by the accom-
panying cuts (Figs. 41, 42), and still more so in their coloration, those
of Aithurus being deep, velvety black while those of Heliactin are of
the most brilliant possible metallic gold, changing to fiery scarlet or
crimson towards the bases of the feathers.

The closely related genera Chrysolampis and Bellona have intensely
brilliant crests covering the whole top of the head of very sharply out-
lined, imbricated feathers, the more posterior of which are considera-
bly elongated, forming a pointed crest in the latter and a rounded one

* Metallic throat-spots' which do not cover the. whole throat are not counted as
gorgets in this estimate.

304

REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

in the former, which in addition possesses a brilliantly metallic gorget
of imbricated or scale-like feathers, the throat of Bellona being clothed

FIG. 41. — Double crest of Ailhurus polytmus.

FIG. 42.— Double crest of Heliactin cornuta.

with a blended and somber colored plumage. In Bellona the crest is
glittering green, sometimes passing into blue at the tip, or even for the
terminal half; in Chrysolampis the crest is ruby-red, the throat golden-
orange or topaz.

FIG. 43. — Verticaljview of crest of Chrysolampis
moschitus, <J .

FIG. 44.— Vertical view of crest of Bellona cris-
tata, cf .

The genus Cepliallepis has a much lengthened, narrow, pointed, and
slightly recurved crest, closely resembling that of the Lapwing Plover
( Vanellus vanelhis). That of Oxypogon (see Fig. 38, p. 303) is somewhat
similar. All of the species of the genus Lophornis, embracing the ex-

FIG. 45.— Cepliallepis delalandi,

FIG. W.—Lopliornis ornatus,

quisitely ornamented, bespangled, frilled, and otherwise decorated " Co-
quette'7 Humming Birds possess crests in addition to their other orna-
ments, which vary in their character with the species; but here the
subject becomes so intricate that to pursue it further would require far
more space than can here be afforded, besides perhaps proving tire-
some to the reader. The subject should not be dismissed, however,
without calling attention to a very elegant adornment ot several genera
in the shape of u muffs'7 or " puffs" of the most delicate possible cot-
tony down clothing the legs and almost hiding the dainty feet. These

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 305

puffs are usually white, but sometimes brown, or more rarely black,
and are most conspicuously developed in the genera Panoplites, Erioc-
iSj and Steganura.

FIG. 30.— Les; puffs of Panoplites FIG. 31 — Short, tarsal feathers of Heliodoxa

jlavescens. jacula.

COLOES OF THE PLUMAGE.

When morning dawns, * * * *
The flower-fed Humming Bird his round pursues ;
Sips with inserted tube the honied blooms,
And chirps his gratitude as round he roams ;
While richest roses, though in crimson drest,
Shrink from the splendor of his gorgeous breast.
What heavenly tints in mingling radiance fly !
Each rapid movement gives a different dye ;
Like scales of burnished gold they dazzling show-
Now sink to shade, now like a furnace glow !

—ALEXANDER WILSON.

While their diminutive size is one of the most striking peculiarities
of Humming Birds, their beautifully varied or resplendently metallic
plumage is, as a rule, not less so.

Reference has been made on previous pages to the' luminous gorget
of many species, and to the shining crests or beards of others; but we
failed to mention that some kinds, instead of having luminous throats,
have the halo of radiance transferred to their crowns, as in species of
Uranomitra, in which the color is blue or violet, and Eustephanus^ in
which it is brilliant red or green, according to the species. Frequently
there is a spot of the most brilliant emerald- green on the forehead, im-
mediately above the base of the bill, forming "a siar brighter than
Venus, the queen of planets" (Gould). It is worthy of remark that
this glittering gem-like spot has always a setting of the most intense
velvety black, to increase, by contrast, its brilliancy. Usually, but not
always, these same Humming Birds have a similar spot on the mid-
dle of the throat, its color, however, more often violet than green ; and
occasionally there are two brilliant spots on the throat, one below the
other, and of a different color, in which case it is interesting to observe,
that only one of them reflects its full brilliance at once, it being neces-
sary for the bird (or the person holding it, if a stuffed specimen), to
shift its position slightly to bring the other into lull view — which, how-
ever, is done at the expense of the one previously seen.

In some kinds the area of brilliant coloration lies upon some other
part of the bird than the head or throat. In some species of the genus
Eriocnemis, the amply developed upper tail coverts are most glitter-
H. Mis. 129, pt.2 20

30G . REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

ingly brilliant, while in another genus, AglceactiSj the whole rump is me-
tallic, all the rest of the plumage being devoid of luster.

With the exception of the genus last mentioned, Humming Birds
show the full brilliancy of their metallic colors only when the plumage
is viewed toward the direction in which the feathers lie ; * that is, one
having a specimen in his hand, must, in order to obtain the richest
effect, hold it with the head towards him, the bird itself on the oppo-
site side from which the light comes. Ee versing its position relative
to himself (but not to the light), the metallic hues disappear or are but
faintly discernible. In Aglceactis, however, exactly the reverse is the
case, the burnished metallic hues of the rump appearing only when
viewed against the ends of the feathers.t

In more than 99 per cent, of the species of Humming Birds, the color
of the primaries is a dull purplish dusky, with very faint metallic lus-
ter. So nearly universally, in fact, is this the case, that there appear
to be only two conspicuous exceptions, the Sapphire- wing (Pterophanes
temmincJci) — next to Patagona gigas, the largest of Humming Birds — in
which all the remiges are a brilliant steel-blue, or in a strong light almost
a Prussian-blue color, and the Purple Carib (Eulampis jugular fa), in
which their color is lustrous bluish green. In no species of Hum-
ming Bird are the primaries parti colored ; and when, as is sometimes
the case, the secondaries are of more than one color, the additional color
is invariably rufous.

On the other hand, brilliantly colored tails are very common, and
sometimes the gorgeous coloring of this member is unapproached by
that of any other birds. The Comet Humming Birds (genus Sappho),
for example, have very long and deeply forked tails (see PI. xxi, Fig. 4),
of the most glittering brilliant metallic red, each feather tipped with
velvety black. The allied genus CyanolesWa has a tail of similar size
and shape (PL xxn, Fig. 4), but burnished metallic blue or green, in-
stead of red. The genera Augastes, Ghrysuronia, Metallura, and Avo-
cettula have the brilliant coloration of the tail most conspicuous on the
under surface, which is of a splendid golden bronze or red bronze, ac-
cording to the species. There are also other types of coloration affect-
ing the rectrices, but they are too numerous to particularize in this con-
nection.

*" In such Humming Birds as I have examined," says Gosse (Birds of Jamaica, pp.
94,95), "the iridescence of those portions of the plumage that are changeable, is
splendid in the ratio of the acuteiiess of the angle formed by the incident ray and the
reflected one. Thus the plumes of the neck of the Man go appear to advantage in a
room with a single light, only when the beholder stands with his back to the window,
and has the bird before him and facing him. Then the perpendicular baud down the
throat and breast, which seems composed of the richest black velvet, is bounded on
each side by a broad band of glowing crimson, mingled with violet."

t The same thing, though to a less degree, is observable in the species of Lampropygia,
in which, however, the metallic coloring of the rump is much less brilliant.

Report of Nationaf Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXVI.

GUERIN'S HELMET-CREST (Oxypogon guerini). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXVII,

HERRAN'S THORN-BILL (Ramphomicron herrani). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXVIII.

DE LALAND'S PLOVER-CREST (Cephallepis delalandi). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXIX.

Fig. 1. POPELAIRE'S THORN-TAIL (Popelairia popelairia). (After Gould.)
Fig. 2. CoNVERS1 THORN-TAIL (Popelairia conversi). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXX.

Fig. 1. PRINCESS HELENA'S COQUETTE (Lophornis helence). (After Gould.)

Fig. 2. ADORABLE COQUETTE (Lophornis adorabilis). (After Mulsant and Verreaux.)

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXXI.

Fig. 1. SPANGLED COQUETTE (Lophornis regince). (After Gould.)
Fig. 2. GREAT-CRESTED COQUETTE (Lophornis regulus). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXXI!.

Fig. 1. DE LATTRE'S COQUETTE (Lophornis delalrii). (After Gould.)
Fig. 2. TUFTED COQUETTE (Lophornis ornatus). (After Gould.)

Report ot National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXXIII.

Fig. 1. FRILLED COQUETTE (Lophornis magnificus). (After Gould.)
Fig. 2. HELIODORE'S WOOD-STAR (Acestrnra heliodori). (After Gould.)

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXXIV.

Fig. 1. ALINE'S PUFF-LEG (Eriocnemis alince). (After Gould.)
Fig. 2. SXOW-CAP (Microchera albocoronata). (After Gould.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 307

CAUSE OF THE CHANGEABLE HUES OF HUMMING BIRDS.

Many persons may naturally wish to know the cause or causes of this
brilliant metallic coloration of Humming Birds. This is a subject which
has been investigated by physiologists, who have found that in most
cases it depends on the structure of the feathers, and not on the pres-
ence of coloring matter or pigment.

A few days since [says Mr. MartitiJ we were ex-iimning a Humming Bird, the gor-
get of which was an intense emerald -green ; but on changing the light (that is, alter-
ing its angle of incidence), the emerald was changed to velvet-black. Andebert con-
sidered this chacgeableness to be due to the organization of the feathers, and to the
manner in which the luminous rays are reflected on falling upon them ; and of this
we think there can be little doubt, for each feather, when minutely inspected, ex-
hibits myriads of little facets so disposed as to present so many angles to the incidence
of light, which will be diversely reflected according to the position of the feather, and
in some positions not reflected in any sensible degree, and thus emerald may become
a velvet-black. Lesson supposes that the brilliant hues of the plumage of the Hum-
ming Birds are derived from some elements contained in the blood, and elaborated by
the circulation — a theory we do not quite understand, inasmuch as color is the result
of the reflection of some rays and the absorption of others, caused by the arrange-
ment of the molecules of any given body. He adds, however, that the texture of the
pluoies plays the principal part, -in consequence of the manner in which the rays of
light traverse them or are reflected by the innumerable facets which a prodigious
quantity of barbules or fibers present. All the scaly feathers, he observes, which
simulate velvet, the emerald, or the ruby, and which we see on the head and throats
of the Epimachi (as the Grand Promerops of New Guinea), the Paradise Birds and
the Humming Birds resemble each other iathe uniformity of their formation; all are
composed of cylindrical barbules, bordered with other analogous regular barbules,
which in their turn support other small ones; and all of them are hollowed in the
center with a deep furrow, so that when the light, as Audebert first remarked, glides
in a vertical direction over the scaly feathers, the result is that all the luminous rays
are absorbed in traversing them, and the perception of black is produced. But it is
no longer the same when the light is reflected from these feathers, each of which per-
forms the office of reflector; then it is that the aspect of the emerald, the ruby, etc.,
varying with the utmost diversity under the incidences of the rays which strike them,
is given out by the molecular arrangement of the barbules. It is thus that the gor-
get of many species takes all the hues of green, and then the brightest and most uni-
formly golden tints, down to intense velvet-black, or on the contrary that of ruby,
which darts forth pencils of light, or passes from reddish orange to a crimsoned red-
black. It is thus we think that the everchaugiug hues of the gorgets of the Hum-
ming Birds from black to emerald, ruby, crimson, or flame color are to be explained.

Brilliant, however, as are the hues reflected from the stuffed Hum-
ming Bird, the perfection of their changeable radiance or refulgence
can be fully realized only in the living bird.

Bullock, when speaking of the same subject, says that u the pre-
served specimens were but the shadow m brilliancy to what they were
in life. The reason is obvious; for the sides of the lamina or fibers of
each feather being of a different color from the surface will change
when seen in a front or oblique direction ; and as each lamina or fiber
turns upon the axis of the quill the least motion, when living, causes
the feathers to change suddenly to the most opposite hues,"

308 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME OF THE MORE BRILLIANTLY COLORED

KINDS.

Among the half-thousand species of Humming Birds, the diversity of
plumage as well as form is very great. It will not be practicable, there-
fore, to do more in the way of describing particular kinds than to select
those which are most conspicuous in this respect. Before proceeding to
do so, it may be well to explain that in a large majority of cases orna-
mentation is confined to the males alone, the females being as a rule de-
void of the refulgent hues and ornamental plumes, and therefore much
more like one another than those of the opposite sex. Occasionally,
however, as in the genera Petasophora, Eupetomena, Panoplites, Aglceactis,
Lampropygia, and a few others, the sexes are alike in color, or at least
not essentially different. In only one species, the Mango Humming
Bird (Lampornis mango), of Jamaica, is the female more beautiful than
the male, having, in addition to the colors possessed by the latter, a
brightly colored throat-patch. As a rather remarkable coincidence, it
may be mentioned that the largest and smallest species of the family,
Patagona gigas and Mellisuga minima, are among the most plainly colored
of all, with little difference between the sexes.

Perhaps the most remarkable of Humming Birds, though more dis-
tinguished for the extraordinary development of its tail feathers than
for brilliancy of plumage, is the Marvellous Humming Bird (Loddigesia
mirabilis), of Peru. An idea of the form of the tail in this elegant bird
may be obtained from the outline figures on Plate xxm. Its coloration
while not conspicuous for brilliancy in such a brilliant coterie, is never-
theless very pretty: Crown azure-blue, back golden green, tail violet-
black, and lower parts pure white, with a gorget of emerald- green bor-
dered on each side by a line of coppery red.

The Topaz-throated or King Humming Birds (genus Topaza) are
among the largest of the family and are further conspicuous for their
elegant form and brilliant plumage. There are two species, the Crim-
son Topaz (T.pella), of Guiana and the Lower Amazons, and the Fiery
Topaz (T. pyra) of the northern tributaries of the great South American
river. The former is much the better known and is a truly magnifi-
cent bird, some 8 J inches in total length, although some 3 inches of
this are taken up by the lengthened caliper-like tips of the second pair
of tail feathers. The general color is a brilliant metallic crimson, the
whole throat of the most glittering, burnished golden-yellow or topaz,
changing to emerald-green, encircled by velvety black, which covers
also the sides and top of the head.

The Fire-tailed or Comet Humming Birds (genus Sappho) also include
two species, belonging to Peru, Bolivia, and the Argentine Kepublic.
" The tails of the males blaze with the radiance of flashes of flame,
and their ruby backs, luminous green throats, and under surface pre-
sent a tout ensemble unparalleled in the range of ornithology," * while Mr.

* D. G. Elliot, in Standard Natural History, Birds, p. 446.

TTTK HUMMING BIRDS. 309

Gould says that the two species generally known under the names of
Sappho* and Phaon\ are par excellence the most gorgeous of birds in ex-
istence, so far as regards the coloring of their tails; and well do these
living meteors deserve the more general name of Comets? The tail of
these birds is greatly lengthened, and, when spread is forked, as shown
in Fig. 4, PL xxi. The upper surface of these feathers is burnished to
a degree scarcely to be equaled by any art, and glows with a refulgence
not surpassed by any gem, the glorious color heightened by contrast
with the bold and sharply denned velvety black tip to each feather. In
the Sappho Comet (8. sparganura] the red color of the tail and rump is
of an orange-red or scarlet hue, while in the Phaon Comet (S.phaon)
the color is the loveliest crimson or purple-red.

Allied to the Comet Hummers are the Sylph Humming Birds (genus
CyanolesMa^ the tails of which are of similar form, but gloriously blue
and green, shaded with violet, in one species, splendid green in another,
and with black centers instead of tips. (See PI. xxn, Fig. 4.) They
inhabit the mountains of northern and western South America.

So far as the coloration of the head alone is concerned, no other Hum-
ming Bird equals the Ruby and Topaz (Chrysolampis moschilus). "It is
a species," says Mr. Gould, "which plays no inconsiderable part as an
article 01 trade ; for it is the one par excellence of which thousands
are annually sent to Europe for the purpose of contributing to the
decorations of the drawing-rooms of the wealthy, for the manufacture
of artificial flowers, etc.; and well suited is it for such purposes, its rich
ruby and topazlike coloring rendering it one of the most conspicuous
and beautiful objects imaginable.

One of the most beautiful of Mexican Humming Birds is De Bhangs
Garnet (Lamprolaima rhami). It is a large species, some 4J inches long;
green above; throat, metallic solferino or garnet ; breast, rich metallic
violet blue, the tail, which is very broad and slightly forked, being of
a violet- black hue.

Scarcely less beautiful and considerably exceeding it in size is De
Lattre's Sabre- wing (Campylopterus hemileucurus), a species which ex-
tends from northern Mexico nearly to the Isthmus of Panama. It is of
a uniform rich metallic violet-blue color ; rump, green ; and the tail,
white and black in nearly equal proportion. The remarkable structure
of the wing of this species, which is about the same as in the genus
tfphenoproctus, is shown in Fig. 22, on page 209, which represents that
of S.pampa. A South American congener of this species is the Splen-
did Sabre-wing (C. villavicencio), which has the crown glittering golden-
green changing to coppery-red ; the throat and breast, glittering blue;
and the other portions chiefly dark green.

Undoubtedly the most brilliant of Central American Humming Birds
is that curiously local species which is confined to the higher slopes

* Sapplio sparganura (Shaw). t Sappho phaon (Gould).

310 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

of a few of the volcanic peaks in Costa Kica and Veragua, and is known
as the Irazu Humming Bird (Panterpe insignis}. In this the crown is
rich metallic blue; the upper parts bronzy green, changing to blue on
the upper tail coverts; the breast is also blue, but the whole chest and
throat are of the most glowing hues, commencing with golden green
exteriorly and passing through golden yellow into orange and finally
culminating in scarlet in the center.

The Puff-legs (genus Eriocnemis) are beautiful Humming Birds of
medium size, which have the legs clothed with the daintiest muffs or
puffs imaginable of cottony or downy feathers, white, buff, brown, or
black, according to the species. Perhaps the finest of them is the
Glowing Puff-leg (E. vestila), whose upper tail coverts are of a dazzling
brilliancy unsurpassed and seldom, if ever, equaled by any other ob-
ject in nature. Mr. John Gould, the celebrated author of that most
magnificent of all bird books, the Monograph of the Trochilida3, says :

Everyone who, for the first time, finds himself in front of the compartment of my
collection iii which this species is placed, gives utterance to some exclamation ex-
pressive of the admiration excited by its striking beauty and glowworm-like splen-
dor of its upper tail coverts. This brilliancy is more apparent at certain hours of the
day ; for instance, it is more beautiful in the evening after sunset than at midday,
the brilliancy being relieved by the dark hue of the tail feathers. It is unquestion-
ably one of the finest species of the genus, and one of the most resplendent of the
Trochilidce; would that it were possible for me to even faintly depict it! But no, the
most finished drawing can be but a phantom of the original, and it is only by an exami-
nation of the specimen that my readers can form any adequate idea of the splendor
and beauty of this gem ; and how much more gorgeous must the bird appear in its
native wilds.

These are the mountain valleys of Colombia.

Even more beautiful, in the writer's opinion, is a gloriously-colored
Humming Bird found in eastern Ecuador, the Panoplites jardinii ; for,
while the gorgeous coloring of the Glowing Puff-leg is mainly confined
to a limited area, that of Jardine's Humming Bird embraces its entire
body. The crown and lower parts are richest metallic violet-blue; the
sides of the breast, the back, and the rump, bluish emerald-green ; and
the wing coverts golden green. It is the excessive refulgence of the
two shades of green, however, which gives the plumage of this bird
such a splendid brilliancy, for, in certain lights, they glow with more
than metallic clearness, while the deep, velvety black of the nape and
the snowy white of the tail feathers heightens the effect by their strik-
ing contrast. **The accompanying plate," says Mr. Gould, " is in-
tended to represent one of the most beautiful of the Trochilidcc yet dis-
covered. I say intended, for whatever success may have attended my
attempts to convey an idea of the beauty of these living gems, I must
confess that the means at my command are utterly inadequate to do
justice to the present species, whose crown, back, shoulders, and chest
sides are clothed with hues of metallic blue and green of such resplend-
ant brilliancy that it is quite impossible to represent them on paper."

THE HUMMING BIBDS. 311

Of the West Indian Humming Birds the most exquisite is Princess
Helena's Hummer (Calypte lielence), of Cuba. This is perhaps the very
smallest of birds, being even less than the Mellisuga minima, of Jamaica
and Haiti, which has hitherto enjoyed the distinction of being consid-
ered the smallest of existing birds. Princess Helena's Humming Bird
is rich metallic blue above (a very unusual color in this family), and
white beneath, the entire head, including the gorget with its ruff-like
lateral projections, being the most beautiful metallic rose-red or crimson.

A much larger species belonging to the Lesser Antilles, the Purple
Carib (Eulampis jugularis], however, contests the claim of the little
Cuban gem to be considered the most richly colored of Antillean Hum-
mers. The Purple Carib has the upper parts velvety black, except the
wings and upper tail-coverts, which are of a burnished bluish green hue,
while the throat and breast are of a rich garnet-purple.

The most remarkable, however, of West Indian Humming Birds is
the Long-tailed Hummer (Aithuras polytmus), which Mr. Gosse styles
" the gem of Jamaican Ornithology," adding that "its slender form,
velvet crest, emerald bosom, and lengthened tail plumes render it one
of the most elegant even of this most brilliant family."

A truly noble Humming Bird is the Mountain Nymph (Oreonympha
nobilis), of the Peruvian highlands, a bird approaching the Giant Hum-
mer (Patagona gigas) in size, but otherwise not to be compared with
that somberly clad species. The Mountain Nymph is about 7 inches
in length, of which about half is taken by the deeply forked but broad-
feathered tail. The forehead and side of the head are black, the rest
of the head dark blue ; the throat is metallic emerald green, the lower
portion ornamented by a beard-like tuft of lengthened feathers of a
rich metallic reddish purple. The upper parts of the body are bronzy,
the lower parts white.

The most elaborately decorated Humming Birds belong to the group
known as Coquettes (genera Lophornis and Polemistria), on account of
their frilled, ruffled, and bespangled plumage, their ornamentations
being confined to the head or neck. There are about ten species (of
which all but three occur only south of the Isthmus of Panama), the
most beautiful of which is perhaps the Frilled Coquette (L. magnificus)
of Brazil. In this there is a fan-like ruff or frill on each- side of the
neck, of snowy white, but each feather tipped with a crescent-shaped
bar of glitering green; the crest, of pointed feathers, is rich chestnut
or rufous, while the throat and forehead are emerald green.

Hardly so beautiful but more curiously adorned is Princess Helena's
Coquette (L. helence), of Mexico and Central America. In this the
lapwing-like crest is dark green, the throat glittering green set in a
black border; from each side of the occiput spring three long hair-like
black plumes, while on each side of the neck is a tuft or ruff of black
feathers streaked with buff.

The Adorable Coquette (L. adorabilis) inhabits parts of Costa Eica

312 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

and Veragua. It has the forehead dull ruby red or copper color ; the
very pointed crest snow white, and a tuft of pointed feathers on each
side of the head greenish black.

The Spangled Coquette (L. stictolophus) has a very conspicuous, al-
most fan-shaped crest of a bright rufous color, dotted or spangled with
emerald green.

The Frilled Coquette (L. ornatus) has the forehead and throat rich
metallic green ; the crest of pointed feathers, chestnut ; from each side
of the neck project lengthened narrow feathers of a rufous color, each
with an expanded tip of metallic green.

The Coquette Humming Birds are all of small size, most of them
less than 3 inches long, and none of them much over that length, and,
together with the genera Popelairia and Discura, constitute a strongly
marked group or section of the family, strikingly characterized by the
presence, in both sexes, of a distinct band of white or buff across the
rump, a feature wanting in all other genera.

The Sun-gem (Heliactin cornuta), of Brazil, is one of the most curious
as well as beautiful of Humming Birds, and is furthermore unique in
both form and plumage. The tail is long and wedge shaped, and the
head is ornamented by a flattened tuft of broad imbricated feathers
springing from each side of the occiput, the color of these tufts being
a glowing metallic scarlet, passing into golden yellow at the tips. The
forehead and crown are shining greenish blue, the throat velvety black, ,
the rest of the under parts mostly white, and the upper parts bronzy
green, — certainly not a very extraordinary coloration for a Humming
Bird; but, in the flattened head-tufts mentioned, there seems to be
concentrated enough splendor of color to make up for the absence of
brilliancy from the rest of the plumage, and quite justifying the name
which has been given the bird.

In the mountains of Veragua and Costa Eica dwell two little Hum-
ming Birds called " Snow-caps" (genus Microchem), which are altogether
unlike any others in their coloration. The whole top of the head is
snow white, while the rest of the plumage is rich plum purple (in M.
parvirostris) or blue-black ( M. albocoronata). This coloration is remark-
able for its chaste simplicity, and the little creatures which wear it,
hardly half as big as our Ruby-throat (Trochilus colubris), are certainly
unique in their dainty loveliness.

HUMMING BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES.

Within the borders of the United States only seventeen species of
Humming Birds have been found, and of this number only seven can
be considered as properly belonging to our country, their breeding
range being chiefly or entirely within our limits. These are the Kuby-
throated Humming Bird (Trochilus colubris), Black-chinned Humming
Bird(T. alexandri), Anna Humming Bird (Calypte anna), Broad-tailed
Humming Bird (Selasphorus platycercus), Rufous Humming Bird (8.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 313

rufus), Allen's Humming Bird (8. alleni). and Calliope Humming Bird
(Stellula calliope). Of the remainder six are Mexican species, barely
crossing our border, as follows : Hivoli Humming Bird (Eugenes fulgens),
Blue-throated Humming Bird (Cceligena clemencice), Lucifer Humming
Bird (Calothorax lucifer], Rieffer's Humming Bird (Amazilia fuscicau-
data),* Buff-bellied Humming Bird (A. cerviniventris), and Circe Hum-
ming Bird (lache latirostris}. One species, Costa's Humming Bird (Ca-
lypte costce), is common to southern California, Lower California, and
western Mexico; another, Xantus's Humming Bird (Basilinna xantusi),
is peculiar to Lower California, and therefore not belonging to the United
States as politically bounded. The two remaining species are of uncer-
tain range, one of them, the Violet-throated Humming Bird (Trochilus
violajugulum), being known from a single specimen obtained in southern
California, and the other, Floresi's Humming Bird (Selaspliorus floresii),
having been obtained at two widely separated points, Bolanos, Mexico,
and San Francisco, California, and only one specimen, at each place.
The species first mentioned above is the only one that belongs to the
extensive region east of the Eocky Mountains, even semi-tropical Flor-
ida having hitherto failed to produce a single additional species, even
as a straggler or accidental wanderer from more southern lands. It is
true that Mr. Audubon described and figured in his great work a species
which he called the Mango Humming Bird (Trochilus mango), from a
specimen given him by Dr. Bachmau, said to have been captured at Key
West, Florida; but the speciest proves to be not even a West Indian one,
but belongs to Brazil and other parts of South America, and possibly
was not found at Key West, as alleged. Another South American Hum-
mer, the Tobago Humming Bird (Agyrtria tobaci) has been recorded as
North American on the strength of the alleged capture of a specimen at
Cambridge, Massachusetts; but, while the identification is correct,
there is circumstantial evidence that the specimen was accidentally or
carelessly substituted for an example of the common Ruby-throat in the
shop of the taxdermist who mounted it.

Of the seventeen kinds of Humming Birds which occur within the
limits of the United States decidedly the finest species is that known
as the Eivoli Humming Bird (Eugenes fulg ens), a bird of the Mexican
table-lands, but occurring also in southern Arizona. This fine hummer
is nearly 6 inches in length, being with one exception! much the largest
in our list. The male has the top of the head rich metallic violet, the
throat brilliant emerald-green, contrasted very abruptly with the deep

*This species occurs throughout Central America, from northeastern Mexico south-
ward, and also in northwestern South America as far as Ecuador.

tThe specimen in question is now in the National Museum collection, having been
given to Professor Baird by Mr. Audubon. It is not an example of the true Mango
Humming Bird (Lampornis mango}, which is a Jamaican species, but belongs to the
species known as L. violicauda (Bodd.).

tThe Blue-throated Humming Bird (Cocllgena clemencice), inhabiting the same
region, is about the same size.

314 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

black of the breast, while the upper parts are dark bronzy green.
These various hues are so arranged or contrasted that only one of them
can be seen at once, every change in the bird's position bringing a
different color into view. The most brilliantly colored of our Humming
Birds are species of the genera Calypte and Selasphorus, the former
having two and the latter four species within our limits, all of them
belonging to the western portion of the country.

The males of the species of Calypte have the whole top of the head
of the same brilliantly metallic hue as the gorget, in which respect they
differ from all other of our hummers excepting the Selasphorus floresii,
which is possibly a hybrid between Calypte anna and Selasphorus rufus
or 8. alleni. In Anna's Humming Bird (C. anna) the crown and gorget
are of a richly burnished crimson, changing to purple or even bluish in
certain lights. Costa's Humming Bird (C. costcc) is a much smaller
species, and has the lateral feathers of the gorget much elongated, the
gorget and crown being of the richest violet, changing to purple, blue,
and even green.

The Rufous Humming Bird (Selasphorus rufus) and Allen's Hum-
ming Bird (8. alleni) have the gorget of a surpassingly vivid fiery red
or metallic scarlet, changing to crimson, golden, and even brassy-green,
according to the direction of the light, or glowing like a live coal when
viewed from a certain direction. So far as lumage is concerned these
two species are very much alike, but 8. rufus has the upper parts deep
rufous or brick-color, tinged with green on the back, whereas 8. alleni
is almost entirely green above. The Broad-tailed Humming Bird (S.
platycercus) is larger than either of the preceding species, and has the
gorget soft solferino-pink, with its lateral feathers not elongated — those
of the other two being conspicuously lengthened, as in the species
of Calypte. The remaining North American species of Selasphorus^
Floresi's Humming Bird, has not only the gorget, with its elongated
lateral feathers, vivid metallic scarlet, but the whole top of the head
also; otherwise, it resembles most in color the 8. alleni. It is one of
the rarest of humming birds, only two examples having been met with,
one of them near Bolanos, in Mexico, the other near San Francisco,
California.

The Lucifer Humming Bird (Calotliorax lucifer) has the deepty-forked
gorget of a vivid violet-purple, changing to reddish-purple or blue, ac-
cording to the light. It is the only one of our North American species
having a curved bill.

The Calliope Humming Bird (Stelhila calliope) differs from all others
in having the feathers of the ruff narrowed and strongly individualized,
each being snow-white for the basal portion and metallic purple at the
tip.

The three species of the genus TrocUilus differ conspicuously from one
another in the color of the gorget. In the Euby-throat (T. colubris) its
color is, as the name indicates, a glowing ruby-red. In the Black-

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 315

chinned Humming Bird (T. alexandri) it is velvet-black for the upper
half and metallic violet, changing to blue, on the lower. In the Violet-
throated Humming Bird (T. violajngulum), a species so rare that but a
single specimen has be'en obtained, it is lilac-purple.

We have now exhausted the list of North American Humming Birds,
the males of which are adorned with true gorgets, and have come to a
small group of species which are not only characterized by the absence
of this ornament (though the throat is brilliantly colored in them all)
but also by the form of the bill, which is much broader, with the nasal
valves wholly unfeathered and somewhat swollen, the color of the bill,
in life, being reddish (sometimes deep red) with a dusky tip, whereas
in all the other North American hummers the bill is entirely or mainly
black. Of this group there are three species known to cross the Mex-
ican boundary into the southern parts of Texas and Arizona, while an-
other is peculiar to Lower California. The latter is Xantus's Humming
Bird (Basilinna xantusi), the only known congener of which is the White-
eared Humming Bird (B. leucotis) of the Mexican highlands. The male
of Xantus's Humming Bird has the forehead dark blue, the chin and a
broad stripe beneath the eye velvety black, the throat and chest bril-
liant emerald green, and the tail chestnut. Behind the eye is a broad
white streak. Its Mexican relative is very similar, but differs in the
color of the tail, which is blackish with the middle feathers greenish
bronze, and in the forehead being much brighter blue.

The Circe Humming Bird (lache latirostris) belongs to western Mex-
ico,but occurs just beyond the border in Arizona. The male is bronzy
green above, the under parts brilliant green, changing to sapphire-blue
on the throat, the under-tail coverts white.

The remaining two species occur in the lower Rio Grande Valley of
Texas and belong to the genus Amazilia. They agree in being bronzy
green above, the tail rufous or chestnut (with feathers margined at tips
with bronzy), and in being brilliant green below, changing to brownish
or buffy posteriorly. Reiffer's Humming Bird (A. fuscicaudata) has the
belly and flanks brownish gray, under tail coverts deep cinnamon, and
upper tail coverts chestnut. The Buff-bellied Humming Bird (A. cer-
viniventris) differs in having the belly, flanks, and under tail coverts
pale cinnamon or buff, and the upper tail coverts chiefly green or
bronzy.

The following " key " is intended to facilitate the identification of
genera merely, and excludes very numerous forms not found within the
geographical limits indicated above, though those of contiguous terri-
tory are included. The " key" is essentially the same as that on pages
303 to 309 of the author's " Manual of North American Birds" * modi-
fied, however, to better adapt it to the present work.

* A Manual of North American Birds, by Robert Ridgway. Illustrated by 464 out-
line drawings of the generic characters. Philadelphia : J. B. Lippiucott Company,
1887. Royal octavo, pp. i-xi, 1-6;U, pll. i-cxxiv. Frontispiece (portrait of Prof.
Spencer F. Baird), and memorial leaf.

316 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

KEY TO THE GENERA OF HUMMING BIRDS OOOT7RRING IN THE UNITED STATES,
MEXICO, CUBA, AND THE BAHAMAS.

a1. Anterior toes united for basal half; bill much compressed (except at base), about
two-thirds as long as wing, decidedly arched ; tail graduated, the middle pair of
feathers much longer than the others, all tipped with white or buff; plumage very
dull, almost devoid of metallic colors. (Subfamily Phaethornithince) . . Phaethornis. *
a2. Anterior toes all cleft to the base ; bill never much compressed (usually broader
than deep), less than two- thirds as long as the wing (except in Calothorax and
some species of Doricha), usually nearly straight (distinctly curved only in
Campylopterus, Lampornis, Calolhorax, and some species of Doricha) ; tail variable
inform, but if graduated the middle pair of feathers neither elongated nor white
tipped. (Subfamily Trochilince.)

&1. Inner webs of two outer tail-feathers white, except at end Euplierusa.\

fr2. Inner webs of two outer tail-feathers without white, except sometimes at tip.
c1. Exposed culrnen not more than 45; tail even, two-thirds as long as wing, the

- latter 1.75-2.00c AbeilliaJ

c2. Exposed culmen decidedly more than .45.

dl. Tail nearly as long as wing, wedge-shaped, with feathers broad and
rounded at tips; shafts of three outer quills much (sometimes enormously)

thickened ; wing about 2.60 Sphenoproctus.fy

d2. Tail much shorter than wing; if wedge-shaped, the feathers narrow and

pointed at ends.

c1. Exposed culmen less than one-fourth as long as wing; quills and second-
aries rufous, with darker tips or terminal margins Lamprolaima. \\

e2. Exposed culmen more than one-fourth as long as wing.
/'. Exposed culmen one-half as long as wing, or longer.

gl. Wing 2.20 or more ; tail rounded, the feathers broad ; bill long,
stout, and straight, nearly as long as tail ; outer tail-feathers tipped

with white in both sexes Floricola.il

#2. Wing less than 2.00 (1.30-1.70) ; tail forked in males, double- rounded
in females; bill slender, curved (except in two or three species of
Doricha) ; outer tail-feathers tipped with white only in females.
/i1. Tail shorter than wing or exposed culmen, the feathers pointed in

adult males Calotlwrax.

(P. 358.)

h-. Tail longer than wing, or else longer than exposed culmen, the
feathers not pointed in either sex Doricha.*

* Phaethornis SWAINS., Zool. Jour. 1827, 357. Type Trochilus superciliosus LINN.
(Two species from southern Mexico southward, and numerous species in South
America.)

t Eupherusa GOULD, Mon. Troch. pt. xiv. 1857. Type, Ornismya eximia DELATTR.
(One species in southern Mexico, another in Guatemala, a third in Costa Rica and
Veragua. )

t Abeillia BONAP., Consp. I, 1850, 79. Type, Ornismya abeillei DELATTR. (One spe-
cies in southern Mexico and Central America.)

§ Sphenoproctus CAB. and HEIN. , Mus. Hein. in. 18GO, 11. Type, Ornismya pampa
LESS. (One species in southern Mexico, another in Guatemala.)

|| Lamprolaima REICH., Aufz. der Colib. 1853, 9. Type Ornismya rhami LESS. (One
species in highlands of Mexico and Guatemala. The male has the throat purplish
red, the other under parts rich purplish blue.

^Floricola ELLIOT, Class, and Synop. Troch., Sept. 1878, 82. Type, Trochilus lonyi-
rostris VIELLL. (Two species inhabiting pine forests of Mexican highlands, another
in Guatemala, two or three others in mountains of northern South America.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 317

f2. Exposed culmen less than half as long as wing.

gl. Tail 2.25 or more, rounded, feathers very broad the three outermost
broadly tipped with white in both sexes; shafts of three outer quills

very strong, often enormously thickened CampylopterusA

f. Tail less than 2.25.

hl. Tail more than three-fourths as long as wing; forked for more
than one-fourth its length, the feathers broad and rounded at
tips ; adult males wholly bright green beneath, the tail blue-
black or bronze-black.

11. Middle tail-feathers blue-black, like the rest (tipped with dull

grayish in the Mexican species) ; females and young males
with outer tail-feathers grayish white or pale grayish at tip
and base, bliie-black in middle portion Clilorostilbon.\

12. Middle tail-feathers bronzy ; females and young males without

grayish base or tip to outer tail-feathers Sporadimi8.§

/i2. Tail less than three-fourths as long as wing, variously shaped, but
never forked for more than one fourth its length; adult males
never entirely green beneath.
i1. Lower parts white, the sides sometimes green or spotted with

green ; sexes alike.
j1. Exposed culmen decidedly more than half as long as tail ; top of

head usually metallic blue or violet..-. Uranomitra.\\

j2. Exposed culmen not more than half as long as tail ; top of head
never blue or violet Agyrlria.^

13. Lower parts never pure white.

j}. Tail bright bluish green or greenish blue, crossed near end by

a broad baud of blue-black Petasophora.**

f. Tail not bright bluish green, etc.

fcl. Feathering of forehead extended forward as far as anterior
end of nostrils and partly or entirely covering the scale over
the nostrils.

* Doricha REICH., Aufz. der Colib. 1853. 12. Type, Trochilus enicurus VIEILL. (One
Mexican, one Guatemalan, one Costa Ricau, and two Babarnan species.)

\Campyloptenis SWAINS., Zool. Jour. 1826, 328. Type, Trochilus largipennis BODD.
(One Mexican species— a splendid bird— one peculiar to Guatemala, and several in
northern South America. The first, C. hemileucurus (LiCHT.), is the largest humming
bird found north of the Isthmus of Panama, being nearly 6 inches in length. It is
very possibly the species to which Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, U. S. A., refers in a letter dated
June 9, 1886, aa having been seen by him the day before, near Fort Wingate, New
Mexico, and which he described as being "fully large enough for Eugenes fulgens, and
whirred like an old quail.")

t Chlorostilbon GOULD, Mon. Troch, pt. v, 1853. Type, Trochilus pucherani BOURC.
and MULS. (Three species in Mexico, one in Porto Rico, and about six in South
America.)

$ Sporadinus BONAP., Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1854, 255. Type, Trochilus riccordi GERV.
(One species in Haiti, one in Cuba and Bahamas, and apparently one peculiar to Ba-
hamas.)

|| Uranomitra REICH., Aufz. der Colib. 1853, 10. Type, Trochilusfranciw BOURC. and
MULS. (Four species in Mexico, one in Honduras, one in Colombia, and one in Peru.)

1[ Agyrtria REICH., Troch. Enutn. 1855,7. Type, Trochilus brevirostris LESS. (Two
Mexican and numerous South American species ; some of the latter with lower parts
mostly green ; one of the former, with buffy or rufous belly and flanks.)

** Petasophora GRAY, List Gen. B. 1840,13. Type, Trochilus serrirostris VIEILL.
(One species in Mexico and Guatemala, several in Central and South America.)

318 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

I1. Wing more than 2.40; adult males without a brilliant

gorget, or else the latter neither red, purple, nor violet.
?nl. Tail partly rich chestnut, glossed with bright purple;

bill rather distinctly curved Lampornis.*

m2. Tail without chestnut or bright purple ; bill straight.
nl. Tail wholly (male) or partly (female) greenish bronze*

Eugenes. (P. 319.)

n3. Tail wholly or chiefly black Cmligena. (P. 323.)

Za. Wing less than. 2.25; adult males with a brilliant gorget of

metallic red, purple, or violet.

m1. Middle tail feathers narrower near end than at base.
M1. Exposed culmen 0.60 or more ; outer tail feathers tip-
ped with white only in females.

01. Outer tail feather not decidedly shorter than middle

pair, and not conspicuously narrower than the
next; adult males with six innermost quills ab-
ruptly much smaller and narrower than the rest.

TrocMlus. (P. 325.)

02. Outer tail feather decidedly shorter than the middle

pair and abruptly narrower than the next (except
in C. lielence) ; adult males with innermost quills
normal.

pl. Tail without any rufous; adult males with tail
forked (but feathers not pointed) and top of head
brilliantly metallic, like gorget. Calypte. (P. 333.)
j>2. Tail partly rufous, more or less graduated, in both
sexes; adult males with top of head greenish or
bronzy, totally unlike gorget (except in S. flo-

resii) Selasphorus. (P. 339.)

w3. Exposed culmen not more than 0.50 ; outer tail feathers

tipped with white in both sexes.. ..Atthis. (P. 379.)

m2. Middle tail feathers broader near end than toward base.

Stellnla. (P. 354.)

k2. Feathering of forehead scarcely extending beyond posterior
portion of nostrils, the scale over latter therefore naked for
the greater part at least ; bill very broad at base.

11. Tail blue-black in male, deeply eraargiuated, the middle

feathers tipped with dull grayish ; in female shallowly
emarginate, green basally, blue-black terminally, the
outer feathers tipped with grayish white; adult males
metallic green beneath, the throat bluish.

lache. (P. 371.)

12. Tail not blue-black, etc.

m1. Exposed culmen more than half as long as tail.
nl. Tail rufous or chestnut, the feathers usually with dusky

or bronzy terminal margins Amazilia, (P. 362.)

M2. Tail dull greenish, with dusky subterminal band (ex-
cept on middle feathers), the outer feathers tipped
with dull, light grayish brown; plumage in gen-
eral very dull, *the lower parts dull brownish

gray „. Phawptila^

m3. Exposed culmeu not more than half as long as tail.

SasiU-na. (P. 358.)

* Lampornis SWAINS., Zool. Jour. in. 1827, 358. Type, Trochilus mango LINN.
(One Mexican, several West Indian, and several South American species.)

t Phceoptila GOULD, Intr. Mon. Troch. Oct. ed., 1861, 169. Type, Cyanomyia (?) sor-
dicla GOULD. (The single known species peculiar to Mexico.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 319

In order to render tbe present work more useful to those who wish
to know more about the Humming Birds of our country, the principal
synonymy, a description, and a brief account of the habits of each
species (so far as known), is given in the following pages.

GENUS EUGENES GOULD.

Eugenes GOULD, Mon. Troch. pt.xn, 1856; Introd, Trocb. Oct. eel., 1861,57. Type,
Trochilus fulgens SWAINS.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Tail less than two-thirds as long as wing,
slightly forked or ernarginated; bill straight, more than one-third as
loug as the wing and about half as long as the longest tail feathers.
Size, large (total length, 4.50 inches or more; wing, 2,90-3.10).

Adult males with top of bead rich metallic violet or violet-blue, the
chin and throat brilliant emerald-green or light bluish green; upper
parts dark bronzy green; lower parts (except throat and lower tail-
coverts) plain dusky greenish or dull bronzy; lower tail-coverts paler
greenish or brouz3r, bordered with paler. Adult females with top of
head dull brownish gray or grayish brown, rest of upper parts bronzy
green; lower parts pale brownish gray, the sides and flanks tinged
with green; a small white postocular spot.

There are only two species known of this genus, one (E. fulgens} in-
habiting the highlands of Guatemala and Mexico, north to southern
Arizona, the other (E. spectabilis} the elevated portions of Costa Rica.
They may be distinguished by the following characters:

a1. Adult male: Breast very dark bronzy green, appearing nearly black in some ligbts.
Adult female: Outer tail-feathers very broadly (for about ,35-.45) tipped with
pale gray or dull grayish white. Exposed culmen 1.15. Young: Similar to
adult female, but feathers of upper parts bordered terminally with pale buffy.
Hab. Highlands of Mexico and Guatemala, north to southern Arizona.

E. fulgens (SWAINS). Eivoli Humming Bird. (P. 319.)

a2. Adult male: Breast dull bronzy, or bronzy green, the feathers dull brownish gray
immediately beneath surface; lower tail-coverts green, margined with pale
buffy. Adult female: Outer tail-feathers more narrowly (for about .20-.25)
tipped with darker brownish gray; exposed cuhneu 1.40-1.50. Hab. High-
lands of Costa Rica. E. spectabilis (LAWR). Admirable Humming Bird.*

RIVOLI HUMMING BIRD. Eugenes fulgens (SWAINS).
(Plate xxxv.)

Trockilus fulgens SWAINS. Phil. Mag. I, 1827, 441.

Eugenes fulgens GOULD, Mon. Troch. pt. xn, 1856, pi. 7; vol. u, 1861; pi. 59.

— HENSHAW, Am. Nat. 1874, 241 (Camp Grant, Arizona); Zoo'l. Wheeler's

Surv. 1875, 379.
Refulgent Humming Bird.
L'Eugene de Rivoli (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto verde moutero (Puebla ; Prof. F. FERRARI-PEREZ).
Chuparuirto real de pecho verde y cabeza azul (D'OCA).

* Hdiomaster spectabilis LAWR., Aun. Lye. N- Y. vm. 1867, 472. Eugenes spectabilis
MULS., Hist. ATat. Ois. Mouch. n., 1876, 215,

320 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

RANGE. — Table-lauds of Guatemala and Mexico 5 north to southern
Arizona.

SP. CHAR.— Adult male with crown rich royal purple or hyacinth-
blue, throat glittering ernerald-green, chest black glossed with bronze
or bronze-green, wing-coverts and lower back bronze-green, and tail
uniform, bronzy ; female and young bronzy- green or bronzy above, dull
grayish beneath, more or less spotted with bronze on throat and sides ;
outer tail feathers black subterminally, the exterior two to four tipped
with pale gray or grayish white : length about 4.50-5.00 inches.

Adult male (No. 105650, Puebla, Mexico, September, 1884; Prof. F.
Ferrari-Perez): Forehead dull blackish, with a faint dull green gloss;
crown rich metallic royal purple varying to hyacinth-blue, bordered
laterally and posteriorly by metallic bronze-green (appearing velvety
black when viewed from in front); hind neck, back, scapulars, wing-
coverts, rump, and upper tail coverts metallic bronze-green or greenish
bronze; tail uniform deep greenish bronze (more decidedly greenish on
middle feathers ; remiges dull brownish slate or grayish brown, with a
very faint purple gloss. Gorget (including whole throat, chin, and malar
region, and extending back much farther laterally than medially) bril-
liantly metallic yellowish emerald-green, changing to bluish ("beryl")
green ; chest, breast, and upper median portion of belly deep velvety
black when viewed from in front, but metallic greenish bronze when
viewed from behind ; flanks and lower belly dull grayish brown glossed
with greenish bronze; under tail-coverts paler grayish brown, indis-
tinctly margined with pale dull buff; downy femoral tufts white.
Lores deep black ; a white spot at posterior angle of the eye. Bill
entirely deep black ; feet dusky. Length (skin), 4.75; wing, 2.90; tail,
1.90 (middle feathers, 1.55) ; exposed culmen, 1.00.

Adult female (No. 105706, Jalapa, Mexico; Prof. F. Ferrari-Perez) :
Above bright green, tinged with bronze, becoming duller on top of
head, where passing into dull dusky brownish gray on forehead ; tail-
feathers (except middle pair) bronze green basally, black subterminally,
and pale brownish gray terminally, the latter color, also the black,
most extensive on the outer feather; remiges uniform slate-brown,
very faintly glossed with purple, the tertials with very narrow and
inconspicuous terminal margins of white. Lores dusky, with an
obliquely horizontal bar of white on the lower portion; a distinct
white spot behind the eye. Malar region, chin, and throat dull white,
the feathers light brown medially, forming rather distinct stripes, con-
verging on the chin ; sides of head beneath eyes (including auriculars),
sides of neck, and lateral portions of the body beneath, light brownish
gray, the feathers indistinctly margined with whitish, and those on the
sides of the breast faintly washed with bronze ; under tail-coverts pale
brownish gray bordered with white; middle of belly and median line of
breast and chest dull white; downy femoral tufts white. Bill black,
the lower mandible more brownish, except the terminal portion. Wing,

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXXV.

RIVOLI HUMMING BIRD (Eugenes fulgens).

Male. (Cat. No. 105746, U. S. N. M. .Puebla, Mexico. Collected by Prof. F. Ferrari-Perez.)
Female. (Cat. No. 105706, U. S. N. M. Puebla, Mexico. Collected by Prof. F. Ferrari-Perez.)

'

THE HUMMING BIFDS. 321

2.60; tail. 1.53 (middle feathers only .10 shorter); exposed culinen,
1.15.*

Immature male (No. 105701, Jalapa, Prof. F. Ferrari-Perez): Inter-
mediate in coloration between the adult male and female, as described
above, the crown only partly violet, the throat only partly green, chest
slightly mixed with black, etc., the tail exactly intermediate both in
form and color. Wing, 2.90; tail, 1.85 (middle feathers .20 shorter);
exposed cnlmen. 1.09.

Young female (No. 99367, Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, July 5, 1884,
E. W. Nelson) : Similar to the adult female as described above, but
all the contour feathers of the upper parts margined with pale buffy-
grayish, and under parts darker, with entire sides distinctly glossed
with bronze- green.

This fine Humming Bird was first described by Swainson, in 1827,
but only two years later was redescribed by Lesson, who give it the
specific name Rivoli, in honor of M. Masseua, Prince of Essling and
Duke of Kivoli. Mr. Gould refers to it as being celebrated " for the
beauty of its coloring and the bold style of its markings;" and it is,
indeed, one of the finest of the Mexican species, both as to size and
beauty of plumage.

The habits of the Rivoli Humming Bird are this described by Mr.
Salviu, in The Ibis, 1860, pages 261, 262:

This species is rare at Coban. The place described^ as frequented by Amazilia
dumeriliit is where I Lave found thin species in greatest numbers; indeed, with
two exception^, I have never met with it elsewhere near Dueiias. It is a most
pugnacious bird. Many a time have I thought to secure a tine male, which I had per-
haps been following from tree to tree, and had at last seen quietly perched on a leaf-
less twig, when my deadly iuteution has been anticipated by one less so in fact, but
to all appearance equally so in will. Another Humming Bird rushes in, knocks the
one I co vet off" his perch, and the two go fighting and screaming away at a pace hardly
to be followed by the eye. Another time this flying fight is sustained in midair, the
belligerents, mounting higher and higher till the one worsted in battle darts away
seeking shelter, followed by the victor, who never relinquishes the pursuit till the
vanquished, by doubling and hiding, succeeds in making his escape. These fierce
raids are not waged alone between members of the same species. Eugenes ftilgens
attacks with equal ferocity Amezilia dumerilii, and, animated by no high-souled gen-
erosity, scruples not to tilt with the little Trochilus colubris. 1 know of hardly any
species that shows itself more brilliantly than this when on the wing, yet it is not to
the midday sun that it exhibits its splendor. When the southerly winds bring clouds
and driving mists between the volcanoes of Agua and Fuego and all is as in a No-

* The dimensions of an adult female taken May 28, 1888, in Carr's Gallon, Hua-
chuca Mountains, Arizona, by Mr. Will W. Price, are as follows: Length (skin),
4.80; wing, 2.70; tail, 1.70; exposed culmeu, 1.10.

tThe " western boundary of the llano of Dueiias, which, starting from the village,
and bounded to the eastward by the river Grtiacalate, extends, sweeping by the base
of the Volcan de Fuego, almost to the Hacienda of Capertillo, its southern extremity.
Dispersed over this plain is found, in groves, patches, and isolated trees, a Tree-
Convolvulus, bearing a white ilower and attaining an average height of about 25 or
30 feet."

H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 21

322 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

vember fog in Euglaud, except that the yellow element is wanting, then it is that
Eugenes fulgcns appears in numbers; Amazilia devillei, instead of a few scattered
birds, is to be seen in every tree, and Trochilus colubris in great abundance. Such ani-
mation awakes in Humming Bird life as would hardly be credited by one who had
passed the same spot an hour or two before ; and the flying to and fro, the humming
of wings, the momentary and prolonged contests, and the incessant battle cries seem
almost enough for a time to turn the head of a lover of these things. I have fifteen
males from Duenas to one female.

The Eivoli Humming Bird was first added to the fauna of the United
States by Mr. H. W. Henshaw, while acting in the capacity of natu-
ralist to Lieutenant Wheeler's expedition, under the auspices of the
Engineer Department, U. S. Army. On September 24, 1873, a single
immature female was taken by him in the immediate vicinity of Camp
Grant, Arizona. It was found along a small stream issuing from the
mountains, and when first seen was being pursued by another hummer
which Mr. Henshaw is sure was the same species. The following year,
he again found it in that Territory, though not in the same locality.

Fully expecting [says he*] to find this species a summer inhabitant of the moun-
tain districts of southern Arizona, I was not surprised when, on reaching Mount Gra-
ham, I found the supposition verified. During the first three days of August I
secured two adult males and another female. In talking with the lumbermen of the
neighborhood I learned that the large Humming-Birds had been quite common ear-
lier in the summer, but at that time they had nearly disappeared, though the smaller
birds(S. platycercus) were still quite n inierous. I suppose that daring thematiugsea-
sonthey had made themselves more conspicuous, and indeed had probably frequented
the little valley in which the cabins of these men were built in considerable num-
bers, but had retired, each to some secluded spot deeper in the mountains to rear
their young.

A very beautiful nest was discovered, which save its large size resembles in its
construction the best efforts of the little eastern Ruby Throat. It is composed of
mosses nicely woven into an almost circular cup, the interior possessing a lining of
the softest and downiest feathers, while the exterior is elaborately covered with lich-
ens, which are securely bound on by a network of the finest silk from spiders' webs.
It was saddled on the horizontal limb of an alder, about twenty feet above the bed
of a running mountain stream, in a glen which was overarched and shadowed by
several huge spruces, making it one of the most shady and retired nooks that could
be imagined. The two young which it contained had just been hatched, and the
female was returning to the nest when I caught sight of her, having probably car-
ried away the broken eggshell, fragments of which were still in the nest. The
dimensions of the nest are as follows: Depth, externally, 1.50; internally, 0.75;
greatest external diameter, 2.25: internal diameter, 1.15.

The most recent information that we have respecting the habits of
this species is by Mr. Otho C. Poling, in The Auk for October, 1890
(pages 402, 403), which is as follows:

This Humming Bird is a summer resident in the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona. It
arrives in May, but is nowhere plentiful until the mescal shrubs begin to blossom,
about the middle of June. From this time on during the entire summer one may
observe on almost any hillside below the pine belt large clusters of bright red or yel-
low flowers spreading out from the stalks 10 or 15 feet high. There are many vari-

* Ornithology of Wheeler's Exp., ^875, pp. 379, 380.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 323

eties of this plant and all are favorite feeding resorts of the Rivoli Hummer. I Lave
shot as many as a dozen in a da}' simply by sitting down and watching for them to
come and feed. It is necessary to select a well-matured plant, and at the proper
elevation, as well as in good surroundings of spruce pines. While feeding these birds
range from 4,500 to 8,000 feet altitude or up to the pine belt, their favorite grounds
being where the (lines end on the downward slope. Their flight is exceedingly rapid
at times, but they often fly slowly so that the wings can be easily seen during the
beats. The noise made by this bird's wings during a rapid flight is not like the buz-*
zing of the small Hummers' wings, the beats being more slow and distinct, without
any buzzing noise.

Their note is a twittering sound, louder, not so shrill, and uttered more slowly than
those of the small Hummers.

From July 5 to 9 I examined nine females ; one had already laid and the other con-
tained eggs that would probably have been laid within from 1 to 4 days. On
July 10 ray search for the nest was at last rewarded. The country I had explored
was from 7,500 to 10,ODO feet elevation, where a dense growth of tall spruce pines
covers the hillsides. These pines are all more or less covered with bunches of moss
and lichens. I was resting on a rock in the cool shade beneath one of these trees
when I was suddenly attracted by the noise of a Hummer's wings close to my head.
Looking up I saw a female Rivoli making perpendicular dives at me. After repeating
this until I had moved off a sufficient distance, she alighted upon a small dead twig and
there sat watching me for some moments. As all remained quiet she now flew about
the tree slowly, and when about 50 feet up made a rapid dart to the crotch of a mossy
limb about 10 feet from the trunk, where the nest was built, nearly hidden from the
ground. I now came up, and by throwing things at her flushed her off the nest, but
she at once returned to it. After mnch trouble the nest and the two eggs it con-
tained were secured in safety.

The nest was firmly attached to the limb just beyond a crotch, the limb at the nest
being about an inch in diameter. It is of a uniform oval shape, its diameter outside
being from £.03 to 2.62 inches; inside from 1.20 to l.<5. The depth outside is 1.55
inches; inside it is 0.6*2. It is composed outwardly of hits of fine moss and lichens,
and is indistinguishable from the limbs about it. It is well lined on the inside with
many star-shaped downy seeds of a delicate cream color, similar to those of the com-
mon thistle of the East, but smaller and softer. The two eggs are pure white, shaped
alike at both ends, and measure 0.53 by 0.37 and 0.52 by 0.37 inch.

Genus CCBLIGENA LESSON.

Cccligena LESS., Ind. and Synop. Gen. Troch. 1832, p. xviii. Type, Ornismya clemencice

LESS.

Delattria BONAP., Cousp. i, 1850, 70. Type, Ornismya henrica LESS, and DELATTRE.
Cliariessa HEINE, Jour. fiirOrn., May, 1863, 178. Type, Ornismya henrica LESS, and

DELATTKR.
Himelia MULS., Cat, Ois Mouch, 1875, 7. Type, Ornismya henrica LESS, and DELATTRE,

(fide ELLIOT).

GENERIC CHARACTERS. — Tail more than two-thirds as long as wing,
slightly rounded or double-rounded, the feathers very broad ; bill nearly
straight, less than one-third as long as the wing, and less than half
as long as the longest tail-feathers. Size, large (total length 4.25 or
more; wing, 2.60 or more). Colors, above rather dull metallic green-
ish, changing to purplish-black on upper tail-coverts and tail (except
in C. hemileuca); ear-coverts dusky, or else brilliant green, always bor-
dered above by a distinct white stripe; adult males with the throat
metallic blue, pale violet or amethyst, reddish purple, or pale emerald-
green.

324 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEtJM, 1890.

Five species have been referred to this genus, but it is questionable
whether all of them really belong to it. They may be distinguished as
follows:

a1. Outer tail-feathers broadly tipped with white in both sexes. (Cceligena LESS.)
Lower parts dull gray, glossed with green on sides ; male with the throat
metallic cobalt blue. Hob.: Highlands of Mexico, north to southern Arizona ;
Guatemala. C. clemencice LESS. Blue-throated Humming Bird. (Page 324.)

a2. Outer tail-feathers not tipped with white in either sex. (Delattria BONAP.)
ft1. Lower parts dull grayish, glossed with green on sides.

c1. Adult male with throat metallic reddish purple. Hob. : Highlands of Guate-
mala. C. henrica (LESS, and DELATT.). Henri Delattre's Humming Bird.*
c2. Adult male with throat metallic violet. Hab. : Sierra Madre of southern
Mexico. C. margaritce SALV. and GODM. Mrs. Smith's Humming Bird.\
&2. Lower parts white medially, metallic green laterally.

c1. Ear-coverts dusky green; top of head moderately metallic (green); adult
male with throat pale emerald-green, the feathers margined with white.
Hab.: Highlands of Guatemala.

C. viridipallens (BouRC. and MULS.). Pale- green-throated Humming Bird.t
c3. Ear-coverts and top of head brilliantly metallic emerald-green ; adult male
with throat pale violet or amethyst. Hab.: Highland of Costa Rica.

C. hemileuca (S&lv. ). Amethyst-throated Humming Bird.fy

BLUE-THROATED HUMMING BIRD. Cceliyena clemencice LESS.
(Plate xxxvi.)

Ornismya ckinencice LESS,, Ois. Mouch., 1829, 216, pi. 80.

Cceligena clemenci.ee LESS., Ind. and Synop. Gen. Troch. 1832, Ip. xvin. BREWST.,
Auk, II, Jan., 1885, 85 ("Camp Lowell," Arizona); Apr. 1885, 199 (correction
of locality— Sta Catalina Mountains, not Camp Lowell).

Delattria clemencice BONAP., Consp. I, 1850, 70.— GOULD, Mou. Troch. pt. ix, 1855,
pi. 10; vol. n, 1861, pi. 60.

Clemence's Humming Bird.

Blue-throated Cazique ( GOULD).

Le Creligene de Cle"mence ( MULS ANT and VERREAUX).

Oiseau-Mouche de Cle"meuce (LESSON).

Chnpamirto real de pecho azul celeste (D'OcA).

^ RANGE. — Highlands of Mexico, north to southern Arizona.

SP. CHAR. — Size, very large (length more than 4.50, wing 2.90 — 3.20) ;
lower part dull gray, glossed with green on sides ; middle tail-feathers
black, and outer ones broadly tipped with white in both sexes j adult
male with throat shining blue.

Adult male (No. 76829, Mexico ; Mrs. Ohauncy Riley) : Forehead and
crown dull bronze-green, appearing dull olive in certain lights ; occiput,
hind-neck, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts much brighter green
(nearly a grass-green), lower back and rump light, rather dull, bronze-

* Ornismya henrica LESS, and DELATTR.. Rev. Zool. 1839, 17. Cceligena henrici CAB.
and HEIN., Mus. Heiu. in. 1860, 15.

t Delattria margaritce SALV. and Goi>M., Ibis, Apr. 1889, 239.

t Trochilus viridipallens BOURC. and MULS., Ann. Soc. Lyons, 1846, 321. Cceligena
viridipallens MULS., Hist. Nat. Ois. Mouch. i. 1877, 185.

$ Oreopyra hemileuca SALV., P. Z. S. 1864, 584. Cceligena hemileuca ELLIOT, Class,
and Synop. Troch. 1879, 31.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXXVI.

BLUE-THROATED HUMMING BIRD (Coeligena clemencice).

Male. (Cat. No. 76829, U. S. N. M. Mexico. Collected by Mrs. Chauncy Riley )
Female. (Cat. No. 35159, U. S. N. M. Mirador, Mexico. Collected by Dr. C. Sartorius.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 325

green, the feathers showing narrow and indistinct paler margins ; upper
tail-coverts similar, but much darker; tail black, faintly glossed with
dull blue, the three outer feathers broadly tipped with white, this broad-
est (about .70 of an inch) on outer web of exterior feather ; remiges dull
brownish slaty, very faintly glossed with purplish. A white streak
behind eye, above upper margin of ear-coverts, the latter dusky; this
color extending beneath eye to, and including, lores ; beneath the latter,
a buffy, or rusty- whitish rictal streak extends as far back as beneath
middle of eye. A large patch, with convex posterior outline, covering
chin and whole throat, metallic cobalt-blue, each feather narrowly mar-
gined with pale brownish gray — these edgings very conspicuous in
certain lights and causing a scale-like appearance ; rest of under parts
dull brownish gray, the lateral portions glossed with bronze-green, and
under tail-coverts broadly margined with white ; downy femoral tufts
^lull white. Bill entirely black. ^ Length (skin), 5.00* ; wing, 3.15; tail,
2.20 (middle feathers 2.00) ; exposed culmen, .92.

Adult female (No. 35159, Mirador; Dr. 0. Sartorius) : Similar to the
adult male, but chin and throat dull brownish gray, similar to but a
little paler than the color of the breast, etc. Length (skin), 4.40;
wing, 2.80; tail, 1.90; exposed culrnen, 1.00.

This large and rather dull-colored^species of Humming Bird, named
in honor of Madame Clemence Lesson, was first added to the United
States fauna by Mr. F. Stephens, who on May 14, 1884, took an adult
male in the Santa Catalina Mountains, near Camp Lowell, Arizona, as
recorded by Mr. William Brewster, in The Auk, January, 1885, p. 85.t
It has since been taken in various localities in the southern part'of that
Territory by different collectors (among whom may be named Mr. Will.
W. Price and Mr. Otho C. Poling), but so far as we are aware nothing
has been published by them regarding its habits.

Mr. Gould says that he believes the true and restricted habitat of
this species to be the moderately high table-land of Mexico, and he
adds that, "it is a large and powerful bird . .- . distinguished for
the quietness of its coloring rather than for any of those brilliant
metallic markings so prevalent among humming birds in general."

Genus TROCHILUS LINNAEUS.

TrocMlus LINN., S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 119. Type, by elimination, T. colubris LINN.
Cyuanthtts BOIE, Isis, 1831. Type, T. colulris LINN.
Colubns REICH., Syst. Av. Nat. 1849, pi. 40. Type, T. colubria LINN.
Arcliiloclius REICH., Aufz. Colib. 1854, 12. Type, Trochilns alexandri BOURC. and MULS.
Ornismya MULS. and VERR., Class. Troch. 1865, 91 (nee LESS., 1829). Type, T. alex-
andri BOURC. and MULS.

* The measurements before skinning of a male taken at Camp Lowell, Arizona, by
Mr. F. Stephens, were as follows: Length, 5.40; extent, 7.50 ; wing, 3.10; tail, 1.91;
culoieu from nostril, .88. A skin collected in the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, by
Mr. Will W. Price, measures as follows: Length, 5.00 ; wing, 3.10; tail, 2.00; ex-
posed culmen, .85.

t The locality was first given as Camp Lowell, but this was subsequently corrected
(The Auk, April, 1885, p. 199).

326 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Male with the metallic gorget not elon-
gated laterally. Tail forked or deeply einargitiate, the feath ers pointed,
but the exterior ones not excessively narrow. Six inner primaries
abruptly and conspicuously smaller than the rest, with their inner web
more or less notched and toothed at the tip (except in T. viola jugulum}.

The peculiarity above noted in the reduced size and modified form of
the six inner primaries is most marked in T. colubris, and may be more
particularly described as follows: The outer four prim aries are of the
usual shape, and diminish gradually in size 5 the remaining six, how-
ever, are abruptly much smaller, more linear, and nearly equal in width
(about that of inner web of the fourth), so that the interval between
the fifth and fourth is from two to five times as great as that between
the fifth and sixth. The inner web of these reduced primaries is also
emarginated at the end. This character is even sometimes seen in the
females, but to a less extent, and may serve to distinguish both colit-
bris and alexandri from other allied species where other marks are ob-
scured.

In T. violajugulum trio inner primaries are not ob viously abnormal
either in size or shape, there being, as is usually the case in Humming
Birds, a gradual decre ise in size from the outer quill. A very close
inspection, however, will show that while the distinct emargination at
the tip of the inner web of these remiges in T. colubris and T. alex-
andriis wanting, there is an indication of the tooth like projection just
anterior to the end of the web. In fact, T. alexandri is very nearly in-
termediate in this respect between T. violajugulum and T, colubris, though
nearest the latter.

The female has the outer tail feathers somewhat lanceolate, as in the
male, though much broader. They are broad to the terminal third,
where they become rapidly pointed, the tip somewhat rounded j the
sides of this attenuated portion (one or other, or both) broadly and
concavely emarginated, which distinguishes them from the females of
Selasphorus and Calypte, in which the feathers are broadly linear to near
the end, which is much rounder and without any distinct concavity.

The genus Trochilus, as here restricted, includes three species, all
belonging strictly to North America, though like many other Nearctic
birds they winter chiefly within the tropics. One is eastern, the other
two western, in distribution, one of the latter being, so far as known,
very local in its range.

The three species agree in the following characters of coloration :
Upper parts, including top of head, metallic greenish, varying from
nearly pure green to bronzy; median lower parts whitish, the sides
metallic green; adult males with a portion of the gorget brilliantly
metallic red, rose-purple or violet, the anterior portion velvety black ;
tail-feathers (except middle pair) uniform purplish black. Adult females
and young with chin and throat dull whitish, or pale grayish (some-
times spotted centrally with the metallic color of the male), the rec-

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 327

trices (except middle pair) greenish basally, black subterininally, and
tipped with white.
They may be distinguished by the following characters :

a1. Adult males with chin only and a line thence along anterior lateral edge of gorget

opaque black, the remainder of the gorget reddish.

I)1. Gorget fiery metallic crimson or rub3T-red, changing to golden red. Hob. eastern
North America. T. colubris LINN. Ruby-throated Humming Bird. (Page 327.)
6*. Gorget auricula-purple. Hal). Santa Barbara, California.

T. violajugulum JEFFRIES. Violet-throated Humming Btrd.(Page 329.)
a2. Adult male with more than upper half of gorget opaque black. Lower part of
gorget metallic violet. Bab. western North America.

T. alexandri BOURC. and MULS. Black- chinned Humming Bird. (Page 331.)

RUBY-THROATED HUMMING BIRD. Trochilus colubris LINN.
(Plate xxxvn.)

Trochilus colubris LINN., S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 120.— WILS., Am. Oru. 11, 1810, 26, pi.
10, figs. 3, 4.-NUTT., Man. I, 1832, 588.— AUD., Oru. Biog. i, 1832, 248; v, 1S39,
544, pi. 47; Synop. 1839, 170; B. Am. iv, 1842, 190, pi. 253.— GOULD, Mon. Troch.
in, 1861, pi. 131.— B. B. andR., Hist. N. Am. B. n. 1874, 448, pi. 47, fig. 2.

Trochilus aurigularia LAWR., Ann. Lye. N. H. N. Y. vu, Feb. 1862, 458.

Northern Humming Bird (SwAiNSON).

Red-throated Humming Bird.

L' Ornismya petit rubis (MULSANT and VERREAUX).

Chupamirto rubi (FERRARI-PEREZ).

Chupamirto color de fuego (D'OcA).

RANGE. — In summer, the whole of temperate eastern North America,
north in the interior, to latitude 59°, west to the Great Plains. In
winter, from southern Florida (Punta Rassa, Key West, etc.), Bahamas,
Cuba, Porto Rico, and eastern Mexico through Central America as far
as Veragua ; Bermudas.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male : Chin, and aline thence backward to beneath
the eye, opaque velvety black, the rest of the gorget intense metallic crim-
son, changing to golden red; tail forked for about 0.30-0.35; length
about 3.07-3.75, wing 1.60, tail 1.25, exposed culmen 0.55-0.65. Adult
female: Tail double-rounded, the outer feathers about as long as mid-
dle pair (sometimes a little shorter), the middle pair wholly green,
the rest green basally, then black, the three outer pairs broadly tipped
with white; length about 3.50-3.90, wing 1.80, tail 1.20, culmen 0.70.
Young male: Similar to adult female, but throat streaked with dusky,
feathers of upper parts more or less distinctly margined with pale
buffy, and tail more forked. Young female : Similar to young male,
but throat without streaks, and tail more rounded.

Adult male (No. 2713, Washington, District of Columbia, 1843 ; S. F.
Baird) : Above metallic bronze green, becoming darker and duller on
top of the head, where the metallic gloss almost disappears on the fore-
head— the green brightest on rump, upper tail coverts, and middle
pair of tail feathers ; remiges dull slate blackish, with a faint purplish
gloss ; tail-feathers (except middle pair) darker and with more distinct

328 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

purple gloss. A small white spot at posterior angle of eye ; lores, chin,
and stripe beneath eyes, on each side of gorget, and extending nearly
to the end of the same across ear-coverts, velvety opaque black ; rest
of gorget intensely bright metallic crimson or ruby-red, changing to
brassy or golden and even greenish in certain lights. Chest dull grayish
white, the median line of the breast and belly similar, but darker;
sides and flanks deep sooty grayish strongly glossed with bronze-green ;
under tail coverts light grayish brown or brownish gray broadly mar-
gined with dull whitish. Bill wholly black; feet blackish. Length
(skin), 3.15*; wing, 1.60; tail, 1.20, the middle feathers 0.30 shorter;
exposed culmen, 0.60.

Adult female (No. 1101, Washington, District of Columbia, 1843; S.
F. Baird): Above, similar in color to the male; tail-feathers, however,
except' two middle pairs, tricolored, the basal portion bronze-green,
tips white, and intermediate portion black, the white broadest (about
0.30 of an inch along shaft) on outer feather, the black nearly the same
width (about 0.35 along shaft) on all, the fourth feather tipped with
black for about 0.25 of an inch. Chin, throat, belly, and under tail-
coverts dull white,t chest pale grayish, sides and flanks deeper grayish,
slightly tinged with brown. Bill black, feet dusky. Length (skin),
3.30; wing, 1.80 ; tail 1.05, middle feathers 0.10 shorter; exposed cul-
men, 0.65.

Young male (No. 84118, Mount Carmel, Illinois, August 17, 1870; E.
Eidgway): Similar to the adult female, but upper parts less bronzy,
the feathers indistinctly margined terminally with pale grayish buffy
(observable only in certain lights) ; basal portion of tail-feathers much
duller green. Lower parts as in adult female, but chin and throat nar-
rowly streaked with brownish dusky, and sides and flanks more
strongly tinged with buffy brown. Length (skin), 3.05; wing, 1.65;
tail, 1.10, the middle feathers 0.95 ; exposed culrnen, 0.65.

Young males begin to show the metallic-red feathers of the gorget
the first winter or late during the first autumn, the tail at the same
time remaining the same as described above. Some specimens have
the dusky streaks on the throat broader than in the specimen de-
scribed above, forming small oval or oblong spots instead of streaks.

In adult males there is little variation in color, except that the hue
of the green above varies, as in other species, from a decided bronze to
a clear bottle-green, the average tint being intermediate between the
two, and the color always most decided on the upper tail-coverts and
middle tail-feathers. The color of the throat is sometimes more scarlet
(much the same as in Selasphorus rufus), and there is also some differ-
ence in the color of the lower parts, some specimens being darker than
others.

In adult females there is the same variation in the color of the upper

* The length of the adult male before skinning is about 3.50-3.75.

t In this particular specimen adventitiously stained with brown on chin and throat.

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXXVII.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMING BIRD (Trochilus colubris).
Male. (Cat. No. 88130, U. S. N. M. Stamford, Connecticut. Collected and presented by Dr. R.

W. Shufeldt, U. S. A.)

Female. (Cat. No. 29287, U. S. N. M. Xalapa, Mexico. Collected by R. Montes de Oca.)
Nest. (Cat. No. 23286, U. S.. N. M. Sing Sing, New York. Collected and presented by Dr. A.

K. Fisher.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 329

parts as in the male, and lower parts are more decidedly white in some
specimens than in others ; in others again, but chiefly (?) in autumnal
birds, the flanks are more or less strongly tinged with rusty. Very
rarely (?) is there any dus*ky streaking on the chin and upper throat, and
never (?) is this so decided as is often seen in females of T. alexandri.

Little need be said as to the habits of this well-known Humming
Bird. Its distribution is general over every portion of the continent
from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast and from Canada to the
Gulf of Mexico. Arriving among us when spring is fairly established
and departing just before the first autumnal frosts, these creatures
traverse a distance in their migrations that appears almost impossible
to creatures so minute, many individuals making their winter homes
as far south as Veragua, in the State of New Granada, immediately
north of the Isthmus of Panama. A considerable number pass the
winter as far north as southern Florida, and a few have been seen dur-
ing the same season in southern Texas.

The nest is a beautiful cup-shaped structure ornamented externally
with a mosaic of bits of lichen and warmly lined with plant-down.
The eggs average about 0.50 by 0.30 of an inch.

VIOLET-THROATED HUMMING BIRD. Trochilus violajugulum JEFFRIES.

(Plate xxxvin, Fig. 2.)
Trochilm violajugulum JEFFR., Auk, v, No. 2, April, 1888,168; ib., July, 1889, 223.

RANGE. — Southern California (vicinity of Santa Barbara).

SP. CHAR. — Most like T. alexandri, but larger, with gorget much
more extensively metallic and much more reddish purple in color; tail
much longer and more deeply forked, with outer feather relatively nar-
rower and more pointed.

Adult male (No. 1616, coll. Dr. J. Amory Jeffries, Santa Barbara,
California, May 4, 1883): Pileum dull dusky green — almost black
when viewed from in front, more metallic from behind; rest of up-
per parts, except remiges and rectrices (but including middle pair of
the latter), bronzy green ; remiges and primary coverts dull purplish
dusky; tail (except middle pair of feathers) dull black, the feathers
tinged at tips with metallic green. A small white spot behind eye.
Chin and a rather indistinct stripe thence backwarks beneath eye and
along upper margin of gorget opaque dull black ; gorget metallic, au-
ricula purple* (much less violaceous than in T. alexandri), the posterior

* See the author's Nomenclature of Colors (Little, Brown & Co., Boston), pi. vin,
fig. 3.

In describing the color of the gorget in Humming Birds some allowance should be
made for individual variation. Taking a considerable number of specimens of four
of the North American species (Trochilus alexandri, Calypte costce, AWiis heloisa, and
Calothorax lucifer), the color of the gorget varies so much that it is possible to find
specimens of the four species which are so nearly alike in this respect that what lit-
tle difference may exist can scarcely be described. The average difference, however,
is very decided, and there is more difference in the degree of brilliancy of the surface

330 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

and lateral feathers not lengthened ; chest dull grayish white ; rest of
under parts dull light bronzy green, nearly uniform on sides and flanks,
elsewhere broken by whitish margins to the feathers, these particularly
distinct on the lower tail-coverts and along middle line of the belly.
Bill black, feet dusky. Length (skin), 3.40; wing, 1.85; tail, 1.30; mid-
dle pair of rectrices 0.25 shorter, the lateral one only 0.15 wide in mid-
dle portion.*

Whether this bird represents a distinct species or a hybrid between
Trochilus alexandri and Calypte anna or between the former and Calo-
thorax lucifer can not now be determined; but there is very little, if
anything, in the writer's opinion to give the hybrid theory any weight.
In hybrids between species showing very obvious diiferences of form or
coloration, the characters are invariably intermediate between those of
the two parents ; but only in the shape and coloration of the tail and
coloration of the under parts do we see any approach to C. anna in those
respects which distinguish the present bird from T. alexandri. Mr.
Jeffries says that "the bird is roughly a T. anna without a crown-patch
or ruff, and with violet [?] for sapphire [?].t The tail is of the same type
as in T. anna, but smaller, and the angle spoken off is less than 25°
instead of 33°, so that in the closed tail the outer pair of feathers
overlap instead of crossing as in T. anna."

As to the shape of the lateral rectrices, which Dr. Jeffries compares
with that of C. anna, I find on very careful comparison that there is no
essential difference in this respect between T. violajugulum and T. al-
exandri, as the following diagrams (Fig. 47, page 331) will show:

The outer primary, instead of being narrow and slightly curved, as
in Calypte anna, is broader (though perhaps not relatively so) than in
Trochilus alexandri, and quite as strongly curved towards the tip.

After a very careful examination of the type, I am able to find a really
striking or *' suggestive" resemblance to C. anna only in the coloration
of the under parts, which, except the gorget, is quite the same in the

thau in the color itself, while there are also characteristic differences in the varia-
tions of color depending on different positions as to the light. Thus Attliis has
a distinct green reflection in a certain light, whereas Calypte and Calothorax in the
same light show violet-blue. T. alexandri is much less brilliant and less changeable,
but the individual variation is probably greater, the variation being from the nor-
mal violet through blue to a decided blue-green hue in some specimens, though such
are rare. In T. violajugulum the gorget is a redder purple than in any of the preced-
ing, nearly matching in color the gorget of some examples of Stellula calliope, though
not quite so red.

* The tip of the bill having been shot away, the length of the culmeu can not be
given; the length of the bill from the base of the culmen to the tip of the lower
mandible, however, is 0.68 of an inch.

t We should as little think of calling the color of the throat in T. violajugulum " vi-
olet" as we would the rich metallic purple-red of C. anna "sapphire."

t In Dr. Jeffries description of the outer pair of tail-feathers of C. anna these are
said to be " abruptly narrow and linear shafts * * * forming, at the junction of
the first and second third, an abrupt angle of 25°."

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XXXVIII.

Fig. 1. FLORESI'S HUMMING BIRD (Selasphorus floresii) Gould. (From a specimen in the collection of

Walter E. Bryant (No. 2620). San Francisco, California.)
Fig. 2. VIOLET-THROATED HUMMING BIRD (Trochilus violajugulum) Jeffries. (From the type, in the

collection of Dr. J. Amory Jeffries, Boston, Massachusetts )

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 331

two birds; and it seems to me that, in. the absence of structural char-
acters, as well as those of coloration (further than the slight one noted),
suggesting hybridism between G. anna or any other species, T. viola-
jugulum may ..properly be regarded as a distinct species until more de-
cided evidence to the contrary is obtained.

FIG. 47.-— Outer tail feathers of (1) Oalypte anna, (2) Trochiltis colubris, (3) T. violajiiglum, and

(4) T. alexandri.

BLACK-CHINNED HUMMING BIRD. Trochilus alexandri BOURC. and MULS.

Trocldlns alexandri BOURC. and MULS., Ann. Soc. d'Agric. de Lyon, ix, 1846, 330. —
CASS., Illustr. B. Cal. &c. I, 1854, 141, pi. 22.— GOULD, Mon. TrocC. pt. xiv, 1857,
pi. 4 ; vol. in, 1861, pi. 132.— COOPER, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 353.— B. B. and R., Hist.
N. Am. B. n, 1874, 450, pi. 47, fig. 1.

Alexandre's Humming Bird.

Pnrple-throated Humming Bird (GOULD, CASSIN).

L'Ornismye d'Alexandre (MULSANT and VERRTCAUX).

Chupamirto de pecho morado (D'OcA).

RANGE. — Western United States, between Eocky Mountains and Pa-
cific coast ; east to central Texas and Uintah Mountains, Utah 5 north
to latitude 49°, in British Columbia, between Cascade and llocky Moun-
tains ; breeding as far south as Guaymas, Sonora,; wintering in west-
ern, central, and southern Me<xico.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male: Chin and throat opaque velvety black,
bordered below by a broad baud of metallic violet, changing to green
and blue; tail slightly forked or emarginated (depth of fork only about
0.10 of an inch); length about 3.30-3.75, wing 1.70-1.75, tail 1.20-1.25,
culmen 0.70-0.75. Adult female: Tail much rounded, the middle feath-
ers about the longest; plumage not essentially different from that of
female T. colubris ; length about 3.90-4.10, wing 1.90-2.00, tail 1.20-1.35,
culmen .78-.90. Young: Similar to adult female, but feathers of upper
parts margined terminally with light buffy or pale rusty, the male with
throat streaked with dusky.

Adult male (No. 117256, Final County, Arizona, April 9, 1885; W.
E. D. Scott) : Above very dull bronze-green, the top of the head more
dusky and quite destitute of metallic gloss on forehead; reiniges dusky
slate, slightly glossed with purple; rectrices (except middle pair) pur-
plish black, margined terminally with dull bronze-green, this most
extensive on lateral feathers. A small white spot behind eye. Chin,
upper half of throat (for about .45 of an inch from point of chin), sub-
orbital region, and ear-coverts, opaque velvety black ; lower part of

332 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

throat metallic violet, bat slightly changeable, forming a transverse
band about .22 of an inch wide j chest dull white; median line of breast
and belly light grayish brown, the feathers margined with grayish
white; sides and flanks dull bronze-green, the feathers irarrowly mar-
gined with pale grayish or grayish white; under tail coverts dull brown
ish bronze centrally, broadly margined with white. Bill and feet black.
Length (skin), 3.4Q; wing, 1.72; tail, 1.20, the middle feathers 0.20
shorter; exposed culmen, 0.80.

Adult female (No. 117263, Final County, Arizona, April 14, 1885; W.
E. D. Scott): Above dull metallic bronze-green, passing on top of head
into dull grayish brown, the feathers with paler margins; remiges dull
slate-dusky, glossed with purplish on the terminal portion. Middle
pair of tail-feathers entirely bronze-green ; rest bronze-green basally,
then purplish black, the tip of the outer three white, the latter broadest
on exterior feather, as is also the black; fourth feather with a small
terminal spot of bronze-green. A small white spot behind eye; ear-
coverts dull gray; chin, malar region and upper median portion of
throat white^ sides of throat, with chest and sides of neck, pale gray;
median line of breast, whole belly, anal region, and under tail-coverts,
white; sides and flanks white, tinged with pale grayish and light rufous.
Bill and feet black. Length (skin), 3.65; wing, 2.00; tail, 1.20, middle
feathers 0.08 shorter ; exposed culmen, 0.90.

Young male (No. 117266, Final County, Arizona, July 8, 1884; W. E.
D. Scott): Similar to streaked-throated adult females, but feathers of
the upper parts distinctly margined with dull buff, and remiges without
purplish gloss.

Young female: Not appreciably different from the young male.

In adult males there are the same general variations in color as are
noticed under T. colubris; but the color of the lower throat varies much
more than in that species, the variation being towards blue, some
specimens showing even a green hue on at least the exposed portion of
some of the feathers.

Adult females vary chiefly as to the chin and throat, which are usu-
ally plain white or grayish white, but frequently more or less distinctly
streaked with dusky, even in spring and breeding specimens. Others,
again, even breeding birds, have a distinct rusty tinge or suffusion on
the flanks, as in T. colubris. Very rarely (as in No. 98440, Bed Bluff,
California, May 12, 1884, C. H. Townsend), the middle tail-feathers are
blackish at their tips for a considerable distance.

While the range of this species within the United States is quite
extensive, its distribution is irregular. According to Mr. Beldiug
it is apparently rare or local in central California, although common
along the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, while it winters entirely
south of that State, not having been met with by him during the win-
ter even in the Cape district of Lower California. Mr. W. E. D. Scott*

* The Ank, Oct. 1886, p. 430.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 333

found it to be a " common summer resident in the Catalina Mountains,,
where it breeds very commonly. Arrives early in March, and is abun-
dant by the last of that month. By the last of April the birds are
mated and begin breeding; and I have found nests with fresh eggs
late in July and early in August. By the 10th of October they have
all left the region in question." He found it to be i f uncommon occur-
rence above an altitude of 7,000 feet, but it was common and breeding
at Fort Lowell, " which is north of Tucson and lies at about the same
altitude," though about the latter place Mr. Herbert Brown regards it
as rare, and has not found it breeding.

The black-chiuned Humming Bird has not yet been found as far to
the eastward in the Rocky Mountain district as Selasphorus platycercm
and 8. rufus, the Uintah Mountains, Utah, being the easternmost limit
recorded. In these mountains the present writer found it rather com-
mon in July, 1869, while it was also fairly common in the Wahsatch
Mountains and in the vicinity of Salt Lake City.

It habits are essentially the same as those of the Ruby-throat.

Geims CALYPTE GOUID.

Calijpte GOULD, Introd. Troch. Oct. ed. 1861, 87. Typo, Ornismya costw BOURC.
Leucaria MULSA.NT, Cat. des Ois. Monch. 1875, 29. Type, Ornismya costce BOURC.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Adult males with the top of the head bril-
liantly metallic (red, purple, or violet), like the gorget, with its elon-
gated lateral ruff-like extensions, and the tail emarginated or slightly
forked, with the outer pair of feathers abruptly narrower than the
rest (except in (7. helencs)^ and destitute of white or rufous markings;
adult females with outer tail feathers decidedly narrower than tLe
next, but with broad rounded end, and without any rufous.

In this genus, or subgenus, the primaries are nearly intermediate in
form between those of Trochilus and those of Selasphorus^ though much
more like the former. The males are very easily distinguished by the
characters given above from those of both the other genera mentioned ;
but the females are so much like those of the species of Trochilus in
both form and coloration that size alone is the easiest way to distin-
guish them — that of C. costce being smaller, while that of C. anna is
larger than the female of either species of Trochilus. From the females
of any species of Selasphorus, as well as from that of Atthis, those of
Calypte may be distinguished by the entire absence of any rufous on
the tail.

Of the known species, two belong to California and northwestern Mex-
ico and one to Cuba, the latter being aberrant in some parts of its
structure as well as coloration, and perhaps entitled to subgeneric if
not generic separation. It is the smallest of all Humming Birds, being
considerably less than the Vervain Humming Bird of Jamaica and Hayti
(Mellisuga minima), which hitherto has enjoyed the distinction of being
least among birds.

33 i REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

The three species of Calypte may be distinguished by the following
characters :

a1. Wing not less than 1.70; upper tail-coverts and middle tail-feathers bronze-green;

outer tail-featber of male much narrower than the next.

&'. Tail 1.15 or more (1.30-1.45 in the male) ; adult male with gorget and top of head
metallic purplish red; adult female dull light brownish gray beneath. Hob. :
California, resident, a few migrating to Arizona and northern Mexico in win-
ter. C. anna (LESS.). Anna's Humming Bird. (Page 334.)
&2. Tail not more than 1.10 (still shorter in female); adult male with gorget and
top of head metallic violet; adult female with under parts white. Hob.: West-
ern Mexico, Arizona, Lower California, and southern California.

C. costce (BouRC.). Costa's Humming Bird. (Page 337.)

a2. Wing not more than 1.15; upper tail-coverts and middle tail feathers metallic
blue or greenish-blue; outer tail-feather of male not narrower than the next.
Adult male with gorget and top of head metallic purplish red (as in C. anna} ;
adult female with anterior half of lower parts pale ash-gray, posterior half
white. Hab. : Cuba. C. helence (GUNDL.). Princess Helena's Humming Bird.*

ANNA'S HUMMING BIRD. Calypte anna (LESS.).

Ornismya anna LESS.,Ois. Mouch., 1829, 205, pi. 74.

Trochilus anna jARD.,Nat. Libr. Humming B., i, 1833, 93, pi. 6.—" AUD., Orn.

Biog. v, 1839, 438, pi. 425: Synop. 1839, 170; B. Am. iv, 1842, 1-8, pi. 252.
Calypte annas GOULD, Mon. Trocb., pt. xi, 1856, pi. 5; vol. in, 1861, pi. 135. —
COOP. Ora. Cal. i, 1870, 358.— B. B. and R., Hist. N. Am. B. 11, 1874, 454, pi.
47, fig. 7.

Red-headed Humming Bird.
Anna's Calypte (GOULD).

Chupamirto de cabeza y cuello escarlata (D'OcA).
Le Calypte d' Anna (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Oisean-Mouche Anna (LESSON).

KANGE. — California, resident in warmer portions; performs a partial
migration south through Arizona to table-lands of Mexico; south in
Lower California as far as Cerros Island.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male : Entire head (except occiput), including ruff,
brilliantly metallic purplish red; length about 3.40-3.75. wing 1.90-
2.00, tail 1.30-145, exposed culmen 0.65-0.70. Adult female: bronze-
green above, including top of head, the latter sometimes dull grayish
brown, with little if any metallic gloss ; throat pale gray or grayish
white, the feathers with darker central spots, often mixed with spots of
metallic crimson ; length 3.80-4.15, wing 2.00-2.05, tail 1.15-1.30,
exposed culmen 0.70-0.75.

Adult male (No. 84123, Marin County, California. February 15, 1877;
C. A. Allen) : Entire head (except occiput), including gorget, with its
elongated latero-posterior feathers, forehead, crown, and post ocular
region, rich, brilliant, metallic purplish red, or rose-red, with more
purplish, and in certain lights somewhat golden or bronzy, reflections;
occiput, hind neck, back, scapulars, wing coverts, rump, upper tail-
coverts, and middle pair of tail-feathers metallic bronze-green ; remiges

* Or1horh.i/nchu8 helence GUNDL. LKMB., Aves de la Isla de Cuba, 1850, 70, pi. 10,
fig. 2.— Calypte helence GOULD, Mon. Troch. in, pi. 136.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 335

dusky, with very faint purplish gloss ; tail-feathers (except middle
pair) dull purplish black, with inner webs chiefly pale brownish gray,
the pair next to the middle ones strongly tinged or washed with metal-
lic green. A minute white spot immediately behind eye. Chest pale
brownish gray, the feathers with still paler (grayish white) terminal
margins ; sides and flanks rather dull metallic bronze-green, inclining
to olive in some lights, the feathers indistinctly margined with pale
brownish gray; median line of breast and belly similar, but paler on
account of greater width of the pale grayish margins : downy tufts
between rump and flanks pure white; under tail-coverts white with a
central longitudinal space of grayish olive glossed with green. Bill
and feet black. Length (skin), 3.75, wing 2.00, tail 1.40 (middle feath-
ers 0.25 shorter), exposed culmen, 0.68.

Adult female (No. G052, San Francisco, California, winter 1853-'54 ;
Dr. R. D. Cutts) : Whole top of head metallic bronze-green, less bright
than the back and becoming much duller on forehead; upper parts
otherwise as in the male, except three outer tail-feathers, the first of
which is dull brownish white at tip (for about 0,25 of an inch on outer
web), then black (for about 0.30 of an inch), the basal portion light
grayish brown ; second feather with whitish tip smaller and black sub-
terminal space larger, the basal portion chiefly metallic green ; third
with only a very narrow terminal edging of white, but otherwise like
the second; fourth with merely a blackish spot near tip of each web,
on edge, that on outer web reaching almost to the shaft. Lower parts
as in the male, but malar region, chin, and throat pale brownish gray,
the middle of the latter spotted with metallic red, the ear-coverts
grayish brown. Bill and feet black. Length (skin), 3.80; wing, 2.05;
tail, 1.15 (the outer feathers 0.05 shorter) ; exposed culmen, 0.70.

Youngmale: Similar to the adult female, but tail different, the whitish
tips and blackish subterminal spaces of the two outer feathers being
much less distinct. Autumnal specimens show metallic red feathers,
mixed with the first plumage, on crown and throat.

Young female (No. 79671, Tejon Mountains, California, August 19,
1875 ; H. W. flenshaw) : Similar to the adult female, but feathers of
upper parts, particularly on those of rump and the upper tail-coverts,
very narrowly margined at tips with pale grayish bufify.

Adult males vary somewhat in the color of the crown and throat,
some being more purplish red than others. One (No. 5501, Petaluma,
California, E. Samuels), has the crown glossed with steel-blue in cer-
tain lights.

Females with metallic feathers on the throat seem to be the rule
rather than the exception in this species; at least, of the 11 specimens
now before me, 8 have the throat thus ornamented, though the extent
of the metallic red spotting varies greatly.

Perhaps the most beautiful of North American Humming Birds,
this species, named by M. Lesson after Mme. Anna, Duchesse de

336 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

Rivoli, is one of the most abundant of those occurring in the State of
California, where it remains throughout the year. Its distribution
within that State is pretty general, though it is said to be much less
frequent in the low valleys than in the mountains in summer, probably
on account of the comparative scarcity of flowers. At San Diego it is
said to be more numerous in winter than in summer, as is probably
the case in other parts of southern California. Mr. Belding did not
find it in Lower California farther south than Cerros Island, where he
took a single specimen in April. Those individuals which pass beyond
the United States during their winter migration appear to go to north-
ern Mexico by way of Arizona, Mr. Henshaw having found it common
in the vicinity of Camp Grant from September 24 to 27, 1873. Mr.
Scott, however, found it so rare in that Territory that he met with but
a single specimen, which he took on October 1, 1883, in the Catalina
Mountains, at an altitude of 5,000 feet, and he says * that Mr. Herbert
Brown has no record of its occurrence about Tucson at any season.

At the place where Mr. Henshaw found them they were " by no
means rare," as he saw in the neighborhood of 20 during the four days
which he spent in collecting there. " They were always seen in the
immediate vicinity of the creeks, where only at this late season there
remained a few of the bright flowers- about which they were seen hover-
ing. Their large size rendered them very conspicuous among the other
species, and as if aware of this they were much the shyest of all."t

I have referred above to the beauty of this species, a fact which
seems to have impressed Mr. Gould also, judging from the following,
from Vol. in of his Monograph of the Trochilidse (p, 135) :

When studying the diversified forms and coloring of the Trochilidae, I have fre-
quently been struck with the fact that those districts or countries having a metal-
liferous character are tenanted by species of Humming Birds which are more than
ordinarily brilliant and glittering. This is especially the case with the species in-
habiting Mexico and California: in illustration of this assertion, I may cite the three
California species, Sclasphorm rufus, Calypte costce, and the present bird, C. annw, all
of which are uuequaled for the rich metallic brilliancy of certain parts of their
plumage, by any other members of the family. The two latter, C, costm and C. annw,
have not only the throat, but the entire head as glitteringly resplendent as if they
had been dipped in molten metal.

For a very interesting account of the nesting habits of Calypte anna,
the reader is referred to an article, headed " Notes from California," in
the Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. vn, p. 139.

* The Auk, October, 1886, p. 431.

t Report on Ornithological Specimens, Wheeler's Exp., 1873, pp. 130, 131.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 337

COSTA'S HUMMING BIKD. Calyple costw (Bouitc.).
(Plate xxxix.)

Ornismya costce Bouuc., Rev. Zool. 1K39, 294.

Calyple coslfv GOULD, Mou. Troch. pt. xi, 1856, pi. 7; vol. in, 1861, pi. 134.— COOP.,
Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 360.— B. B. aud R., Hist. N. Am. B. 11, 1874, 457, pi. 47, tig. 8.
Costa's Calypte (GOULD).

La Leucaire de Costa (MULSANT aud VEKREAUX).
Oiseau-Mouche de Costa (BoURCiKii).
Cliupamirto de gola y cabeza violada (D'OCA).

RANGE. — Southern California, Lower California, Arizona, and western
Mexico,

SP: CHAR.— Adult male with top of head, gorget and raff brilliantly
burnished metallic violet, changing to royal purple, blue, and sometimes
even to green in certain lights; length about 2.75-3.20, wing 1.75-1.90,
tail about 1. 10, exposed cuimen, O.G5-0.68. Adult female with top of
head dull grayisli brown anteriorly, changing to bronze or bronze-green
posteriorly, like color of back, etc.; chin and throat grayish white, some-
times spotted with metallic violet; basal portion of lateral tail-feather
pale grayish brown; length about 3.55-3.70, wing 1.70-1.80, tail 1.05,
exposed cuimen 0.65-0.70.

Adult male (No. 99215, Tucson, Arizona, March 18, 1884; E. W. Nel-
son): Whole top of head, chin, throat, ear-coverts and much elongated
feathers (extending nearly 1 inch from chin-angle) on side of throat
richly burnished metallic violet, changing to royal purple and blue in
different lights; rest of upper parts, except remiges, bronze-green ;
remiges dusky slate, faintly glossed with purplish; tail (except middle
pair of feathers) grayish dusky glossed with green, this more distinct
toward middle feathers, the inner web of outer feather considerably
paler, and the three outer feathers darker near tip. A small white
spot behind eye. Lower foreneck and chest white; sides and flanks
deep metallic bronze green; median line of breast and belly pale gray-
ish or dull grayish white; silky tufts between rump and flanks, pure
white; under tail-coverts bronze-green centrally, white around margins.
Bill and feet black. Length (skin) 3.15, wing 1,75, tail 1.05, middle
feathers 0.15 shorter, exposed cuimen 0.68.

Adult female (No. 99216, Tucson, Arizona, May, 1884; E. W. Nelson):
Top of head dull light brownish gray, passing on occiput into dull me-
tallic bronze green and this into lighter brouze-greeu on back, scapu-
lars, wing coverts, rump, upper tail-coverts, and middle pair of tail-
feathers; the feathers of the back, etc., showing, in certain lights, very
indistinct terminal margins of pale buffy grayish; remiges dull brown-
ish slate, very faintly glossed with purplish; rectrices next to middle
pair metallic bronze-green, broadly tipped with black; next pair simi-
lar, but black much more extensive and the tip white (for about .05 of
an inch); next pair with white tip much wider, and the basal portion
green only next to the black band, the remaining part pale brownish
H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 22

338 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

gray; outer pair similar but with basal portion wholly pale brownish
gray, and the white tip slightly longer (extending about ,20 of an inch
from tip). A small white spot behind eye; beneath this an oblique
patch of brownish gray, extending from lower eyelid across ear-coverts
and gradually fading into the white of the throat; chin, throat, breast
belly, and under tail-coverts dull white; feathers of sides and flanks
pale bronze-green, broadly margined with pale buffy grayish or brown
ish white. Bill and feet black. Length (skin) 3, wing 1.80, tail 0,9'5
(outer feathers 0.10 shorter), exposed culmeu 0.65.

Younff male(Ro. 993G9, Santa Kita Mountains, Arizona; J4.W. Nelson) ,
Much like the adult female, as described. above, but top of head dull,
faintly metallic, bronze-green, like back, etc., and all the feathers of
upper surface of head and body distinctly margined terminally with
pale grayish buff, this most conspicuous on rump; rectrices with both
the white tips and black subterminal spaces less extensive, and basal
portion of outer feathers faintly glossed with green ; oblique patch from
beneath eye and across ear-coverts much darker; posterior part of sides
of throat spotted with dusky grayish brown, the more anterior portion
and chin marked with much smaller and paler spots; middle of throat
metallic violet.

Young female (No. 117281, Final County, Arizona, May 27, 1885; W.
E. D. Scott) : Like the young male, as described, but entire throat, with
chin, immaculate white, shading into pale brownish gray on sides of
neck ; forehead and crown pale brownish gray, the feathers with small
central spots of darker; tail much as in adult female.

Adult males vary somewhat in the changeable reflections of the crown
and ruff, which usually varies from a pure magenta or aster purple,
through violet, to light steel blue, with occasional greenish tints, accord-
ing to the position in which the bird is held, some specimens showing
the blue and green reflections more strongly than others. In one exam-
ple, a "mummied" skin from San Quentiu Bay, Lower California (No.
96615, May 9, 1880, L. Belding), a portion of the crown and the tips of
some of the ruff feathers are permanently or unchangeably bright green ;
but possibly this maybe the result of contact with thecarbolicacid with
which the specimen was preserved. There is also a good deal of varia-
tion in the distinctness of the markings on the under tail-coverts, some
specimens having the central portions of these feathers very faint gray-
ish, others very deep bronze or bronze green.

Some adult females show metallic violet, bluish, or bluish green feath-
ers on the middle of the throat, but usually these are altogether absent.

This beautiful Humming Bird, named by M. Bourcier in honor of M.
le Marquis Costa de Beauregard, is also an inhabitant of California, but
unlike C. anna is of very limited distribution in that State. According
to Dr. Cooper it has been taken as far north as San Francisco, but it is
probably only a straggler there, and it is said to be very rare in Ven-
tura County. It is common during summer in the canons of the San

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XXXIX.

COSTA'S HUMMING Bmv(Calypte costce).

Male. (Cat. No. 117272, U. S. N. M. Final County, Arizona. Collected by WED Scott )
Female. (Cat. No. 117272, U. S. N. M. La Paz, Lower California. Collected and presented bv
L. fielding.)

California' Collected and presented by L.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 339

Bernardino foot-hills, and breeds also on the Colorado Desert, where
its nest was found by Mr. I<\ Stephens as early as March 18. It winters
abundantly in the Cape district of Lower California, but none are
said to winter so far north as San Diego. It breeds in the Cape dis-
trict, but is much less common there in summer than in winter. In
southern Arizona it occurs abundantly during its migrations, and also
breeds in those localities, which seetn specially adapted to it.
Says Mr. W. E. D. Scott*:

In 1884 I did iiot meet with tlie birds in the Catalinas till late in July, ami then
only sparingly. But in 1835, in the same locality, the birds were very common by
April 5, particularly the males, in tho most gorgeous plumage. The absence of
adult females for the next six weeks was very noticeable. I think I took only three,
though the males were common all the time. About the 20th of May young birds
of the year began to be abundant, and adult birds of either sex were diffiult to fiiid-
The young birds were common all through June; I could often count twenty near
my house; but after June 1 I was unable to get any adult birds of either sex. I do
not think the birds bred in tho Catalinas, but think that probably they did breed in
numbers on the San Pedro River.

Two nests of this species, collected at La Paz, by Mr. Belding, are
quite different in size and shape. Both are ordinary looking structures,
composed of dull gray lichens and small pieces of thin bark, held to.
gether with spiders' webs, the interior containing a few soft small
feathers, in one nest apparently of the summer yellow bird (Dendroica
ceyliva). The larger nest measures about 1£ inches in diameter by a
little more than 1 inch in depth, the cavity being about O.L by 0.80;
the smaller one measures about the same in diameter across the top,
but is much narrower at the bottom, is less than 1 inch high, and has
a shallower cavity with much thinner walls. Each contains a single
egg, one measuring 0.30 by 0.50, the other 0.32 by 0.50. The identifica-
tion is positive, the parent bird accompanying each nest. One of these
females has a very large spot or patch of metallic violet on the throat,
while the other has instead only a few dusky specks.

GENUS SELASPHORUS SWAINSON.

Selasphorus SWAINS., Fauna Bor.-Am. II. 1831, 324, and 496. Type, Trochilus rufus
GMEL.

GENERIC CHARACTERS. —Adult males with the tail-feathers partly
rufous, the outer primary narrow and pointed (except in three of
the Central American species t), and the tail more or less graduated,
with some of the feathers, at least, more or less pointed; top of head
greenish, or at least not similar in color to the gorget (except in S.
floresii).

The species of this genus, or subgenus, differ so much among them-
selves in points of structure that I am not able to give any better diag-

*The Auk, Oct., 1886, p. 4:U.

t S. torridus SALV., S. ardens SALV., and S. flammula SALV., have the tip of the outer
primary rounded.

340 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

nosis than the above. The typical species are easily recognized, so
far as the males are concerned, by the narrow and pointed outer prim-
ary, all of the northern species possessing this character, while one
of the southern species (8. scintilla) does also; while as to coloration,
the males of all are characterized by a greater or less amount of rufous,
longitudinally disposed, on at least some of the tail-feathers. The tail
is more or less graduated or wedge-shaped, except in 8. platycercus, in
which six middle feathers are about equal in length, the two outer pairs,
successively, decidedly shorter. All have a more or less brilliant me-
tallic gorget, which in all of the species except S.platycercus has the
postero-lateral feathers elongated into a conspicuous "rufl."" Only
S.floresii has the top of the head brilliantly metallic (the same color
as the throat), thus showing an affinity to the genus orsubgenus Galypte,
which, however, has an emarginate and differently colored tail and
very differently shaped outer primary.

It is very difficult to recognize generic or subgeneric characters in
the females; but their more graduated tails, with a considerable quan-
tity of rufous on the basal portion of at least three of the rectrices,
will distinguish them from the females of any other North American Hum-
ming Birds, except Stellula calliope, which has the rufous much more re-
stricted as well as paler and duller, and the six middle feathers of some-
what spatulate or pandurate form ; and from those of any Mexican
genera except Atthis, Doricha, and Calothorax, which, except the first,
differ in having a curved bill and short middle tail leathers.

The female of Atthis heloi sa is essentially similar to that of some spe-
cies of Selasphorus in the coloration of the tail, but the latter is double-
rounded, and the outer primary is much broader.

The known species of Selasphorus may be distinguished as follows:

MALES.

a1. Top of the head brilliant metallic red, like the gorget. Hdb. : Western Mexico ;
San Francisco, Cal. f

S. floresii GOULD. FloresVs Humming Bird. (Page 341.)
a1. Top of the head greenish, totally different from the color of the gorget.

61. Middie tail-feathers rufous, with a median streak or stripe of black; gorget

brilliant fire-red or metallic scarlet.

c1. Upper parts (except top of head) rufous, sometimes glossed with green on the
back. Hob. : Western North America south to Mexico.

S. rufus GMEL. Rufous Summing Bird. (Page 343.)
c2. Upper parts mainly metallic green.

d1. Larger (like (S. rufus), with upper tail- coverts wholly rufous. Hal. : British
Columbia to Arizona. S. alleni HENSH. Allen's Humming Bird. (Page347.)
d2. Smaller (wing only 1.30, culmen less than .50), with upper tail-coverts partly
green. Hob. : Costa Rica and Veragua.

S. scintilla GOULD. Sparkling Humming Bird.*

62. Middle tail-feathers merely edged with rnfous or (in S.platycercus} with no ru-

fous whatever.

* Trochilus (Selasphorus) scintilla GOULD, P. Z. S., 1850, 162.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 341

c'. Middle tail-feathers edged with rufous; outer primary not attenuated at tip.

dl. Middle tail-feathers purplish black with little or no metallic green, this,

if present, on outer web only and not extending nearly to the shaft-

(Gorget metallic "pomegranate-purple," uot very brilliant.) HAB. Ve-

ragnaand Costa Rica, S. ardens Salv. Blazing Humming Bird.*

d2. Middle tail-feathers, metallic green, the inner web (only) sometimes partly

purplish black.

e[. Gorget dull " heliotrope-purple," or dull grayish purple, with silvery or
even greenish reflections. HAB. Veragua.

S. torridus SALV. Parched Humming Bird.\

e2. Gorget dull lilac-purple or wiue-purple. HAB. Costa Rica and Veragua.

S.flammula SALV. Flaming Humming Bird.l

c2. Middle tail-feathers metallic green, without rufous edgings ; outer primary at-
tenuated and curved outward at tip ; wing, 1.85 or more. (Gorget rose-
purple or solferino.) HAB. Rocky Mountain district, south to Guatemala.
S. platycercus ( SWAINS. ) Broad-tailed Humming Bird. (Page 350. )

FEMALES.

a1. Outer tail-feathers tipped with white.
ft1. Wing not less than 1.65.

c2. Wing more than 1.90 (2.00-2.10), middle tail feathers without any rufous, and.
next feather with merely a slight edging of this color if any.

S.platycercus.
c2. Wingless than 1.90 ; middle tail-feathers with more or less of rufous on basal

portion, the next feather with basal half or more rufous.

dl. Outer tail-feather about .15 wide across middle of black space; wing 1.75-

1.80. S. rufus.

d'2. Outer tail-feather only .10 wide across middle of black space; wing 1.65-

1.70. S. alleni.

b~. Wing less than 1.65. S. torndus.

a2. Outer tail-feathers lipped with light cinnamon-rufous or ochraceous-buff.

61. Middle tail-feathers margined on both webs with cinnamon-rufous; outer tail-

feathers with both webs rufous at base.

c1. All the tail-feathers except middle pair cinnamon-rufous across both webs at
base. s. scintilla.

c2. Only three outer tail-feathers cinnamon-rufous across both webs at base.

S. ardens.

62. Middle tail-feather with only the outer web margined with cinnamon-rufous ;

outer tail-feather with only the inner web rufous at base. S. flammula.

FLORESI'S HUMMING BIRD. Selasphorus rulromitratus RIDGW.
(Plate xxxvui, Fig. 1.)

Selas2)horus floresii GOULD, Mon. Troch. pt. xxm, Sept. 1, 1861, pi. 10; vol. in, 1861,
pi. 139 (nee Trochilus floresii BOURC., Rev. Zool. 1H46, 316).— BRYANT, Forest
and Stream, xxvi, No. 22, July 24, 1886, 426 (San Francisco, Cal.).
Trochilus floreaii GRAY, Hand., 1. 1, 1869, 144 (Subgen. Selaspltorus).— RiDGW.-Man.
. N. Am. B. 1887, 315.— A. O. U., Abridged Check List, 1889, No. 431.1.
Trochilus ruhromitratus and Selasphorus rubromitralus, RlDGW., Auk.vin, Jan., 1891, 114.
Le Selasphore de Floresi (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto de corona y pecho escaiiata (D'OCA).
Floresi's Flame-bearer (GOULD).

* Selaspliorus ardens SALV., P. Z. S. 1870, 209.
\Sdasphorus torridus SALV., P. Z. S. 1*70, 208.
t Selasphorus flammula SALV., P. Z. S. 1864,586.

342 REPORT OF 'NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

BANGKE. — Southwestern Mexico (Bolanos, State of Oaxaca); acci-
dental near San Francisco, California.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male similar in color to Galypte anna, but red of
the head more scarlet, and tail-feathers largely rufous-chestnut ; outer
primary much narrower than in G. anna, and tail of very different
shape, the lateral pair of rectrices being much shorter than the middle
pair, instead of the reverse.

Adult male (No. 2620, coll. Walter E. Bryant, San Francisco, Cali-
fornia): Whole top of head, except occiput, together with entire chin
and throat, including the elongated postero-lateral feathers of the gor-
get, intense, glowing metallic rose-red, changing to metallic scarlet,
especially on chin and upper part of throat; occiput, hind neck, back,
scapulars, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts metallic bronze-
green; remiges dusky, or dull brownish slate, faintly glossed witli
purplish; middle pair of tail-feathers metallic green (much less bronzy
than back, etc.), the outer web broadly edged with rufous-chestnut
nearly to the tip, the inner web similarly marked for basal half; next
feather chestnut-rufous with a median stripe of purplish-black, this
stripe gradually coming to a point before the base of the feather is
reached, but in the other direction widening so as to reach the edge of
each web about .25 of an inch from the tip; next feather similar, but
the black occupying whole width of outer web to a distance of half an
inch from the tip, but much restricted on inner web ; next feather with
the black extending about as far along the edge of the outer web, but
not reaching further along the shaft, while on the inner web it follows
the shaft no further than .20 of an inch from the tip ; outer feather
dusky, with shaft chestnut-rufous nearly to the tip and inner web a
paler tint of the same for about the basal half. Chest pale brownish
gray, paler anteriorly against the lower margin of the metallic gorget ;
middle line of breast and belly similar ; sides and flanks metallic bronze-
green, the feathers margined with pale brownish gray ; axiliars and
adjacent smaller under wing-coverts, light chestnut or cinnamon-rufous ;
femoral downy tufts white; under tail-coverts pale cinnamon-rufous,
becoming grayish white on latero basal portion. Bill, black. Wing,
1.70. Tail, middle feathers 1.00, longest feathers (third pair) 1.20,
shortest feather (outer pair) 0.95,* exposed culmen 0.65.

The adult male described above agrees exactly with Mr. Gould's
description and colored figures except in some minor and unessential
points, and since Mr. Gould's description and figures, though from the
same specimen, do not agree with one another, it is altogether likely
that neither is quite correct. Mr. Gould describes the color of the
middle pair of tail-feathers as "green with purple reflexions,'7 and the
lateral ones as having the outer webs "purple" and the "inner webs
deep reddish buff," but they are not so colored in the plate, which

*The tail being widely spread, these measurements, may not be more than approx-
imately correct.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 343

represents the middle pair as green with a continuous broad border of
rufons, and the outer pair as uniform purplish dusky, the intermediate
feathers being rufous with a narrow median stripe of purplish dusky,
expanding into a wedge-shaped space near the tip. The coloration of
the tail as represented in the plate agrees very well with that of the
San Francisco specimen, except that the latter has the basal half of
the inner web of the outer tail-feathers rufous, and lacks the rufous
border arouud the end of the middle feathers, the rufous running out
to the edge a little past the middle of the feather, and thus confined to
a little more than the basal half.

This most beautiful Humming Bird is so rare that only two examples
have been recorded, while the female is unknown. The history of the
type specimen is thus told by Mr. Gould:

One of the very finest birds in the Locldigesian Collection was presented to the
late Mr. George Loddiges by Mr. Floresi. The specimen is in the best state of
preservation, and the bird must have been killed immediately after its moulting
had been completed, when its plumage was in its greatest beauty. It would, indeed,
be most difficult, if not impossible, to represent the color of the head and throat by
any artistic means at our command. In brilliancy it fully equals that of the freshly
moulted males of Selaaphoras rufus, but differs from that and all the other known
species of the genus in having the entire crown, as well as the gorget, of the brightest
flame color. In the form and coloring of its tail it is a true SeJaspUorus while the
disposition of the colors of the body allies it to Calypte.

I have been kindly permitted by Miss Loddiges to take a drawing of the bird, and
that lady has also placed in my hands the following note made by her father in
reference to this species:

"August 11, 1845. Mr. Floresi sent me a most beautiful Humming Bird, which I call
Floresii. It is from Bolanos, and is nearly allied to Anna, but is much more brightly
colored ; viewed in front, it is scarlet, the sides of the collar are ruby color or crimson,
the head is bright ruby color, and the tail is something like that of platycercus, but
has brown inner webs. Mr. Floresi says it is the only one he has ever seen.

The specimen which I have described above was discovered in a tax-
idermist's shop in San Francisco, California, in 1885, by Mr. Walter E.
Bryant, of that city, to whom I am indebted for the pleasure of inspect-
ing it. It had been mounted as a " hat bird," and the taxidermist
who stuffed it assured Mr. Bryant that the specimen had been killed
in the vicinity of the city. (See Forest and Stream, vol. xxvi, p. 426.)

RUFOUS HUMMING BIRD. Selatphorm rufus (GMEL.).
(Plate XL.)

Trochilus rufus GMEL., S. N. i, 1788, 497.— AUD., Orn. Biog. iv, 1838,555.— NUTT.,

Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 714.

• Trockilm (Selasphorus) rufus SWAINS., F. B.-A. n, 1831, 324.
Selasphonts rufus AUD., Synop. 1839, 171; B. Am. iv, Ib42, 200, pi. 254.— GOULD,
Mou. Troch. pt. in, 1854, pi. 5 (part) ; vol. in, 1861, pi. 141 (part).— COOP.,
Orn. Cal. i, 1870, 355.— B. B. and R., Hist. N. Am. B. n, 1874, 459, pi. 47,
fig. 4.

Selasphorus henshawi ELLIOT, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, u, Oct. 1877, 97, 102 ; Class, and
Syiiop. Troch. 1879, 111.

344 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

Nootka Sound Humming Bird.

Ruff-necked Humming Bird (LATHAM, AUDUBON).

Ruff-necked Honey-sucker (PENNANT).

Cinnamon, or Nootka Humming Bird (SwAiNSON).

Rufous-backed Humming Bird.

Rufous Flame-bearer (GOULD).

Le S<51asphore sasin (MULSANT and VERREAUX).

Chupamirto pecho dorado (D'OCA).

RA.NGE. — Western North America, breeding from the higher moun-
tains of southern California northward, near the coast, to Nootka
Sound, Alaska; during migrations, east to Montana, Colorado, New
Mexico, and western Texas ; wintering on table-lands of Mexico.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male with the upper parts, except top of head and
wing-coverts, deep cinnamon-rufous or brick-color, the back sometimes
washed with green but never continuously of this color; top of head
dull bronze or bronzy green; gorget intensely brilliant metallic scarlet,
changing to golden in certain lights; chest white, the remaining under
parts light cinnamon-rufous, paler along medfan line. Tail-feather next
to middle pair with a notch near end of inner web, the outer web sinu-
ated near tip; outer tail-feather more than 0.10 of an inch wide;
length, about 3.25-3.70; wing, 1.50-1.60; tail, 1.30-1.35; exposed cul-
men, 0.60-0.65. AduHfetnale, bronze-green above ; all the tail-feathers,
including middle pair, cinnamon-rufous basally, the three outer broadly
tipped with white and crossed by a broad subterminal band of black ;
terminal or subtermiual portion of fourth feather also black, the white
tip, if present, very small ; outer feather more than 0.10 of an inch
wide ; chin, throat, chest, and median portion of breast white, other
lower parts pale cinnamon-rufous ; throat usually spotted with metallic
scarlet or golden red, often with a considerable patch of this color;
length, about 3.50-3.90; wing, 1.75-1.80; tail, 1.12-1.30; exposed cul-
men, 0.65-0.72.

Adult male (No. 2896, Columbia Eiver, Oregon, May, 1835; J. K.
Townseud) :. Forehead and crown dull bronze, without greenish tinge ;
wing-coverts greenish bronze; remiges dusky, or dull brownish slate,
very faintly glossed with purplish ; rest of upper parts uniform deep
cinnamon-rufous, without a trace of green; rectrices with a broad
median streak of purplish dusky on the terminal portion (this streak
about .45 of an inch long on middle feathers), but on two outer feathers
this dusky color confined to outer webs. A small white spot immediately
behind eye. Lores, suborbital region, and ear-coverts light cinnamon-
rufous. Chin and entire throat, including the elongated postero-lateral
feathers or "ruff," intensely brilliant metallic scarlet, more purplish, or
ruby, red in some lights, golden red in others ; chest white ; rest of
lower parts light cinnamon-rufous, deeper on sides and flanks ; downy
tufts between rump and flanks white, tinged with rufous. Bill and feet
black. Length (skin), 3.40; wing, 1.50; tail, 1.20, lateral feathers, 0.30
shorter; exposed culmen, 0.62.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XL.

RUFOUS HUMMING BIRD (Selasphorus rufus).

Male. (Cat. No. 91741, U. S. N. M. Baird, California. Collected by Charles H. Townsend.)
Female. (Cat. No. 94678, U. S. N. M. Santa F6 Mountains, New Mexico. Collected by H. W.

Henshaw.)
Nest. (Cat. No. 3026, U. S. N. M. Port Townsend, Washington. Collected by J. G. Swan.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 345

Adult female (No. 1943, Columbia Kiver, Oregon, May 29, 1835 ; J. K.
Townseud) : Above bronze-green, becoming dull grayish brown, very
faintly glossed with bronze- green, on forehead and crown: upper tail
coverts and feathers of the rump cinnamon rufous with green tips, the
longer tail-coverts with the edges also rufous; middle tail-feathers
with the basal half (concealed by the coverts) deep cinnamon-rufous,
except along the median line, which is metallic green, like the terminal
portion ; three outer tail-feathers broadly tipped with white, this pre-
ceded by a broad space of purplish black, this by a smaller space of
metallic green, the basal portion cinnamon-rufous, the outermost feather
having a mere trace of the green, and on outer web only ; fourth
feather with the tip purplish black for about 0.22 of an inch, then green
for about 0. '0 of an inch (measured along shaft), the remaining portion
cinnamon-rufous. Lores, orbital region, and ear-coverts light cinna-
mon ; a small white spot immediately behind eye. Chin and throat
white, the latero-posterior portion of the latter spotted with greenish
bronze, and the lower median portion covered by an irregular patch of
metallic scarlet ; chest white; sides and flanks light cinnamon-rufous,
fading into white on median portion of breast and belly; under tail-
coverts pale cinnamon-rufous with whitish tips. Bill and feet black.
Length (skin), 3.60; wing, 1.78; tail, 1.12, outer feathers 0.20 shorter;
exposed culmen, 0.72.

Young male (No. 84129, Fort Whipple, Arizona, August 22, 1864; E.
Coues): Similar to the adult female, but more golden green above, the
top of the head nearly as bright as the back; middle tail feathers
chiefly rufous, but with larger dusky terminal space than in adult male;
beneath as in adult ieraale, but chin and throat conspicuously spotted,
the spots small and brownish anteriorly, large and bronze-green pos-
teriorly; center of tfiroat showing several metallic golden red new
feathers, of the adult plumage ; outer primary broader.

Young female (No. 36912, Fort Whipple, Arizona, August 22, 1864;
E. Coues): Similar to the young male, but green above much less
golden, and with no rufous showing on rump, while that on upper tail-
feathers is confined to the margins of the feathers ; middle tail-feathers
almost wholly greea, only the lateral portions of the extreme base being
pale brownish with a rusty tinge; outer primary broader and more
curved.

Adult males vary in regard to the color of the back, which is
usually (!) without a trace of metallic green, but often has more or
less of this color, even the rump being sometimes mixed with green-
tipped feathers. When the green is present, however, it is never con-
tinuous as in 8. alleni nor nearly so extensive, while the peculiar form
of the tail-feathers, so different from those of 8. alleni, is just the same
as in those examples which have the back and rump wholly rufous. In
the color of the ruff or gorget there is very little variation, except that
when the plumage becomes old the color becomes "tarnished" to a

346 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

more golden or brassy hue, particularly on the tips of the feathers, this
condition characterizing all of the three Mexican (winter?) specimens in
the collection, besides several of those from the United States. The
color of the top of the head varies from an almost coppery bronze to a
decided green hue.

Adult females vary chiefly in respect to the throat, which may be
entirely without any metallic feathers, but usually has a more or less
extensive irregular patch of metallic golden red ; but there is also much
variation in the extent and intensity of the light cinnamon-rufous of the
sides and flanks.

Young males may be immediately distinguished from females by the
much greater amount of rufous on the tail, the four middle feathers
being chiefly of that color, though the terminal dusky spaces are much
more extensive than in adult males, the white tips and subterminal
black spaces of the other rectrices being essentially as in the females.

Although the mature plumage of the male usually first begins to
make its appearance on the throat, there is a specimen in the National
Museum collection (No. 79915, Marin County, California, April, 1880)
which although having assumed entirely the adult plumage so far as
other parts are concerned has only a single metallic feather on the
throat.

Of all our western Humming Birds, the Rufous-backed has the widest
distribution, its breeding range extending from the mountains of Ari-
zona to latitude 61° on the coast of Alaska, and from the Pacific coast
to New Mexico and Colorado. It must not be inferred from this gen-
eral statement, however, that the species breeds everywhere within the
wide extent of territory thus defined, for, on the contrary, certain con-
ditions of climate and vegetation, dependent on altitude as well as lati-
tude, are necessary for its existence. In Colorado, for example, it is
said to breed only above an elevation of 6,500 feet, ranging thence up
to 10,500 feet,* although in the Santa Catalina Mountains of southern
Arizona, so much farther south, its breeding range is said to be between
4,000 and 6,000 feet elevation,!

In Ventura County, California, it is said to be the most abundant
species of the family during summer;| but Mr. Beldiug says that in
the Sierra Nevada it is a rare summer resident above 4,000 feet. It
seems not to occur at all in Lower California, except possibly as a cas-
ual visitant or straggler, since Mr. Belding never met with it during
his several explorations of that peninsula.

For original observations on the habits of the Kufous Humming
Bird, we owe more to Mr. H. W. Henshaw than to any other writer.
Mr. Henshaw found it " by far the most abundant of the family in New
Mexico and Arizona, as shown in every locality visited by our party.

* Drew, Auk., in, 1885, p. 17.
t Scott, Auk, in, 1886, p. 431.
tEvermami, Auk., HI, 1886, p. 180.

THE HUMMING BIRDS 347

Quite numerous at Inscription Rock, but at Apache during the month
of August they were seen literally by hundreds hovering over the beds
of brightly-tinted flowers, which in the mountains especially grow in
the greatest profusion on the borders of the mountain-streams. This
bird seems to affect no particular locality, but is about equally abun-
dant on the high mountains, in the open tracts of pine woods, in the val-
leys and deep canons, or, in fact, wherever flowers are found. The
males are very pugnacious, and wage unremitting warfare on all the
other species, as well as among themselves. Even as late as August it
was not uncommon to see these birds still in pairs, and established in
certain areas, of which they appeared to consider themselves the sole
possessors, allowing no intruders. They manifested an especial ani-
mosity against the Broad-tailed Hummer, and, on the appearance of
one, would instantly dart forth with shrill, angry notes, and attack
and drive away the intruder, while the female, sitting on some neigh-
boring tree, would watch the oft- repeated contest with evident interest
and solicitude. At Camp Grant, during the last days of September,
they were still numerous, but after leaving this point I did not again
see the species."*

Mr. Heushaw found this species "quite common in summer through-
out California," and breeding " apparently as common in the valleys as
in the mountains." He also found it breeding near the headwaters of
the Pecos River in New Mexico, and regarding their nesting there
says : t

As to their nesting, it is a curious and almost unaccountable fact that notwith-
standing their great numbers we found but a single nest, and this after it was
deserted. Inquiry among the settlers showed that they had never chanced upon
their nests, and I judge that the greater parb nest, as I fouud to be the case in Ari-
zona, in the upper limbs of the pines; occasionally they nest lower. The one I
found was on a dead aspen, not more than 10 feet from the ground. At the time
when they are building their nests may be readily found. One has only to follow
the birds straight to their nesting sites as they bear away material in the shape of
conspicuous tufts of cottony down from the willows.

It seems as though S. rufus must breed rather less abundantly in this locality than
S. platycercus ; at all events, while the former was much less common at and for a
considerable time after the date of our arrival, by August 1, when the males of 8.
platycercus had about disappeared, the males of the former species were more numer-
ous than ever. This fact is attributed to a migration from somewhere further north,
though this locality is, in truth, about the most northern limit of the species in the
Rocky Mountains.

A single S. rufus was seen September 15. It was the last bird of the season.

ALLEN'S HUMMING BIRD. SelaspUorus alleni HENSH.

Selaspliorus alleni HENSH., Bull Nutt. Orn. Club, n, July, 1877, 53.

Selasphorus rufus (part) GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. in, 1854, pi. 5 (green-backed speci-
mens); vol. in, 1861, pi. 141 (do.).— ELLIOT, Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 110
(excl. synonymy).

Green-backed Humming Bird (COUES).

*Rep. Orn. Spec. Wheeler's Exp., 1874, p. 131.
t The Auk, vol. in, 1886, pp. 77,78.

348 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

KANGE. — Coast region of California and British Columbia; Arizona
(Santa Catalina Mountains, rare).

SP. CHAR. — Adult male with top of head, hind neck, back, scapulars
and wing-coverts metallic green; rump, upper tail coverts, tail, lores,
orbital region, ear-coverts, sides, and flanks cinnamon rufous; gorget
intensely brilliant metallic scarlet (exactly as in 8 rufus}; chest white;
tail feathers next to middle pair tapering gradually, without notch or
sinuation near tip, and outer tail-feathers much less than .10 of an inch
wide; length about 3.25-3.40, wing 1.50-1.55, tail 1.05-1.15, exposed
culmen 0.60-0.65.

Adult female metallic green above, with basal portion of tail-coverts
and of all the tail-feathers cinnamon rufous ; four middle tail-feathers
blackish terminally, metallic green subterminally ; three outer pairs
chiefly blackish, with broad white terminal spots, the outermost with
little if any rufous at base and not more than 0.10 of an inch wide; length
about 3.30-3.40, wing 1.65-1.70, tail 1.00-1.15, exposed culmen 0.65-0.70.

Adult male (No. 81133, Nicasio, Marin County, California, March 17,
1877; C. A.Allen): Forehead, crown, hind neck, back, scapulars, and
wing-coverts metallic green ; lores, orbital region, ear-coverts, sides of
neck, sides of the body, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, deep cinna-
mon-rufous, the feathers of the rump tipped with metallic green and
the tail feathers marked at tips with a median broad streak of purplish
dusky (about 0.40 long on middle feathers) ; remiges dusky brownish
slate, faintly glossed with purplish. Gorget intensely brilliant metal-
lic scarlet, varying to golden and ruby (exactly as in 8. rufus) ; chest
white; remaining lower parts cinnamon-rufous, paler along median
line of breast and belly, deeper on sides; downy tufts between rump
and flanks pure white. Length (skin), 3.40; wing, 1.50; tail, 1.15, the
lateral feathers 0.30 shorter; exposed culmeu 0.65.

Adultfemale (No. 84135, Nicasio, Marin County, California, March
17, 1877, C. A. Allen) : Above metallic green, becoming much duller
and more dusky on anterior part of head; feathers of rump and upper
tail-coverts cinnamon-rufous basally, metallic green at tips; tail-feathers
extensively cinnamon-rufous at base; two middle pairs black terminally
and metallic green subterminally ; three outer pairs with broad white
tips, preceded by a much more extensive sub terminal space of black,
the second and third with a litttle metallic green between the black and
the basal rufous, which is much duller than that on the middle feathers ;
remiges dusky, faintly glossed with purplish. A superciliary stripe of
dull rusty buff, extending to above the eyes; lores darker; sides of
chin, malar region, suborbital region, and ear-coverts pale dull buffy,
fading into white on the throat and middle portion of the chin, the
former spotted with metallic orange-red ; chest and belly white ; sides
and flanks light cinnamon rufous, the under tail-coverts similar, but
paler. Bill and feet black. Length (skiu)J 3.30 ; wing, 1.65 ; tail, 1.00,
the outer feathers, 0.22 shorter ; exposed culmen, 0.65.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 349

The very close resemblance in coloration between this species and
S. rufus is really remarkable, the only obvious differences in the male
consisting in the green instead of rufous back and the smaller blackish
terminal markings of the tail-feathers ; but the different shape of the
tail-feathers is so decided a character that even were the coloration
absolutely identical in the two tjiey could nevertheless be easily distin-
guished. The females are still more alike in color, the only difference
that I am able to find, with only two females of S. alleni for comparison,
consisting in the markings of the tail-feathers, the middle pair of which,
in S. alleni, have much more rufous, while a considerable portion of
their tips is black, this black being either more restricted or even
wholly absent on the same feathers in S. rufus. The under tail-coverts
are also deeper cinnamon rufous ; with a large series for comparison,
however, these apparent differences may be found to disappear, so that
it would be necessary to depend entirely upon the really very great dif-
ference in the width of the exterior rectrices in order to distinguish
females of the two species.

Allen's Humming Bird so closely resembles the Rufous-backed in
general appearance that unless specimens are actually obtained it is
not easily identified; consequently its range is not well made out.
That its range is far more restricted than that of the common species
is, however, quite certain. It is essentially confined to the coast dis-
trict of California, but reaches into British Columbia on the north.
Only one specimen has been recorded from any locality outside of Cal-
ifornia to the southward, the one in question having been taken in the
Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, at an altitude of 4,500 feet, July
23, 1884, by Mr. W. E. D. Scott.* According to Mr. Belding, it has
not yet been found in central California; arrives at San Diego, from
the southward, at about the same time as 8. rufus; is quite a rare sum-
mer resident at Santa Cruz, and is not common in San Bernardino
County. It appears to be more numerous in Nicasio County than else-
where, and it was there that Mr. 0. A. Allen, of Nicasio, obtained the
fine series of specimens that enabled Mr. Henshaw to define the char-
acters of the species. Mr. Henshaw was furnished by Mr. Allen with
observations on its habits, which are well worth reproducing here.

Mr. Allen remarks incidentally in a letter that the green backs, as he
calls individuals of 8. alleni, are much the livelier and more active of the
two, keeping constantly in the open and always perching on the most
prominent dead twigs they can find. Their extreme shyness, as con-
trasted with the unsuspicious nature of the rufous-backs, is quite re-
markable. They seem to possess a larger share than usual of the cour*
age and pugnacity which is constantly displayed in birds of this family.
Not only do they always come off the victors when chance encounters
take place between them and the rufous-backs, but Mr. Allen has seen
a pair attack and put to rout a Red-tailed Hawk ; while, as he remarks,

* The Auk, vol. in, 1886, p. 431.

350 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

Sparrow Hawks have no chance at all with them. He has often seen
the little fellows in hot chase after these latter birds, and their only
care seemed to be to get out of the way as soon as possible of foes so
determined.

The Rufous-backed Hummer, on the contrary, frequents the thickets
and is always unsuspicious and easily approached. The different local-
ities they affect may indicate a difference in the flowers from which
they obtain their food.*

The nesting habits of Allen's Humming Bird are thus interestingly
described by Mr. W. Otto Emerson, of Hay ward's, California :t

I will here speak of Allen's Humming Bird (Selasphorus alleni), that commenced to
build its nest on a runuiug rose, under the porch roof, and within 8 feet of the floor,
in front of our bedroom window, on May 27, 1885. She commenced the nest on the
end of the stalk, by bringing a lot of willow cotton and webs. She would place her-
self on the spot chosen, then with her bill, running it here and there around the edge
of the bottom, picking out a bit here and there, to place some other in its place, then
working her wings in a fluttering manner to shape the nest around her body. On
May 31 she laid her first egg, although the nest was not all done yet. She laid some
time before 10 o'clock, as I kept watch of her, and she had been sitting all day on
account of the high winds blowing the running rose stalks. By sitting close she
kept the egg from rolling out. Once or twice she left the nest to get a bit of web or
cotton to put around the nest. On June 1 she did not lay an egg, as the wind was
blowing hard all day. So she had to keep on her nest to save her egg. The nest
swung like "the cradle in the tree top" of nursery rhyme fame. The nest looked
about half done, a great deal of cotton from the willows and the stamens of the
Australian blue-gum tree flowers. June 3 one of the eggs got shaken out of the nest
and got broken on the floor. Still she sat. On June 4 the wind was very violent
and switched out the other egg. The bird would come to the nest, look in, and then
dart away, hovering in thn air, give two or three sharp rasping notes, and then fly
off to hunt her mate to tell him of their fate. The nest still hangs there to the win-
ter winds.

For an entertaining account of the habits of Allen's Humming Bird
in captivity, the reader is referred to an article by Mrs. 0. M. Crowell,
in the Ornithologist and Oologist, vol. vn, 1882, pp. 126-128.

BROAD-TAILED HUMMING BIRD. Selasphorm platycercus (SWAINS.).

Trochilus platycercus SWAINS., Philos. Mag., i, 1827, 441.

Selasphorm platycerus BONAP., Rev. et Mag. Zool.. 1854, 257.— GOULD, Mon.
Troch. pt. in, 1852, pi. 7; vol. in, 1861, pi. 140.— COOP., Orii. Cal. I, 1870,
357.— B. B. and R., Hist. N. Am. B., n, 1874, 462, pi. 47, fig. 5.
Broad-tailed Flame-bearer (GOULD).
LeSe'lasphore a large queue (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto de pecho color de carraiu (D'OCA).

RANGE. — Rocky Mountain district of United States, north to Wyo-
ming and Utah, west to East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada (to eastern
slope of Sierra Nevada?); breeding as far south as mountains of Ari-
zona and New Mexico ; in winter south over table-land of Mexico to
highlands of Guatemala.

* Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, vol. n, 1877, pp. 55, 56.
t Ornithologist and Oologist, vol. xi, No. 3, p. 37.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 351

SP. CHAR. — Adult male: Above, metallic bronze green ; tail, except
middle feathers, purplish black ; the fourth (sometimes third also) edged
with rufous— rarely some of the tail-feathers with small whitish ter-
minal spots; gorget, metallic wine-purple or solferino; length (before
skinning) about 4.00-4.70; wing, 1.85-2.05 ; tail, 1.35-1.60 ; exposed cul-
inen, 0.60-0.70. Adult female similar above to the male, but three or
four outer tail-feathers extensively rufous at base, the three outer ones
with broad white tips ; chin and throat white, more or less streaked or
dotted with brownish ; sides and flanks pale rufous or cinnamon-buff;
length, about 3.60-4.70; wing, 2.00-2.10; tail, 1.35-1.50; exposed cul-
men 0.70-0.72.

Adult male (No. 10847, Ft. Bridger, Wyoming, May 30, 1858; 0.
Drexler) : Above, metallic bronze-green, including whole top of head
and middle pair of tail-feathers ; reiniges dull brownish slate or dusky,
very faintly glossed with purplish ; tail-feather next to middle pair
dark metallic green on inner web, the outer web purplish black, glossed
with green toward end, and broadly edged with rufous ; next wholly
purplish black, except a very narrow rufous edging to both webs ; next
similar, but with rufous edging to outer web confined to basal portion;
outer feather with no rufous edging to either web; a minute white spot
immediately behind eye; gorget, metallic rose-purple; chest, median
line of breast and belly, anal region and under tail coverts white, the
the longer feathers of the latter with a central mark of dusky ; sides
and flanks metallic bronze-green, the latter tinged with rusty. Bill and
feet black. Length (skin), 3.60 ; wing, 2.00 ; tail, 1.35 ; exposed culmen,
0.68.

Adult female (No. 94680, Santa Fe, Mountains, New Mexico, August
1; H. W. Henshaw): Above, bronze-green, becoming dull, dusky, gray-
ish brown on forehead and crown ; remiges dull brownish slate, very
faintly glossed with purplish ; tail-feathers next to middle pair with
about the basal half rufous, then a triangular patch of metallic green, this
succeeded by a patch of purplish black (its transverse anterior outline
.35 from the tip), the apex of the feather formed by a small roundish
spot of dull buff; next feather tipped with a large oval spot of white,
and the green between the subterminal black and basal rufous much
reduced (only about 0.10 of an inch wide) ; next similar, but with the
green still more reduced and the white terminal spot correspondingly
larger; outer feather with the white tip 0.35 long, and a mere trace of
green between the black and the rufous. Chin and throat white, each
feather with a small central spot of dull bronze; chest, white; median
line of breast and belly and under tail-coverts white, tinged with pale
rufous or ochraceous-buff ; sides and flanks deep ochraceous buff or
cinnamon-buff; bill and feet black. Length (skin), 3.60 ; wing. 2.10;
tail, 1.35 (outer feathers, 0.15 shorter); exposed culmen, 0.72.

The principal variation in adult males consists in the coloration of
the exterior tail-feathers, one or more of which frequently show more

352 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

or less distinct whitish spots at the tips. In fact, of the ten specimens
at this moment under examination, as many as six possess this char-
acter, more or less pronounced, thus showing that it is by no means
exceptional. In three of these it is confined to an indistinct edging to
the terminal portion of the inner web of the lateral feather, the second
having merely a trace of this whitish edging. In the others, however,
the white amounts to a considerable spot at the tip of both webs, and
is present on the third as well as the first and second, though much
reduced in extent. The color of the gorget varies but little, except in
a specimen from Mexico (No. 60073, A. Boucard), in which it is more of
a geranium red, caused by the tips of the feathers being 'Harnished"
to a more golden hue.

An adult male from Guatemala (No. 33647, O. Salvin) differs from
more northern specimens only in smaller size, its measurement being
as follows: Length (skin), 3.45; wing, 1.85; tail, 1.40; exposed cui-
men, 0.60.

Adult females, as in Trochilus alexandri and other species, vary
chiefly in the markings of the chin and throat, some having the cen-
tral guttate spots to the feathers pale grayish brown or olive and very
small, while others have these markings much darker in color as well
as larger. In none of the specimens examined, however, are there any
metal lie feathers on the throat, such as are frequently seen in females of
S. rufus and S. alleni. An example from Mexico (No. 13636, J. Gould)
difters from United States examples in having the basal portion of the
rectrices much duller rufous, this color also much more restricted. The
specimen may, however, possibly be a young male.

The Broad tailed Humming Bird is the most common, or at least most
conspicuous, species of the family in the Kocky Mountain district,
although it seems to be more particularly characteristic of the eastern
portions, gradually diminishing in numbers, or at least in the con-
tinuity of the areas which it inhabits, to the westward. I am unable
to find any authentic record of its occurrence west of the one hundred
and sixty-first meridian, where in the East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada,
I found it fairly common in August, 1868.

In the Rocky Mountain district proper, as in Colorado, for example,
it breeds at an elevation of from 4,000 to 11,000 feet,* and I found it
having about the same vertical range in the East Humboldt Mountains.
In the San Francisco Mountains, Arizona, according to Dr, Mearns,t
it is an abundant summer resident of the spruce belt. At Fort Garland,
Colorado, Mr. Henshaw found it most numerous along the mountain
streams, at an altitude of about 7,000 feet. It breeds abundantly in
the mountains of northern New Mexico, but in those of southern Ari-
zona it is said to be comparatively rare during the breeding season.
On the Upper Pecos River, New Mexico, Mr. Henshaw found the Broad-

* Drew, The Auk, vol. in, p. 17.
t The Auk, vol. vn, p. 255.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 353

tailed Humming Birds "extremely numerous; young birds were noticed
August 1, and by the 10th they became common. By August 1, the
males of this species began to get less numerous, and by the 10th there
were none ; in fact, I saw very few after that date. This is an extremely
interesting fact. Wherever 1 have been in the West, and for that
matter in the East also, I have always been led to wonder at the appar-
ent absence of males early in fall in. localities where the females and
young were very numerous. The observations 1 was able to make here
solved the problem to my satisfaction. The truth appears to be that
immediately upon the young leaving the nest the males abandon their
summer limits and at once set out for their winter quarters, leaving the
females and young to follow at their convenience.

In this locality at least there is an evident reason for this. Just
about this date the Scrophularia, which is the favorite food plant of
the Hummers, begins to lose its blossoms, and in a comparatively short
time the flowers give place to the seed pods. Though there are other
flowers which are resorted to by the Hummers, particularly several
species of Pentstemon, they by no means afford the luxurious liviiTg the
former plant does. It seems evident, therefore, that the moment its
progeny is on the wing, and its home ties severed, warned of the
approach of fall alike by the frosty nights and the decreasing supply
of food, off go the males to theirlnviting winter haunts, to be followed
not long after by the females and young. The latter — probably because
they have less strength — linger last, and may be seen even after- every
adult bird has departed."*

In the San Francisco Mountains, Arizona, Dr. Merriarn found them
uvery abundant in the balsam belt and the upper part of the pine belt.
A nest containing two nearly fledged young was found on the limb of
a Douglas lir, about 4 feet from the ground, July 31. The principal
food plant of this Humming Bird is the beautiful scarlet trumpet flower
of Pentstemon barbatus torreyi. During the latter part of August and
early September, after it had ceased flowering, these birds were most
often seen in the beds of the large blue larkspur (Delphinium scopu-
lorum); They wake up very early in the morning and go to water at
daylight no matter how cold the weather is. During the month of
August, and particularly the first half of the month, when the morn-
ings were often frosty, hundreds of them came to the spring to drink
and bathe at break of day. They were like a swarm of bees, buzzing
about one's head and darting to and fro in every direction. The air
was full of them. They would drop down to the water, dip their feet
and bellies, and rise and shoot away as if propelled by an unseen power.
They would often dart at the face of an intruder as if bent on piercing
the eye with their needle like bill, and then poise for a moment almost
within reach before turning, when they were again lost in the busy
throng. Whether this act was prompted by curiosity or resentment I

* The Auk, vol. in, 1886, p. 75.
H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 23

354 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

was not able to ascertain. Several were seen at the summit of the
mountain during the latter part of August. TJiey were found also at
the Grand Caiion of the Colorado, September 12 to 15. They began to
leave the mountain during the first week in September, and none were
seen after the middle of the month.*

Mr Efenshaw mentions the marked hostility existing between this
Humming Bird and the Rufous-backed species, but adds that, " in the
fall, when migrating, they are brought by the similarity of tastes and
habits into the same localities, and their combined numbers are in some
favored spots in Arizona simply surprising. The beds of bright flow-
ers about Willow Spring, in the White Mountains, Arizona, were alive
with them in August, and as they moved swiftly to and fro, now sur-
feiting themselves on the sweets they here found so abundant, now fight-
ing with each other for possession of some such tempting prize as a
cluster of flowers, their rapid motions, and the beauty of their colors,
intensified by the bright sunlight — the gorgets of gold and purple con-
trasting against their emerald and bright-red bodies— conspired to an
effect not soon to be forgotten.'7!

Genus STELLULA GOULD.

Stdlula GOULD, Introd. Trocli. 1861, 90. Type, Trocliilus calliope GOULD.
Stellura MULS. and VERR., Class. Troch. 1865, 88. Same type.

GENERIC CHARACTERS. — Six middle tail-feathers contracted in the
middle and widened for the terminal portion, being thus of somewhat
spatulate or pandurate form; adult male with feathers of chin and
throat narrow, those of the latero-posterior portion of the latter elon-
gated so as to form a conspicuous ruff, only their terminal half metal-
lic, the basal portion being pure white ; middle tail feathers without
any green.

This genus appears to be most nearly related to Atthis, but is quite
distinct in the peculiar form and coloration of the feathers of the
gorget, as well as of the rectrices. But one species is known, this being
easily distinguished, in all stages of either sex, by the peculiar form of
the tail feathers, as noted above.

CALLIOPE HUMMING BIRD. Stelltda calliope GOULD.
(PLATE XLI.)

Trochilus (Calothorax) calliope GOULD, P. Z. S. 1847, 11.

Stellula calliope GOULD, Iiitrod. Trocb. Oct. ed. 1861. 90.— COOP., Orn. Cal. I,
1870, 363.— B. B. and R., Hist., N. Am. B. n, 1874, 445, pi. 47, fig. 9.

Calothorax calliope GOULD, Mon. Trocb. pt. xv, 1857, pi. 2; vol. in, 1861, pi. 142,
Mexican Satellite (GOULD).
Star-tbroated Humming Bird.
Satellite Humming Bird.

La Stellure calliope (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto de rafagaita (D'OcA).

* North American Fauna, No. 3, p. 93.

t Zoology of Wbeeler's Expedition, p. 378.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XLI.

CALLIOPE HUMMING BIRD (Stellida calliope).

Male. (Cat. No. 67301, U. S. N. M. El Moro, New Mexico. Collected by H. W. Henshaw.)
Female. (Cat. No. 77447, U. S. N. M. Honey Lake, California. Collected by H. W. Henshaw.)
Nest. (Cat. No. 18914, U. S. N. M. Baird, California. Collected by Charles H. Townsend.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 355

RANGE. — Mountain districts of western United States, north to Brit-
ish Columbia, east to Montana, Utah, New Mexico, etc., and south over
table-lands of Mexico; breeding south as far as San Bernardino Moun-
tains, in California, and mountains of northern New Mexico.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male with the narrow and very distinctly outlined
feathers of the gorget pure white basally, metallic reddish purple ter-
minally; middle tail feathers somewhat spatulate, purplish black, edged
with rufous toward base and broadly tipped with dull brownish gray ;
remaining rectrices similar but without distinct grayish tips and rufous
basal edgings less distinct or even obsolete; under parts white, the
sides and flanks metallic green mixed or washed with pale rusty ;
length (before skinning) about 3.10-3.30, wing 1.50-1.60, tail 0.80-1.10,
exposed culmen 0.55-0.58. Adult female metallic bronze-green above,
including the slightly spatuiate middle tail-feathers; three outer tail-
feathers broadly tipped with white, extensively black subtermiually,
the basal portion dull greenish, becoming buffy or pale rusty at extreme
base ; under parts white, the sides, flanks and under tail-coverts pale
rusty or cinuamon-buif, the throat more or less spotted with brownish;
length about 3.35-3.50, wing 1.75-1.80, tail 0.85-1.15, exposed culmen
0.58-0.60.

Adult male (No. 67201, El Moro, New Mexico, July 29, 1873; H. W.
Heushaw) : Above metallic bronze-green, becoming duller on forehead;
remiges dull brownish slate, very faintly glossed with purplish; middle
pair of tail-feathers dull black, broadly edged with rusty basally, and
broadly tipped with dusky brownish gray (as if faded); rest of rectrices
similar but fading gradually at tips into dusky brownish gray, and
rusty basal edgings less distinct — quite obsolete on outer feather.
Gorget with the feathers pure white for basal half or more, the terminal
portion metallic solferino-purple ; chest, sides of neck, and under tail-
coverts pure white; median line of breast and belly dull white; sides
and flanks bronze-green. Bill and feet brownish black.* Length (skin),
2.75t; wing, 1.50; tail, 0.80; exposed culmen, 0.58.

Adult female (No. 91748, Baird, California, May 29, 1883; Chas. H.
Townsend) : Above, metallic bronze-green, including middle pair of tail-
feathers, which are entirely without rufous, even at extreme base ; tail-
feather next to middle pair dark metallic green, both webs edged with
rusty toward base, the terminal portion of outer web black (for about
0.25 of an inch), the corresponding portion of inner web inclining to the
same ; next feather with a considerable terminal spot of white, this pre-
ceded by a black baud more than 0.25 of an inch wide, the remaining
portion metallic green, broadly edged toward base with rusty; next

* According to Dr. J. C. Merrill (The Auk, July, 1888, p. 257), the fresh colors are
as follows: "Upper mandible dead black, the lower light flesh color darkening
towards the tip, which was black ; the feet dark flesh-color, the irides brown.''

t Specimens in the flesh, according to Dr. Merrill, measure in length from 3.10 to
3.30 ; a young male shot by me measured 2j£ in length.

356 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

feather similar, but white spot larger and rusty edgings less distinct;
outer leather with the white about equal to the black in extent, the
basal portion dull brownish gray, faintly tinged with green next to the
black, the shaft being very pale brown or bufty. Chin and throat
white, faintly flecked with brown, with larger and much more distinct
spots of bronzy green on the latero-posterior portion ; rest of under
parts pale cinnamon-buff, the belly nearly white. Bill and feet black-
ish. Length (skin), 3.10;* wing, 1.68; tail, 0.85, the lateral feathers
about 0.10 shorter; exposed culmen, O.GO.

Young male (No. 69135, Mt. Graham, Arizona, September 20, 1874;
II. W. Heushaw) : Not essentially different from some adult females.
Middle of throat showing several metallic reddish purple (new) feathers.

Adult males vary slightly in the color of the metallic portion of the
throat-feathers, which in some are a little less reddish purple than in
the example described. Some specimens show a decided pale cinnamon
or cinnamon-buff wash on sides and flanks, others having scarcely a
trace of it. There is the usual range of variation in the color of the
upper parts, which may be nearly pure green or with a decided bronzy
hue, the latter, however, exceptional in the considerable series exam-
ined.

Adult females vary chiefly in the distinctness of the small dusky
markings on the throat, which are sometimes quite obsolete except
laterally and posteriorly, and the middle pair of tail-f athers sometimes
show a slight rusty edging near the base and a black terminal space.

This is the smallest of our North American Humming Birds, but,
notwithstanding its diminutive size, has a very extensive distribution,
ranging farther north than any other of the western species except
Selasphorus rufus, and extending from the Pacific Coast nearly, if not
quite, to the main chain of the Eocky Mountains. Like the Rufous
Humming Bird, however, it does not inhabit every portion of the exten-
sive region indicated, but only such parts as are suited to it by topo-
graphical or climatic conditions. In California, according to Mr. Ste-
phens,! it breeds as far south as the San Bernardino Mountains, where it
inhabits the pine region, but in most parts of that State it is, accord-
ing to Mr. Beldiog, rare and chiefly a migrant, though breeding in
the Sierra Nevada above 4,000 feet. Mr. Townsend $ found it breed-
ing abundantly on the McCloud River, in the northern part of the
State, as did Dr. Merrill § at Fort Klamath, Oregon. Dr. Merriam ||
obtained a female on the 3d of July at Fort Ellis, Montana, where the
species was doubtless breeding, and Mr. John Fannin "records it as a

* Before skinning, this specimen measured 3£ or about 3.33 inches in length; a
female measured by Dr. Merrill was 3.35 long, while two measured in the llesh by
myself were respectively 3-^ and 3.50 long.

tLand Birds of the Pacific District, by Lyrnan Beldiug, 1890, p. 89.

t Pr. U. S. Nat, Mus., vol. x, p. '209.

$The Auk, vol. v, 257.

|| Sixth An. Kep. Oeol. Surv. Terr., 1873, p. 693.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. • 357

common summer resident at l>uz/ard Inlet, British Columbia. It lias
not yet been taken in Colorado 5 but it may be expected to occur in the
western portion of that State, kiuce the present writer found it to be
not uncommon in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, wherein fact it was
almost as numerous as was Selasphorus platycercus. Mr. Heushaw
found it rather numerous in summer along the Upper Pecos River, in
New Mexico. In the Santa Catalina Mountains of southern Arizona it
appears to be merely a transient, Mr. Scott* having met with it only
during April and August, only a single example having been seen by
him on each occasion, and he observes that Mr. Herbert Brown has
not found it about Tucson, nor indeed at other points in Arizona vis-
ited by him. Hence we may infer that it is, like the Rufous Humming
Bird, essentially a northern or alpine species, so far as its breeding
range is concerned.

Regarding its probable breeding in northern New Mexico, Mr. Hen-
shaw writes as follows :t

This, the most diminutive of our Hlirnmers, 13 rather numerous in summer in the
locality in question, much further north than which it does not go.t The species has
not yet been detected in Colorado, though I doubt not but that the higher mountains
of the southern portion of that State afford a summer home for some of them. It is
a curious fact in couuection with the history of this species, as well as that of the
S. ritfits, that while both of them rauge far to the northward in the Sierra Nevada,
reaching Washington Territory, and even going beyond into Alaska, they yet decline to
visit even the middle portion of the Rocky Mountains, but confine their range to their
southern parts. The Calliope Hummer is, as compared with the other species men-
tioned, a rare bird. It is also much less obtrusive, and in the contests of its larger
neighbors it takes no part. When assailed, as it promptly is by the other kinds, it
at once darts away to another spot where it can feed without molestation. It appears
to be timid, in every way, so much so that it is not an easy bird to collect. An utterly
unaccountable fact noticed in connection with this species was the apparent rarity
of females. Up to August 10 I had seen perhaps half a dozen, though constantly on
the watch for them, while I had certaiuly seen not less than ten times that number
of males. Subsequent to that date I saw a few more, but nothing like the number
of males.

By September the youug were numerous in certain localities, notably in a large
sun flower patch.

Some points in the breeding habits of the Calliope Humming Bird are
thus described by Dr. Merrill, in the Auk for July, 1888, p. 257, the
locality being Fort Klamatli, Oregon :

First taken May 17. A few Hummers, apparently of this species, had been seen
for 10 days before this date, but they wore not abundant until the 16th, after which
the males were common about the blossoms of wild currant and gooseberry bushes.
During the breeding season they are generally distributed, and are to be found in deep
pine woods as well as in more open places, the constant sharp, shrill notes of the males
indicating their presence and abundance. When pairing soon after their arrival,
and with less frequency during the period of incubation, the males have a habit ef
poising themselves for some seconds at a height of 30 or 40 feet above the ground, and
then dashing down nearly to the earth, rising as quickly to poise again, and repeating

* See The Auk, vol. in, 1886, pp.431, 4^>.
t The Auk, vol. in, p. 78.

fr It has, however, subsequently been recorded from localities very much farther
north. -R. K.

358 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEtTM, 1890.

the maneuver often; at such times their notes are particularly loud and attract
attention from a considerable distance.

A nest brought to me about the middle of July, and which the young had just left,
was placed upon a dead flattened cone of Pinus contorta. It was composed of thin
strips of a gray bark, with a few spiders' webs on the outside ; the lining was similar,
but with a few small tufts of a cottony blossom from some tree ; the nest was just the
color of the cone and was admirably adapted to escape notice. Another nest con-
taining two nearly fledged young was found at about the same time, but was quite
unlike the one just described in construction and situation, being of the common
Humming Bird type and saddled upon a dead willow twig. One of the young birds
lived for about a week, becoming very tame and feeding greedily upon sirup.

Genus CALOTHORAX GRAY.

Calothorax GRAY, Gen. B., 1840, 13. Type, Cynanlhus hwifer SWAINS.

Lucifer REICH., Synop. Av. Nat., 1849, pi. 39; Aufz. Colib., 1854, 13; Troch. Enuni.

1855, 10. Same type.

Cyanopogon 4< REICH." BONAP., Ann. Soc. Nat., 1854, 138. Same type.
Manilia MULS. and VERR., Classif. Troch., 1865, 86. Type, Calothorax puJchra GOULD.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Bill much.l eager than the head, distinctly
curved (except in C. pulchra); tail forked, the three outer feathers
narrow, and plain purplish black, in adult males; gorget of adult
males rich metallic amethyst, or magenta, purple with violet and blue
reflections; females with tail double-rounded and deeply emarginate,
the three outer feathers rufous at base, then black, tipped with white ;
under parts light ochraceous.

This genus is most nearly related to both Doricha, REICH.,* and
Acestrura, GOULD, f between which it is nearly intermediate. In fact
the three should probably be merged into one genus, Calothorax, with
Doriclia and Acestrura (including perhaps one or more subdivisions of
the former) as subgenera.

The two known species of Calothorax are very much alike in colora-
tion, but differ so decidedly in structural characters that little difficulty
need be experienced in identifying them. Their differential characters
are as follows :

a1. Bill with exposed culmen about one and a half times as long as the head, dis-
tinctly curved; adult male with outer primary broader, and outer pair of tail-
feathers very narrow, as well as pointed ; adult female with belly white, and
lateral pair of tail-feathers shorter than middle pair. HAH.: Table-lands of
Mexico, north to southern Arizona.

C. lucifer (S WAINS. ) . Lucifer Humming Jiird* (Page 359. )

a2. Bill with exposed culmen only a little longer than the head, much more slender,
and not decidedly curved ; adult male with outer primary narrower, and outer
pair of tail feathers much broader, and not pointed at ends; adult female with
belly buffy, only a little paler than breast, &c., and outer pair of tail-feathers
longer than middle pair. HAD. : Southwestern Mexico (Oaxaca, &c.).

C. pulchra GOULD. Beautiful Humming

* Doric ha REICH., Aufz. der Colib. 1853, 12. Type, Trochilus enicurm VIEILL.

\Acestrura GOULD, Introd. Troch., Oct. ed. 1861, 91. Type, Ornismyamulsanti BOURC.

t Calothorax pulchra GOULD, Ann. Mag. N. H., 3d ser., iv, 1859, 97 ; Mon. Troch., in,
pi. 144. — Manilla jHffc&raMiTLSANT and VERREAUX, Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouch. ,iv, 1877,
30, pi. 3 6.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 559

LUCIFEH HUMMING BIRD. Calothorax lucifer (SWAINS.).
(Plate XLII.)

Cynantkus lucifer SWAINS., Philos. Mag., i, 1827, 442.

Calothorax lucifer GRAY, Gen. B., i, 1848, 110.— LAWR., Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, n,

1877, 108 (Camp Bowie, Ariz.).
Ornismya cyanopogon LESS., Ois.-Mouch., 1829, 50, pi. 5.

Calothorax cyanopogon GRAY, Geu. B., i, 13. — GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt.-xiv, 1857,

pi. 1 ; vol. in, 1861, pi. 143.
Doriclia enicura (error) HEXSIT., Am. Sportsm., v, Fob. 20, 1875, 328 (Camp Bowie,

Ariz.) ; Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 381.
Mexican Star (GOULD).

Le Calothorax Barbe-Bleue (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto morado grande (D'OcA).
Oiseau-Mouche Barbe-Bleue (PREVOST).

RANGE. — Table-lands of Mexico, north to southern Arizona.

SP. CHAR.— Adult male with the gorget rich metallic violet, varying
to purplish blue; upper parts metallic bronze-green, the three outer
tail-feathers purplish black, the outermost one excessively narrow;
chest buffy white, belly and under tail-coverts purer white ; sides and
flanks dull greenish bronze, tinged with rusty; length, about 3.40-
3.80; wing, 1.40-1.60; tail, 1.20-1.35 (forked for nearly half its length);
exposed culmen, 0.75-0.90; the bill strongly curved. Adult female
bronze-green above, including middle pair of tail-feathers; three outer
tail-feathers light cinnamon-rufous for about the basal half, then black,
the tips broadly white; post-ocular stripe, sides of neck, chin, throat,
malar region, sides. and flanks pale cinnamon-buff; belly white; length
(skin), about 3.30; wing, 1.65-1.80; tail, 1.20-1.25; exposed cuhnen,
0.75-0.90.

Adult male (No. 97727, Tupataro, Mexico; Prof. A. Duges): Above,
metallic bronze-green, duller on top of head, more decidedly bronzy on
rump and upper tail-coverts; remiges dull dusky slate, faintly glossed
with purplish ; four middle tail-feathers metallic green (scarcely bronzy),
the other tail-feathers purplish dusky, some of them tinged at tips
with metallic green, others minutely tipped with white. Gorget rich
metallic magenta-purple, changing to violet in certain lights; chest
dull white, tinged laterally and posteriorly with pale rusty; middle
line of belly whitish, sides and flanks metallic bronze-green, tinged
with rusty; under tail-coverts white, some of the feathers faintly
bronzy-grayish at base; bill and feet black. Length (skin), 3.80; wing,
1.50; tail, 1.20, the middle feathers 0.50 shorter; exposed culmen, 0.85.

Adult female (No. 35170, Mifador, Mexico ; Dr. C. Sartorius) : Above,
metallic golden green, much duller on top of head, the middle tail-
feathers nearly pure green ; remiges dull brownish slate or dusky, very
faintly glossed with purplish ; tail-feathers next to middle pair chiefly
metallic green, the terminal portion black, shaft of the green portion
pale rufous, and outer web broadly edged toward base with cinnamon-
rufous ; next feather with more than the basal half of both webs, includ-

360 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

ing shaft, cinnamon-rufous, the subtcrminal portion (for about 0.30 of
an inch) black,* the tip (for about 0.15 of an inch) white; next feather
similar, but with white tip more extensive; outer feather similar, but
white tip still more extensive (about 0.22 long), the black correspond-
ingly reduced, and no green between the black and the rufous. Broad
post-ocular stripe (commencing above the eye), sides of neck, chin,
throat, malar region, sides, and flanks uniform light cinnamon -buff,
deepest on flanks; chest mixed white and cinnamon-buff; belly white;
under tail-coverts pale creamy buff; bill and feet black. Length (skin),
3.30; wing, 1.65; tail, 1.10 (middle feathers 0.10 shorter and outer pair
0.20 shorter); exposed culmen, 0.80.

A female (perhaps not adult) from Arizona (No. 72535, near Camp
Bowie, August 7, 1874, H. W. Heushaw) is quite similar in coloration
to that described above, except that the entire chin and sides of the
throat are dull grayish white, only the median portion of the throat
(to within about 0.30 of an inch of the chin angle) being cinnamon-buff.
Measurements are as follows: Length (skin), 3.35; wing, 1.70; tail,
1.00; exposed culmen, 0.85.

The claim of this beautiful species [says Mr. Henshaw*] to a place in our fauna
rests upon the capture of a single female near Camp Bowie, Arizona. * * * I re-
gret that I am unable to give any information respecting either its habits or its rela-
tive abundance in Arizona. Probably it is rare, for here, as in certain other points
in southern Arizona, the attention of the party was especially directed to the hum-
ming birds, the occurrence of novelties being rendered more probable by the abun-
dance of certain other species, and at Camp Bowie notably by the great number of
Trocliilus alexandri. The well-known agave plants of this region were here very
abundant, and their. tall upright stems, surmounted by the short lateral steins, with
their spreading bunches of blossoms, dotted the rocky hillsides in every direction
and gave a strange, weird aspect to the landscape. Around these humming birds
congregated, showing an especial liking for the nectar of the flowers, or possibly
finding in them rich storehouses of the minute forms of insect life, which is the chjef
part of their diet. By taking a station near one of these, one could easily watch the
motions of these little feathered gems as they darted to and fro, and, had any other
species been even tolerably numerous, it could scarcely have eluded our attention.

Fortunately Mr. Gould has been able to give us, in his beautiful
Monograph of the Troehilidre (vol. in, p. 143), a rather full life-history
of the Lucifer Humming Bird, which is herewith transcribed :

This beautiful species, so well known by its trivial name of "Mexican Star/' is
a denizen of the table-lands of that rich country, Xalapa, the land of perpetual spring
and of unsurpassed climate. It was in this fine region that the bird came under the
observation of the late Mr. Bullock, to whom we are indebted for all that is known
respecting it, and which is comprised in the following extracts from his Six Mouths
in Mexico :

"The house I resided in at Xalapa for several weeks was ouly one story high, in-
closing, like most of the Spanish houses, a small garden in the center, the roof pro-
jecting C or 7 feet from the walls, covering a walk all around and leaving a small
space only between the tiles and the trees which grew in the center. P'rom the

* There is a small space of metallic green separating the rufous from the black,
t Zoology of Wheeler's Survey, 1875, p. 382.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XLII.

sHSBsHiiiiil

siPr ,u, 7^

LUCIFER HUMMING BIRD (Calothorax lucifer).

Male. (Cat. No. 85862, U. S. N. M. Valley of Mexico. Collected by A. W. Butler.)
Female. (Cat. No. 115294, U. S. N. M. Arizona. Collected by O. T. Baron.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 361

edges of these tiles to the branches of the trees in the garden the spiders had spread
their innumerable webs so closely and compactly that they resembled a net. I have
frequently watched, with much amusement, the cautious peregrination of the Hum-
ming Bird, who, advancing beneath the web, entered the various labyrinths and
cells in search of entangled flies, but, as the larger spiders did not tamely surrender
their booty, the invader was often compelled to retreat; being within a few feet, I
could observe all their evolutions with great precision. The active little bird gen-
erally passed once or twice around the court, as if to reconnoiter his ground, and
commenced his attack by going carefully under the nets of the wily insect and seiz-
ing by surprise the smallest entangled flies, or those that were most feeble. In
ascending the angular traps of the spider, great care and skill were required; some-
times he had scarcely room for his little wings to perform their office, and the least
deviation would have entangled him in the complex machinery of the web and
involved him in ruin. It was only the works of the smaller spider that he durst
attack, as the larger sort rose to the defense of their citadels, when the besieger
would shoot off like a sunbeam and could only be traced by the luminous glow of his
refulgent colors. The bird generally spent about 10 minutes in this predatory excur-
sion and then alighted on a branch of the Avocata to rest and refresh himself, placing
his crimson star-like breast to the sun, which then presented all the glowing tire of
the ruby and surpassed in luster the diadem of monarchs. Europeans who have
seen only the stuffed remains of these little feathered gems in museums have been
charmed with their beautiful appearance, but those who have examined them whilst
living, displaying their moving crests, throats, and tails, like the Peacock, in the
sun, can never look with pleasure on their mutilated forms. I have carefully pre-
served about two hundred specimens in the best possible manner, yet they are still
but the shadow of what they were in real life. The reason is obvious, for the sides
of the lamina? or fibers of each feather, being of a different color from the surface, will
change wiieu seen in a front or oblique direction, and, as each lamina or fiber turns
upon the axis of the quill, the least motion, when living, causes the feathers to
change suddenly to the most opposite hues. Thus the one from Nootka Sound
changes its expanded throat from the most vivid fire color to light green; the Topaz-
throated does the same, and the Mexican Star changes from bright crimson to blue.

"The sexes vary greatly in their plumage, so much so that the male and female
could not have been known had they not been seen constantly together and proved
to be so by dissection. They breed in Mexico in June and July; and the nest is a
beautiful specimen of the architectural talent of these birds; it is neatly constructed
with cotton or the down of the thistle, to which is fastened on the outside, by some
glutinous substance, a white, flat lichen resembling ours.

"The female lays two eggs, perfectly white and large for the size of the bird; and
the Indians informed me they were hatched in 3 weeks by the male and female
sitting alternately. When attending their young they attack any bird indiscrim-
inately that approaches the nest. Their motions when under the influence of anger
or fear are very violent, and their flight rapid as an arrow ; the eye can not follow
them ; but the shrill, piercing shriek which they utter on the wing may be heard
when the bird is invisible. They attack the eyes of the larger birds, and their sharp,
needlelike bill is a truly formidable weapon in this kind of warfare. Nothing can
exceed their fierceness when one of their own species invades their territory during
the breeding season. Under the influence of jealousy they become perfect furies;
their throats swell, their crests, tails, and wings expand ; they fight in the air (utter-
ing a shrill noise) till one falls exhausted to the ground. I witnessed a combat of
this kind near Otumba during a heavy fall of rain, every separate drop of which I
supposed sufficient to have beaten the puny warriors to the earth.

"In sleeping they frequently suspend themselves by the feet, with their heads
downwards, in the manner of some parrots.

"These birds were great favorites of the ancient Mexicans. They used the feath-

362 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

era as ornaments for their superb mantles in the time of Moutezuuia, and in embroid-
ering the pictures so much extolled by Cortex. Their name signifies in the Indian
language ' beams or locks of the sun,' and their feathers are still worn by the Indian
ladies as ornaments for the ears."

I have numerous specimens of this bird in my collection, and observe that those
procured in one locality differ somewhat from those obtained in another ; for in-
stance, the examples collected by ray friend Floresi in the neighborhood of the Real
del Monte mines are larger and altogether more powerful birds than those brought to
this country by M. Salle" and other collectors from Cordova. Bullock speaks with
great truth when he states that the sexes differ considerably, for it is only those
persons who are conversant with this extensive group as a whole who can, with any
degree of certainty, pair many of the species.

Genus AMAZILIA REICHENBACH.

Amazilia REICH., -Syst. Av., 1849, pi. 39. Type, Orthorhynchus amazili LESS.
Amazilis GRAY, Gen. B., i, 1840. — AmaziUus BONAP., 1849.— Amazillia, SCL. and SALV.,

1859.

Pt/rrhophwna CAB. and HEINE, Mus, Heiu., HI, 1860, 35. Same type.
Hemithylaca CAB. and HEINE, Mus. Hein., in, 1860, 37. Type, Trochilus niveoventris

GOULD.

Hemistilbon GOULD, Introd. Troch., oct. ed., 1861, 149. Type, Amazilia ocai GOULD.
Eranna HEINE, J. f. O. 1863, 187. Type, Ornismya cinnamomea LESS.
Eratina HEINE, J, f. O., 1863, 190, 191. Type Trochilus iodurus SAUCEROTT.
Ariana MULS. and VERR., Class. Troch., 1866, 36. Type, Trochilus niveoventer GOULD.
Leucodora MULS. and VERR., Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouch., I, 1877, 309. Type, Trochilus ed-

wardi, BOURC. and DELATTR.
Myletes (subgenus) MULS. and VERR., Hist; Nat. Ois.-Mouch., i, 1877, 284. Type, Tro-

chilus yucatanensis CABOT.
Saucerottia BONAP., Compt.-Rend., 1850, 381. Type, Trochilus saucerottii BOURC. and

DELATTR.

•Erythronota GOULD, Intr. Troch., oct. ed., 1861, 16. Ornismya erythronota LESS.
Eratopis HEINE, J. f. O., 1863, 191. Type, Trochilus cyanifrons BOURC.
Erasuria HEINE, J. f. O., 1863, 191. Type, Erythronota elegam GOULD.
Lisaria MULS., Cat. Ois.-Mouch., 1875, 11. Type, Hemithylaca warszewiczi CAB. and

HEINE.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Bill longer than head, straight; nostrils
uncovered; wing normal; tail more than half as long as wing, emar-
ginate, the feathers broad and rather stiff; tarsi densely feathered ;
under parts plain metallic green, plain cinnamon-rufous, or green ante-
riorly, and white, buff, or cinnamon-rufous posteriorly, the chest some-
times white; tail chestnut, purplish black, or blue-black; sexes alike.

Although the two dozen or more species which Mr. D. G. Elliot* lias
included in this genus have usually been distributed through a greater
or less number of so-called genera, I am forced by a careful examination
and comparison of the type s of the several generic names given in the
above synonymy to agree with the gentleman just mentioned in his
reduction of these names to the rank of synonyms. Amazilia ocai
Gould and Erythronota elegans Gould, I have not seen, but have little
doubt that the names Hemistllbon Gould and Erasuria Heine, based
upon them, respectively, are also synonyms of Amazilia. In fact, some

Classification and Synopsis of the TrochilidaB, pp. 216-226.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 363

other groups of species* which eveii Mr. Elliot has allowed to stand
as genera come so very close to Amazilia in their structural and other
characters that it may prove necessary to refer them also to the last-
named genus.

The twelve species of Amazilia (as recognized by Mr. Elliot) found
between the United States and Panama may be distinguished by the
following characters:

COMMON CHARACTERS. — Above green, bronze-green, or bronzy; the
tail rufous, chestnut, bronzy, purple, or blue-black; lower parts- green
anteriorly or entirely light cinnamon; sexes alike.

a1. Lower parts partly green.

61. Belly pure white.

c1. Tail purplish black. Hal. Costa Rica to Panama.

A. niveoventer (GOULD). White-bellied Humming Bird.)
c3. Tail deep bronze. Hab. Isthmus of Panama.

A. edwardii (DE LATT. and BOURC.). Edward's Humming Bird.t

62. Belly not white.

c1. Tail blue-black or dark steel-blue.

dl. Secondaries entirely black or blue-black. Hal. Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
A. sophice (BouRC. and MULS.). Sophia's Humming Bird.§
d*. Secondaries rufous-chestnut, tipped with blue-black. Hal. Guatemala and
• Nicaragua (Pacific side).

A.cyanura GOULD. Blue-tailed Humming Bird. \\
c2. Tail bronzy, purple, or chestnut.
dl. Tail greenish bronze. Hal. Eastern Mexico.

A. ocai GOULD. If Oca's Humming Bird.H
d2. Tail purple or chestnut.
e1. Secondaries partly rufous.

/'. Secondaries with more than basal half rufous ; tail deep chestnut glossed
with purple, the middle feathers purple. Hal. Southern Mexico.

A. beryllina (LiCHT.). Berylline Humming Bird.**

/*. Secondaries with not more than basal half rufous; tail rich bronze-
purple. Hal. Guatemala.

A.maria ( BOURC. ).tt Maria's Humming Bird.
e*. Secondaries without any rufous.

/l. Belly and flanks dull brownish gray ; lores deep rusty. Hal. South-
eastern Texas to Ecuador.

A.fuscicaudata (FitAS.). Bieffer's Humming Bird. (Page 366.)

*For example: Agyrtria REICH., Uranomitra REICH., Eucepliala REICH., Timolia
MULS., Arinia MULS., and Callipharus ELLIOT.

t Trochilus ( ?) niveoventer GOULD, P. Z. S. , 1850, 164. Amazili a niveiventris ELLIOT

Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 222.

t Trochilus edwardi DE LATT. and BouRC.,Rev. Zool., 1846, 308. Amazilius edwardl
BONAP., Consp., i, 1850, 78.

$ Trochilus sophice BOURC. and MULS., Ann. Soc. Lyons, ix, 1846, 318. Amazilius sophice
BONAP., Consp., i, 1850, 78.

|| Amazilia cyanura GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xvm, 1850, pi. 12; vol. v, pi. 315.

IT Amazilia ocai GOULD, Ann. Mag. N. 76, ser. 3, iv, 1859, 96 ; Mon. Troch., v, 1861, pi.
289.

" Trochilus leryllinus LICHT., Preis-Verz., 1830, No. 26. Amazilia beryllina GOULD,
Mon. Troch. pt. xxn, 1861 (vol. v, 1861, pi. 312).

ft Trochilus maria BOURC. , Ann. Soc. Ag. Lyon, ix, 1846, 319. Amazilia marice ELLIOT,
Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 222.

364 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

/2. Belly and flanks cinnamon-rufous or pale cinnamon ; lores not distinctly

rusty.
flr1. Belly and flanks deep cinnamon-rufous. Hal. Yucatan.

A. yucatanensis (CABOT). Cabot's Humming Bird.*

<72. Belly and flanks pale cinnamon or cinnamon-buff. Hal). Eastern
Mexico, north to southeastern Texas.

A. cerviniventris GOULD. Buff-bellied Humming Bird. (Page 364.)
a-. Lower parts entirely cinnamon.

6'. Smaller (wing 2.15-2.25, exposed culmeu 0,80-0.88). Hob. Western Mexico and

Yucatan to Nicaragua.

A.cinnamomea (LESS.) Cinnamomeus Humming Bird.]

6*. Larger (wing 2.50-2.70, exposed culmen 0.90—1.05). Hal). Tres Marias Islands,
western Mexico. A. graysoni LAWR. Graysons Humming Bird.\

BUFF-BELLIED HUMMING BIRD. Amazilia cerviniventris GOULD.

Amazilius cerviniventris GOULD, P. Z. S., 1856, 150.

Amazilia cerviniventris GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xm, 1857, pi. 12; vol. v, 1861, pi.

309.— MERRILL, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl , n, Jan. 1877, 26 (Ft. Brown, Texas).

Am azilea yncatanensis MERRILL and RIDGW., Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus,, i, 1878,148 (Ft.

Brown, Texas ; not Trochilusyucatanenais CABOT).
Fawn-breasted Arnazili (GoULD).
Rufous-bellied Humming Bird (CouES).
L'Amazili a veutre de biche (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto de pecho verde y vieutre castauo (D'OcA).

RANGE. — Eastern Mexico, north to the lower Rio Grande Valley, in
Texas.

SP. CHAR. — Adult (both sexes): Lores greenish or dull brownish (never
rusty); belly and flanks pale dull cinnamon-buff; upper parts metallic
bronze or bronze-green, the upper tail-coverts somewhat tinged with
rusty on basal portion; tail rufous-chestnut (glossed with purple on tbe
under surface), the feathers broadly tipped and margined terminally
with metallic bronze; some specimens (immature specimens only?)
with a considerable blackish subterminal space on one or both webs of
all but the middle pair of feathers; chin, throat, and chest brilliant
metallic Paris-green ; breast metallic bronze-green ; bill reddish (light
brownish in dried skins), blackish terminally; length about 4.00-4.50;
wing, 2.15-2.25; tail, 1.35-1.60, slightly emargiuated; exposed culmen,
0.75-0.82. Young similar to adult, but upper mandible black, upper
tail-coverts broadly margined with rusty, and tail-feathers (except mid-
dle pair) with a more or less extensive subtermiual space of blackish on
one or both webs, the median portion, however, including shaft, chest-
nut.

Adult male (No. 90749, Fort Brown, Texas, Dr. J. 0. Merrill, U. S.
Army): Above metallic green, tinged with bronze, the top of the head
very much duller; upper tail coverts bronze-green, their basal portion

* Trochilus yucatanensis CABOT, Proc. Nat. His. Soc., Bost., 1845, 74. Amazilia yuca-
tanensis GOULD, Mon. Troch. pt. xxm, 18C1 (\ol. v, 1801, pi. 308).

iOrnismya cinnamomea LESS., Rev. Zool., 1842, 175. Amazilia cinnamomea ELLIOT,
Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 219.
t. Amazilia (Pyrrhophcena) graysoni LAWR., Ann. Lye. N. Y., 18f»7, 404.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 365

(partially exposed) dull cinnamon-rufous; tail clear chestnut, the two
middle feathers broadly greenish bronze at tips (for about .28 of an inch
along shaft and for a much greater distance along edges) ; rest of the
tail-feathers similarly tipped with bronze, but this color gradually
decreasing in extent to the outer pair, on the inner web of which the
bronze is reduced to a very small angular space next to the terminal
portion of the shaft 5 under surface of tail faintly glossed with purple;
reiniges dull brownish slate or dusky, faintly glossed with purplish.
Sides of head metallic green, like hind neck, etc.; chin, throat, and
chest brilliant metallic Paris-green ; breast metallic bronze-green (ex-
tending farthest back laterally), the bases of the feathers dull grayish
cinnamon ; belly and flanks light, buffy cinnamon, the under tail-coverts
vinaceous-cinnamou; downy femoral tufts white; short dense feathers
clothing thighs and upper part of tarsus dull white, tinged with pale
buff'y-grayish. Upper mandible pale brown (reddish in life?), tipped
with blackish for about 0.15 of an inch; lower mandible similar, but
paler. Length (skin), 4.00; wing, 2.25; tail, 1.50, middle feathers 0.20
shorter ; exposed culrnen, 0.80.

Young male (No. 74337, Fort Brown, Texas, August 23, 1877; Dr. J. C.
Merrill): Generally similar to the adult as described above, but upper
parts much more golden bronze-green, feathers of lower back and rump
margined terminally with dull light rusty and upper tail-coverts broadly
margined with light rusty; middle tail-feathers with outer webs wholly
dull metallic bronze, the terminal portion of both webs copper-bronze;
other tail-feathers marked subtermiually with purplish black, this re-
duced on outer feather to an edging to outer web, but on next to the
middle pair occupying the greater portion of both webs near the tip;
top of head dull blackish brown, passing into dull rusty brown laterally.
Throat and chest not continuously brilliant green, but this color inter-
spersed with patches of dull buffy and grayish -brown feathers. Upper
mandible black, becoming brownish at base; lower pale brownish,
blackish at tip.

Young female (No. 74339, same locality and collector, date not given):
Similar to the young male as described above, but back, etc., purer
(less bronzy) green, middle pair of tail-feathers wholly bronze (darker
and more coppery terminally), purplish black subterminal spaces to
other tail-feathers much more extensive and more distinct, belly and
flanks much duller and grayer buffy, and only the basal half of the
under mandible light colored.

This bird is so closely related to the A. yucatanemis (Cabot) of Yuca-
tan that there is a strong probability that it will prove to be merely a
race of the same species. Although the type of A. yucatanensis ex-
hibits some characters of plumage which I have not been able to recog-
nize in any of the examples of A. cerviniventris which I have been able
to examine,* additional specimens show these differences to be incon-

See Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, Vol. iv, pp.

366 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

stant aiid therefore not diagnostic, thus reducing the differential char-
acters of the two forms to the coloration of the under parts alone, A.
yucatanensis ha\7ing the breast, belly, sides, flanks, and under tail-
coverts much deeper in color, or a clear deep cinnamon-rufous, the
absence of any distinct wash of bronze green on the sides of the breast
rendering the contrast between the brilliant green of the throat and
chest and the cinnamon-rufous color which follows it much more abrupt
and conspicuous.

The Buff-bellied Humming Bird, the plainest species of the family
that has hitherto been added to our fauna, was first obtained within our
limits by Dr. J. O. Merrill, U. S. Army, at Fort Brown, Texas, in 1876.
It was there an abundant summer visitor, being particularly numerous
on the military reservation. It seemed to be perfectly at home among
the dense tangled thickets, darting rapidly among the bushes and
creeping vines, and was so active that specimens were obtained with
difficulty. It was rather a noisy bird, its shrill cries usually first attract-
ing attention to its presence.*

Mr. George B. Bennett met with it at the same place the following
year, but only obtained one specimen, which was shot while hovering
over wild flowers near the ground, among cacti and low bushes, t

I am unable to add anything further regarding its habits.

RIEFFER'S HUMMING BIRD. Amazilia fuscicaudala (FRASER).
( Plate XLIII.)

Trochilm fmcicaudatus FRAS., P. Z. S., 1840, 17 (Ecuador).

Amazilia fuscicaudata MERRILL and RiDGW.,Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus., i, Oct., 1878, 147

(Fort Brown, Texas).
Trochilus riefferi BOURC., Aim. Sci. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, 1843, 45.

Amazilia riefferi REICH., Av. Syst. Nat., 1849, pi. 39.— GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt.

xix, 1860, pi. 14 ; vol. v, 1861, pi. 311.
Pyrrhoplicena riefferi CAB. and HEINE, Mus. Hein., in, 1860, 36. — MERRILL, Bull,

Nntt. Orn. Cl., I, Nov., 1876, 88 (Fort Brown, Texas).
Riefter's Amazili (GouLDj.
Dusky-tailed Humming Bird (COUES).
L'Ariane de Rieffer (MULSANT and VERREAUX).

RANGE.— The whole of Central America and eastern Mexico ; north
to the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas ; south to Ecuador.

SP. CHAR. — Lores rusty ; breast and belly pale brownish gray ; upper
parts metallic bronze- green, darker on top of head, more bronzy or
golden on rump; tail deep chestnut, including middle feathers, the
feathers tipped and margined more or less extensively with bronze or
purplish ; throat and chest brilliant metallic yellowish green, the
feathers pale grayish beneath the surface, showing wherever the
feathers are disarranged; sides and flanks bronze- green ; under tail-

*Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. I, 1879, pp. 149, 150.

t Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Surv. Terr., Vol. iv, No. 1, p. 36.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XLIM.

RIEFFER'S HUMMING BIRD (Amazilia fuscicaudata).
Male. (Cat. No. 50370, U. S. N. M. Guatemala City, Guatemala. Collected by Dr. Van Patten.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 367

coverts chestnut-rufous ; anal arid femoral downy tufts white ; bill red-
dish at base for a greater or less distance (brownish in dried skins),
the terminal portion black; length (skins), about 3.80-4.35; wing, 2.00-
3.40; tail, 1.45-1.70; exposed culmeu, 0.70-0.90. Adult female similar to
ihc male, but usually more or less duller in color. Young similar to
adults, but plumage duller, the rump more tinged with rusty, and the
head washed with rusty.

Adult male (No. 50370, Guatemala City, Guatemala ; Dr. Van Patten):
A')ove metallic bronze-green, more decidedly bronzy, but also darker
aiid duller, on top of head, the rump inclining to golden bronze; upper
tail-coverts and tail, including middle pair of feathers, chestnut, the
latter glossed with purple (especially underneath), and each feather
broadly margined terminally with deep bronze, this color also edging
the outer webs; reiniges dull brownish slate or dusky, faintly glossed
with purplish. Lores deep rusty; chin, malar region, throat, and
chest brilliant metallic yellowish green, somewhat broken by the light
grayish brown basal portion of the feathers here and there exposed ;
sides and flanks metallic bronze-green ; median portion of breast and
belly light grayish brown; femoral and anal tufts white; under tail-
coverts light chestnut. Upper mandible brown (reddish in life), tipped
and edged with blackish; under mandible brownish white (red or flesh-
colored in life), with tip dusky; feet dusky. Length (skin), 3.80; wing,
2.30; tail, 1.40 (middle feathers 0.05 shorter); exposed culmen, 0.78.

Adult female (No. 38987, Panama, January 7, 1865; "Fred. Hicks):
Similar to the male, as described above, but tail and its coverts rather
lighter chestnut; belly much lighter brownish gray, and bill more ex-
tensively dusky. Length (skin), 3.80, wing, 2.10 ; tail, 1.35; exposed
culmen, 0.85.

Young female (No. 40452, San Juan, Nicaragua, June 7, 1865; H. E.
Holland) : Similar to the adult, but duller green above, with feathers
of the lower back and rump broadly margined with rusty; anterior
lower parts with green much less brilliant and much interrupted by
dull brownish gray, approaching grayish white on the chin. Upper
mandible entirely blackish.

With very numerous specimens before me, representing various local-
ities, from eastern Mexico to Bogota, I am unable to discover any
constant differences coincident with locality , even in specimens from the
most remote districts. There is a considerable range of individual varia-
tion, involving the amount of blackness of the maxilla (some specimens
having the upper mandible wholly blackish except the extreme base,
while in others only the end is dark-colored), length of wing and bill, etc.
These differences, however, appear to be purely individual, and not at
all, so tar as I can see, local. Some Costa Eican specimens are the
largest in the collection, as well as the darkest in color, but there is
much variation in both respects in a series of 8 examples from that
country.

368 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

A specimen from Guayaquil, Ecuador, however, (No. 54961. Dr. Des-
truge) labeled by M. Lawrence " riefferi var.jacunda," on the other hand,
differs decidedly from all more northern examples, including those from
Colombia, in the very much lighter color of the tail-coverts, tail, and
abdomen, the latter being very nearly white, instead of brownish gray
or grayish brown.

Like the allied Buff-bellied Humming Bird, Rieffer's Humming Bird
was first taken within the United States by Dr. J. C. Merrill, U. S.
Army, who examined a living specimen brought to him by a soldier at
Fort Brown, but which subsequently escaped. Fortunately, however,
Dr. Merrill had taken a. careful description of the bird while in .his pos-
session, so there can be no question as to the correct identification of
the species.

But little has been recorded of 'the habits of this species, the follow-
ing, from Gould's monograph, being all that I have been able to find:

Mr. Bridges found ifc feeding on a Malvaceous plant near the Boqueti, at an eleva-
tion of 4,000 feet ; Mr. Salviu met with it at Cohan in November, and also near
Bezbal, and remarked that it was far from common at Coban, and that all the speci-
mens he procured appeared to he males ; and Mr. Fraser noticed it feeding from the
bark of a large tree in the forest of Babahoyo in Ecuador, and states that when he
arrived in Esmeraldas in October it was by no means uncommon, feeding morning
and evening around the eaves of the house ; in November it was very scarce, and in
December not to be seen.

GENUS BASILINNA BOIE.

Basilinna BOIE, Isis, 1831, 546. Type, Trochilus leucot<8 VIEILL.
Heliopcedica GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xv, 1858. Type, Trochilus melanotis SWAINS.,
= T, leucotis VIEILL.

GENERIC CHARACTERS. — Similar to Amazilia, but bill broader, and
more denuded at the base, the frontal apex being considerably posterior
to the mental apex, and sexes very different in coloration.

This genus is so closely related to Amaziliathat the sexual difference
in coloration is the most obvious difference. Only two species are
known, their diagnostic characters being as follows :

COMMON CHARACTERS. — Above metallic green, darker or duller on
top of head; tail mainly chestnut or blackish, the middle feathers,
however, with more or less green; a broad and very conspicuous white
stripe behind eye, with a black, dusky, or brownish one immediately
beneath it, across ear-coverts. Adult males with forehead and chin
black or deep blue, the throat and upper part of chest brilliant metallic
green. Adult females with top of head dull brownish (sometimes tinged
with green), and lower parts pale cinnamon (with or without green spots
on throat) or dull grayish white with sides green.

a1. Tail mainly chestnut ; posterior lower parts pale cinnamon. Adult male : Fore-
head and chin opaque black, or dull blue-black ; middle tail-feathers chestnut
centrally, metallic green exteriorly, the rest without dusky subterminal bar
or spot. Adult female: Lower parts pale cinnamon, with or without green
spots on throat; middle tail-feathers entirely green, the rest marked by a
more or less distinct subtermiual spot of dusky. Hob, Southern portion of
Lower California. B. xantusi (LA.WR.). Xantus's Humming Bird. (Page 369.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 369

a2. Tail inaiuly blackish ; posterior lower parts dull whitish, mixed with grayish
brown and greenish. Adult male with forehead and chin deep rich blue ;
middle tail-feather entirely metallic green or bronze, the others tipped with
green or bronzy. Adult female : Lower parts dull light grayish, or grayish
white, more or less spotted with green, the sides almost continuously of this
color ; middle tail-feathers entirely green or bronzy, the others black, the two
or three outer ones tipped with dull grayish. Hob. Highlands of Guatemala
and Mexico. B. leuootis (ViEiLL.). White-eared Humming Bird.*

XANTUS'S HUMMING BIRD. Basilinna xantmi (LAWK.).
(Plate XLIV.)

Amazilia xantusi LAWR., Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., vii, April, 1860, 109 (female).
Heliopadica xantusi GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xxi, ISlil, pi. 2; vol. n, 1861, pi.
65.— COOP., Orn. Gal., i, 1870, 365.— B. B. and R., Hist. N. Am. B., n, 1874, 467,
pi. 47, fig. 3.

Basilinna xanthusi ELLIOT, Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 227.
Banlinna xantusi RIDGW., Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., HI, 1880, 6, 188.
Hdiopcedica castaneocauda LAWR., Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., vn, Apr., 1860, 145

(male).— ELLIOT, Illustr. B. N. Am.,i, 1869, p. XXH.
Le Coeligene de Xauthus (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupamirto de pico coral y vientre castano (D'OCA).

EANGE. — Cape district of Lower California.

SP. CHAII. — Tail mainly chestnut ; posterior under parts pale cinna-
niou-rufous. Adult male with forehead and chin opaque black or dull
blue-black, throa*t and chest brilliant metallic yellowish green, and a
broad, white stripe behind eye; length (skins), about 3.40-3.60 ;t wing,
1.95-2.15 ; tail, 1.35-1.40; exposed culmen, 0.65-0.70. Adult female with-
out any black about head, the white post-ocular stripe less distinct, and
the entire under parts light cinnamon-rufous ; length (skins), about
3.10-3.50;| wing, 1.85-2.00; tail, 1.15-1.25; exposed culmen, 0.60-0.70.

Adult male (Xo. 117767, Miratiores, Lower California, November 29,
1859; J. Xautus):§ Forehead slightly glossy blue-black, changing grad-
ually into duller blackish on the crown ; chin and a broad stripe thence
beneath eye to ear-coverts opaque, velvety black ; lores dull grayish
white; behind the eye a distinct stripe of white, changing into light
cinnamon -grayish on side of neck; occiput, hind-neck, wing-coverts,
scapulars, and back, metallic bronze-green ; upper tail-coverts bronze-
green mixed with rusty ; tail chestnut, faintly glossed with purple on
under surface, the middle pair of feathers broadly margined with metal-
lic bronze green; remiges dusky brownish slate, very faintly glossed
with purplish. Throat and upper part of chest brilliant metallic yel-
lowish emerald-green or Paris green ; feathers of lower chest and breast

* Trochilus leucotis VIEILL., Nouv. Dict.,ed. 2, xxir, 1818,428. Basilinna leucotis
KKICH., Aufz. der Colib., 1853, 13.

t Length of a specimen before skinning said to he 4.75.
t Length before skinning said to be 3.30-3.65.
§ Type of Heliopceclicn castaneocauda, LAWR.

H. Mis. 129, pt. 2 24

370 REPORT OF NATIONAL .MUSEUM, 1890.

metallic bronze-green terminally, light cinnamon-rufous basally ; rest
of under parts light cinnamon-rufous, the anal region and under tail-
coverts paler. Bill with basal half or more pale brownish (coral-red in
life), the terminal portion blackish. Length (skin), 3.40; wing, 205;
tail, 1.40; the middle feathers, about 0.10 shorter; exposed culmen, 0.65.

Adult female (No. 16935, Cape St. Lucas, Lower California, October
1859; J. Xantus):* Sides of forehead dull cinnamon-rufous; median
portion of forehead, with crown, dull grayish brown ; rest of upper parts,
including middle pair of tail-feathers, metallic bronze-green, the upper
tail-coverts margined and somewhat mixed with rusty; tail-feathers
(except middle pair) chestnut, becoming gradually paler on the outer-
most, the second and third (from the middle) with a large blackish lon-
gitudinal subterminal spot on each web, the fourth with a similar spot
on the inner web and a trace of such a spot on the outer ; outermost
feather without any spot on the outer web, and with a mere speck of
blackish on the inner web ; remiges dull brownish slate or dusky, faintly
glossed with purplish. A distinct stripe of buffy whitish behind eye,
above upper margins of the ear coverts, the latter dusky grayish brown ;
chin, throat, and other lower parts dull cinnamon-rufous, becoming
paler and somewhat mixed with whitish posteriorly. Upper mandible
black, becoming more brownish at base; lower pale brownish (reddish
in life), with blackish tip. Length (skin), 3.10; wing, 1.85; tail, 1.20,
the lateral feathers about 0.10 shorter; exposed culmen, 0.60.

Among adult males the principal variation in color affects the green
of the throat, which may be a decidedly yellowish green or a nearly
pure emerald- green, and the extent of bronze-green on tiie middle tail-
feathers, which sometimes covers the entire outer \\eb and the greater
part of the inner web also.

Adult females obtained during midsummer are much paler, the color
of the lower parts being a dull grayish buff, and the post-ocular stripe
quite white.

A specimen, labeled " Mazatlan, Mexico " (No. 24853, J. Xantus), is
similar to Lower California specimens and is doubtless not from the
ascribed locality.

What appears to be an adult female, but may be an immature male
(No. 24855, Cape St. Lucas, April, 1860, J. Xantus), differs from the
usual plumage of the adult female in having a quite extensive patch of
metallic yellowish green covering nearly the whole of the throat, arid
some blackish feathers in the region extending from the side of the
chin to the ear- coverts.

What little we know of the habits of Xantus's Humming Bird is due
to Mr. L. Belding who observed it at several localities in the southern
part of Lower California, where he informs us it is a mountain-loving
species, and usually to be found near fresh water, while in winter he
found it only in the mountain canons. "It was common at the western

•* Type of Amazilia zantusi, LAWE.

Report of National Museum, 1890.— Ridgway.

PLATE XLIV.

XANTUS'S HUMMING BIRD (Basilinna xantusi).

Male. (Cat. No. 113101, U. S. N. M. Piercers Ranch, Lower California. Collected by M. A.
Frazar.)

Female. (Cat. No. 113104, U.S. N. M. Pierce's Ranch, Lower California. Collected byM. A.

Frazar.)
Nest. (Cat. No. 18563, U. S. N. M. San Jose, Lower California. Collected and presented by L.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 371

base of Oacachiles Mountain in February; more so, in fact, than C.
costcv. It was not observed at San Jose until some time after iny
arrival, though it occurred in canons only 2 or 3 miles to the westward.
About the last of April it was common in orchards at San Jose.

" While incubating, this species is very confiding and courageous,
sometimes remaining upon the nest until removed from it by the band.
A nest taken April 23 was placed underneath an awning or shade of
boughs and weeds in front of a farmhouse. It was surrounded by
downy heads of composite plants and could scarcely be distinguished
from them, having as usual, been made of raw cotton."

The two nests of this species obtained by Mr. Belding are very neat
structures, quite different in appearance from the nest of any other
North American Hummer, though they differ much from one another.
The finer of the two (No. 18563, San Jose, April 23,) is a compactly
felted mass composed chiefly of raw cotton, but this coated exteriorly
with spiders' webs and light brown fine fibrous materials. It is securely
fastened to two forks of a twig and rests between them. The shape is
very irregular, owing to the manner in which it is secured to the twigs,
but on top the transverse diameter is about 1.50 inches, the cavity being
about 1 inch across and about 0.60 of an inch deep. The two eggs
measure respectively 0.32 by 0.50 and 0.34 by 0.49, being essentially
identical in size and shape with those of Calypte costce, from which it is
apparently quite impossible to distinguish them. The other nes.t (No.
18564, Arroyo, north of Santiago Peak, May 9) is quite different both
in shape and material. It is very regularly but shallowly cup-shaped,
averaging a little over 1.50 inches in external diameter, but only about
0.80 of an inch in extreme height. The cavity is about 1 inch across
by a little over 0.50 of an inch in depth. The material is chiefly raw
cotton, but this much mixed, especially outwardly, with fine leaf-stems,
seed capsules, spiders' webs, etc., besides one or two soft white feathers.
Like the other nest, this one is supported between two twigs. The
eggs measure respectively 0.34 by 0.49 and 0.32 by 0.50.

Genus IACHE ELLIOT.

Circe GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt.xm, May 1, 1857. Type, Cynanthus latiroslris SWAINS.

(Preoccupied ; Mert., 1835, Acal.)
lache ELLIOT, Class, and Synop. Troch., March, 1879, 234. Type, Cynanthus latirostris

SWAINS.

GENERIC CHARACTERS. — Similar to Ghlorostilbon GOULD,* but bill
longer. Bill decidedly longer than head, nearly or quite straight, the
nostrils entirely uncovered by feathers, though overhung by a conspic-
uous operculum ; the length of the exposed culinen equaling or exceed-
ing the distance from the bend of the wing to the tips of the longest
secondaries; tail deeply emarginate, the longest (lateral) feathers

* Chlorostilbon GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. v, 1853; Introd. Troch., oct. ed., 1861, 175.
Type, TrocMlus pucherani BOURC. and MULS.

372 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

about equal in length to the distance from the tips of the longest sec-
ondaries to that of the longest primary, the shortest (middle) feathers
less than half as long as the wing. (Female with lateral rectrices
shorter, and tail therefore less deeply emarginated.) Adult males me-
tallic grass-green above, the tail-feathers blue black with dull gray tips
(broadest on middle feathers) ; downy thigh tufts pure white ; under
tail-coverts with more or less of white: rest of lower parts metallic
green, bluish green, or blue ; bill pale brownish (red in life) on basal
portion, blackish at end, Adult females metallic grass-green above,
pale grayish beneath, the two exterior tail-feathers tipped with pale
brownish gray, and all with the basal half green.

This genus comes so very close to Chloro stilbon that I am unable to
give satisfactory characters for its separation ; indeed, some of the
Central American species of Chlorostilbon resemble the species of lachc
quite as much, both in coloration and form, as the type of the former
genus (C. pucherani). In fact, I am unable to see why the two so-called
genera, together with Riccordia REICH.,* of the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti,
and Porto Rico, should not be merged into one genus.

The number of species embraced in the so-called genus lache is very
uncertain, only two of the five which have been described possessing
very definite characters. I have at this moment before me the types of
I. magica (Muls. and Terr.) and I. doubledayi (Bourc.), besides typical
specimens of J. lawrencei Berl., a good series of J. latirostris (Sw.), and
a fine adult male of what should be, from the locality, the 1. nitida of
Salvin. The five names above mentioned belong to two quite distinct
groups, I. magica and 1. lawrencei being closely related to J. latirostris,
while /. nitida is allied to I. doubledayi. Of the latter group I have
only three specimens for comparison, all adult males, as follows : The
type of I. doubledayi, kindly lent by the American Museum of Natural
History in New York City; a specimen from Tehuantepec, collected by
Professor Sumichrast (No. 57794, U. S. National Museum), and referred
by Mr. Lawrence to /. doubledayi ; and a most perfect example collected
by Mr. O. T. Baron, at Dos Arroyos, State of Guerrero, Mexico, the
region from which Mr. Salvin's recently described 1. nitida was ob-
tained. These three specimen are so much alike, however, that I have
little hesitation in referring them to one species, especially the first and
last, the Tehuantepec specimen being much more different from the
other two than they are from one another. I am therefore not able to
decide, without more specimens, how many forms of the doubledayi
group should be recognized, but would not be much surprised if /.

* Riccordia REICH., Aufz. der Colib., 1853, 10. Type, Trochilus riccordi GERV.— Siwr-
adinus BONAP., Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1854, 255. Same type.

This so-called genus embraces four species, as follows: R. riccordi (GKRV.), of
Cuba and two of the Bahama islands (Andros and Abaco) ; R. bracei (LAWR.) from
New Providence, Bahamas ; R. elegans (VIEILL.), from Haiti, and R. maiigwi (ViEiLL.),
from Porto Hico.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 373

nitida would eventually prove to be merely a variation of 1. doubledayi,
and not a distinct species.

The males of the several forms may be distinguished as follows, the
females of all except /, latirostris and I. nitida being unknown to me:

a1. Tail forked for only one-fourth its total length ; exposed cuhneu more than .70.

11. Upper parts bronze -green ; bill larger and broader at base.

c1. Under tail coverts white, with dull grayish central spaces, entirely white in
young; whole throat metallic blue. Hal., Western and central Mexico,
north to southern Ari/ona.

/. latirostris (SWAINS.). Circe Humming Bird (Pago 373).

c2. Under tail-coverts dusky grayish, glossed with green, margined with grayish
white ; throat metallic green, tinged with blue toward chin. Hal. Tres
Marias Islands, western Mexico.

/. laicrcncei BERL. Lawrence's Humming Bird*

12. Upper parts purplish copper-bronze ; bill smaller and narrower (exposed culmen

less than 0.75, width at base not, over 0.12). Hal., Western Mexico (vicinity
of Mazatlan). f. magica (Muis. and VKRR.). Magic Humming Bird.\

a2. Tail forked for much more than one-fourth its total length; exposed culmen less
than 0.70.

11. Under parts, except throat, metallic bluish green; top of head metallic emerald-

green, inclining to blue on forehead. Hal., Southwestern Mexico (Dos
Arroyos, Guerrero: "ChimautJa").

/. douhledaui (Bounc.). Doulleclay's Humming Bird.\

12. Under parts metallic blue, the throat more purplish blue; top of head metallic

blue, more greenish posteriorly. Hal., Southwestern Mexico (Sierra Mad re
of Guerrero; Chihuitan, Tehuantepec).

/. nitida SALV. Shining Humming Jttrd.fy

*
CIRCE HUMMING BIRD. ^lache latirostris ( SWAINS.).

( Plate XLV.)

Cynanthus lalirosiris SWAINS., Philos. Mag.,i, 1827, 441.

Circe latirostris GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xm, 1857, pi. 7; vol. v, 1861, pi. 338. —
UENSII., Am. Sportsm., v, Feb. 20, 1875, 328 (Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona);
Zoo' I. Wheeler's Exp., 1875, 380.

Incite latirostris ELLIOT, Class, and Syuop. Troch., 1879, 235.
Circe (GOULD).
Broad-billed Humming Bird.
La Circe 11 large bee (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chnpamirto matraquita (D'OCA).

KANGE. — Western and central Mexico, north into southern Arizona.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male, metallic bronze-green above, much duller on
top of head, and on upper tail-coverts ; tail blue-black, the middle feathers
tipped with brownish gray ; chin and throat bright metallic blue, rest
of under parts metallic green, the under tail-coverts white, with or with-
out grayish or greenish central spots; bill reddish basally (brownish in

* lacltc lawreneei BERL., RiDGW.,Mau. N. Am. B., 1887, 320.

t Hylocharis magica MULS. and VERB., Ann. Soc. Lyon, xvm, 1872, 110. — Indie wayica
ELLIOT, Class, and Synop., Troch., 1879, 23f>.

t Trochilns doulledayi BOURC., P. G. S., 1874, 4<J. — lache doubh'dayi ELLIOT, Class.
and Synop. Troch., 1879, 23,").

$ lache nitida SALV., Ibis, April, !*«!>, 240.

374 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

dried skins), black terminally; length, dried skins, 3.40-3.05; before skin-
ning, 3.75-4.10;* wing, 1.95-2.08; tail. 1.20-1.35 (forked for 0.25-0.40),
exposed culmen, 0.75-0.87. Adult female, metallic green, or bronzy-
green above, becoming dull brownish gray on forehead ; middle tail-
feathers metallic green or bluish green, usually shaded with blue-black
terminally or subterminally, the other tall-feathers greenish basally,then
blue-black, their tips brownish gray (much broadest on exterior feather) ;
lower parts light brownish gray, more or less washed with metallic
green on sides of breast ; a white spot or short streak behind eye ; length,
dried skins, about 3.25-3.40; before skinning, about 3.95 1; wing, 1.90-
2.10; tail, 1.15-1.20 (forked for about 0.12-0.25); exposed culmen,
0.75-0.87.

Adult male (No. 99218, Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, June 28, 1884 ;
E. W. Nelson) : Above metallic grass-green (some of the feathers tinged
with bluish green in certain lights), the forehead much duller; remiges
dull brownish slaty, very faintly glossed with purplish: upper tail-coverts
metallic bluish green; tail glossy blue-black, the four middle feathers
tipped with dull brownish gray, this about .10 of an inch wide on middle
pair. Chin and throat rich metallic cobalt-blue, gradually changing
posteriorly to metallic bluish grass-green, which color covers uniformly
the chest, breast, belly, sides, and flanks; thigh tufts pure white; under
tail-coverts white on edges (broad), pale brownish gray medially. Bill
light brownish (red or flesh-colored in life), about the terminal third
blackish; feet dusky, Length, dried skin, 3.50; wing, 2.05; tail, 1.30
(forked for 0.25) : exposed calmen, 0.87.

Adult female (No. 111646, Tucson, Arizona, April 22, 1884; E. W.
Nelson): Above metallic green, glossed with bronze, changing to dull
brownish gray on top of head, and to a more bluish green on upper tail-
coverts and two middle tail-feathers; outer tail-feathers brownish gray,
crossed by a broad subterminal band of blue-black, about .30 of an inch
wide along shaft and removed about the same distance from the tip ;
the terminal gray space somewhat paler than the basal one ; next feather
has the basal gray space glossed with bluish green and the terminal
gray space much reduced in size, forming a triangular spot; third
feather has the basal portion metallic bluish green, and the terminal
gray spot still smaller; fourth similar, but with merely a slight terminal
edging of grayish; remiges dusky brownish slate, very faintly glossed
with purplish. Chin, malar region, throat, chest, breast, belly, sides,
and flanks plain light brownish gray, the sides of the breast washed
with metallic green and the flanks tinged with brownish ; under tail-
coverts white, the shorter feathers tinged with brownish gray. An
oblique broad postocular streak of dull white, immediately above the
ear-coverts, the latter dusky. Upper mandible black ; lower brownish

* Extent of wings, 4.98-5.05.
t Extent of wings, 5.05.

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XLV.

CIRCE HUMMING BIRD (lache latirostris).

Male. (Cat. No. 99219, U. S. N. M. Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona. Collected by E. W. Nelson.)
Female. (Cat. No. 99220, U. S. N. M. Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona. Collected by E. W. Nelson.)
Nest. (Cat. No. 17890, U. S. N. M. Guanajuato, Mexico. Collected and presented by Prof. A.
Duges.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 375

(reddish in life), tipped with dusky. Length, skin, 3.50; wing, 2.05;
tail, 1.20 (forked for about 0.12); exposed cuhneu, 0.87.

Young male, transition plumage (No. 99730, Arizona; B. W. Nelson):
Above metallic green (much duller than in the adult), the feathers of
the lower back and rump and the upper tail-coverts indistinctly mar-
gined at tips with dull pale brownish ; tail as in adult male; under parts
as in adult fejnale, but chin, throat, and malar region inclining to light
broccoli-brown, the latter interspersed with metallic greenish blue
feathers (of the adult livery), the chest also mixed with metallic green
feathers.

Young female (No. 72536, Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, Aug. 24,
1874; H.'W. Heushaw) : Similar to the adult female, but feathers of
the back, rump, etc., margined terminally with pale brown, these
edgings most distinct posteriorly; under parts tinged with light brown,
especially the chin, malar region, and throat.

Among adult males the principal variation is in the coloration of the
under tattoo verts, which may be white, with the anterior or shorter
feathers merely shaded with pale brownish gray, or marked with dis-
tinct median spaces of deep brownish gray, an intermediate coloration
being the rule. The color of the throat varies slightly in the shade of
the blue, which sometimes has a more decided greenish cast, and the
upper tail-coverts may be of the same color as the back or of a de-
cidedly darker and duller hue.

The specimens examined are from the valley of Mexico, the plains of
Colima, the vicinity of Mazatlau, and southern Arizona.

The Circe Humming Bird is a common species of western and central
Mexico and is a more or less common summer resident in suitable por-
tions of southern Arizona, where it was first found in the Chiricahua
Mountains, in 1874, by Mr. H. W. Henshaw, and where, both in the
original and other localities, it has subsequently been found by other
collectors.

It was next met with in the Santa Eita Mountains by Mr. F. Stephens,
as recorded by Mr. Brewster in The Auk, vol. vii, 1882, p. 211 ; then in
the Santa Gatalina range by Mr. W. E. D. Scott, in 1884.

Of this curious rather than beautiful Hummiug Bird [says Mr. Henshaw*] three
specimens were secured in the Chiricahua Mouutaius, at a point a few miles distant
from Camp Crittenden. As the breeding season was entirely passed, I was able to
note nothing concerning its habits which served to distinguish it from others of the
family, save what appeared to be a constant habit of frequenting the agaves; and
all the specimens were shot as they were flying about these peculiar plants, in the
neighborhood of which I am confident I saw several others. Great numbers of this
species are found in Mexico ; and, as they there inhabit the mountains and table-
lands, the species doubtless extends in summer through northern Mexico, and finds
in the extreme southern parts of Arizona a suitable climate; while an abundance of
the agave, to which plants it resorts in its more tropical home for at least a great
portion of its subsistence, serves as a further attraction. No doubt these hummers
are quite numerous in the locality I have referred to earlier in the season, as well as
in other similar places.

/oology of Whftfller'M Survey, 1875, p. 381.

376 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

Mr. R Stephens subsequently found the Circe Humming Bird in
the Santa Kita Mountains, where five specimens were obtained and oth-
ers seen. They were always found near water, and usually along the
streams which flowed through canons, high among the mountains. They
seemed to prefer sycamores to other trees, and invariably perched on
dead twigs where they could command an open view. Their notes were
flat and differed from those of other Hummers.*

The Santa Catalina Mountains were afterward added to their range
by Mr. W. E. D. Scott, who thus records his observations:

During the spring, summer, and early fall of 1884 this was a rather common
species in the Catatina Mountains, from an altitude of 3,500 to 5,000 feet, but in the
corresponding season of 1885 the birds were apparently rare. The birds arrive at this
point early in April, the 5th of that month being my earliest record, when I took two
adult males. They remain throughout the spring and summer, leaving from the
middle to that last of September. I took an adult female on June 26, 1884, {that con-
tained an unlaid egg with shell nearly formed, so that there can be but little doub^
that the birds breed at this point. Besides, I have the young birds in first plumage
from July 1 until late in August, t •

SPECIES WHICH HAVE BEEN WRONGLY ADMITTED TO THE NORTH
AMERICAN FALNA, OR WHICH ARE PURELY ACCIDENTAL STRAG-
GLERS.

The following species have been given in works on North American
birds, but are properly not entitled to a place in our fauna. One of
them (Atthis heloisa), being a bird of eastern Mexico, will doubtless yet
be found in southern Texas, but the other two belong to regions far be-
yond our limits.

Genus LAMPORNIS SWAINSON.

Lampornis SWAINS., Zool. Jour., in. 1827, 358. Type, Trochilus mango LINN.
Anthmcothorax BOIE, Isis, 1831, 546. Type, Trochilus nigricollis, VIEILL.
Smaragdites BOIE, Isis, 1831, 547. Type, Trochilus dominicus LINN.
Floresia REICH., Aufz. Colib., 1853, 11 (subgenus). Type, Trochilus porpliyrurm

SHAW,=T. mango LINN.
Hypopliania REICH., Aufz. Colib., 1853, 11 (subgenus)* Type, Trochihis dominieus

LINN.
Margarochrysis REICH., Aufz. Colib,, 1853, 11. Type, Trochilus aurulentus, Vieill.=

T. dominicus LINN.
Endoxa HEINE, J. f. O., 1863, 179. Type, Trochihie porpliyrnrm SHAW. (Substitute

for Floresia REICH ! . )

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Size large (wing, 2.5C or more); tail large,
slightly rounded, double rounded, or emarginate, considerably more
than half as long as wing, the feathers broad, with rounded tips, their
color mainly chestnut, glossed with purple, or bright purple (blackish
green in L. viridis); wing ample, the primaries of normal shape ; bill
longer than head, slightly curved, its vertical thickness least through
the middle ; nasal opercula partly feathered ; greater part of tarsi
naked.

*Brewster, the Auk., vol. vn, p. 211.
tThe Auk, vol. HI, 1886, p. 432.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 377

The species of Lampornia are about ten in number (ircliuling sub-
species), and belong chiefly to the West Indies and the Atlantic coast
district of tropical America; four of them, L. dominions (Linn.), L. vir-
idis (Vieill.), L. mango (Linn.), and L. ellioti Cory, are restricted to the
West Indies 5 the same number are continental ; one which is merely
an insular race of a continental species is confined to the Caribbean
island of Old Providence, while one ( L. ealosoma Elliot) is of unknown
habitat.

The Central American forms may be distinguished by the following
characters :

COMMON CHARACTERS, — Adult males bronze-green above; tail (except
middle feathers) bright chestnut-purple, glossed with violet-purple,
the feathers margined terminally with blue-black ; lower parts greenish,
with or without a broad black throat-stripe. Adult females with lower
parts mainly white, but with a median stripe (broadest on throat) o(
black or green; tail-feathers (except middle pair) bluish or greenish
black termially or subterminally, their tips often white.

a1. Throat-stripe opaque velvety black.
&1. Black of throat continued backward to belly. Hal., Panama to Brazil.

L. nigrlcollis ( VIEILL.). Black-throated Humming Illrd (Pago 377.)
I2. Black of throa^ not extending beyond chest.
c1. Bill longer (culmen 0.90 or more). Hab.y Southern Mexico to Costa Rica.

L. prevosti (LESS.). PrevosVs Humming Hird.*
c*. Bill shorter (culmen, 0.78). Hab., Old Providence Island, Caribbean Sea.

L. prevosti hendersoni (CORY). Henderson's Humming JlirdA
a'2. Throat-stripe (female) or whole throat (male) brilliant green. Haft., Yeragua.

L. veraguensis GOULD. Veragua Humming Eird.*

The first of the above-characterized species has been included in sev-
eral works on North American birds, on the strength of a specimen
that was given to Mr. Audubou by Dr. Bachman, who received it from
their ".mutual friend, Dr. Strobel," who claimed to have obtained it at
Key West, Florida. If the specimen was really obtained at Key West,
its occurrence there must be considered as purely accidental, since it
is not even found in the West Indies, nor along the Central American
coast, but is a South American bird, with the Isthmus of Panama as
its normal northern limit.

BLACK-THROATED MANGO HUMMING BIRD. Lampornis nigricoUis (VIEILL.).

Trochilus nigricollis VIEILL., Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vil, 1817, 349.

Lampornis nigricollis VON BERLEPSCH, J. f. O., 1884, 309.
Trochilus mango AUD., Oru. Biog., n, 1834, 480, pi. 184; B. Am., iv, 1842, ISO, pi. 251

(not of LINNAEUS).

Lampornis mango GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xn, 1856, pi. 1*2; vol. u, 1861, pi. 74. ~-
B. B. and R., Hist. N. Am. B., n, 1874, 440.

* Trochilus prevosti LESS., Hist. Nat. Col., 1831, 87, pi. '24. — LamporniH prcroxti
<JUAY, Gen. B., i.,108.

\Lamponris Jicndersoni CORY, The Auk, iv, July, 1887, 177.
ILaHipitrniK wayueHxi* UOTLD, Mon. Troch., pt. xv, May, K>8, pi. 9; vol. n, 1801,

pi. 7<>.

378 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

The Mango (Goui,i>).

Maiigo Humming Bird (AUDUBON).

Black throated Humming Bird (COUES).

Le Lampornis mango (MULSANT and VERREAUX).

EANGE. — Northern South America, from the Isthmus of Panama to
Brazil and eastern Peru 5 accidental at Key West, Florida?

SP. CHAR. — Adult male golden green above, middle tail-feathers
darker ; rest of tail rich chesnut, glossed with purple, the feathers
broadly margined at ends with purplish black ; median portion of body
beneath opaque black, the lateral portions metallic blue anteriorly,
bronze-green posteriorly. Adult female with median under parts
black, bordered along each side by white ; tail-feathers more extensively
black terminally, the three outermost often with whitish tips.

Adult male (No. 119363, Panama, 1862; J. McLeannan): Above bronze-
green, darker and less bronzy on top of head ; middle pair of tail-feath-
ers dull greenish black ; other rectrices deep purplish chestnut, richly
glossed with metallic violet, each feather broadly margined terminally
with'glossy blue-black, and with the shaft clear chestnut; outer feather
with outer web broadly edged with purplish black ; remiges dusky, very
faintly glossed with purplish. Chin, throat, chest, and middle line of
breast and belly opaque velvety black, that of the chin, throat, and
chest bordered laterally by a band of metallic blue, gradually passing
into green on the sides of the neck ; sides and flanks bronze-green ;
under-tail coverts dark metallic green, the basal portion of the feathers
dusky ; downy tufts between flanks and rump, pure white. Bill black,
feet dusky. Length, skin, 4.10 ; wing, 2.60; tail, 1.45 (middle feath-
ers, 1.35 5 exposed culineu, 0.85.

Adult female (No. 2702, " South America; " J. Cassiu) : Top of head
dull grayish brown, glossed with bronze-green ; rest of upper parts
bronze-green, mixed with golden bronze ; middle tail feathers dull bot-
tle-green, with dusky tip; next feather with outer web similar, but
inner web dull blue-black for terminal half and greenish dusky basally,
with a small spot of chesnut about one- third the distance from the tip;
next with more than the basal third green on outer web, dusky on inner,
the remaining portion blackish terminally and laterally, the central
portion occupied by a broadly lanceolate patch of chestnut, about 0.50
of an inch long, the extreme tip of the feather white; next feather sim-
ilar, but chestnut patch and white terminal spot both more extensive,
the latter passing into rusty anteriorly ; outer feather chestnut, with
base, broad margin to outer web, and still broader terminal margin of
inner web (both reaching nearly to the shaft near end of the feather)
black, the tip dull whitish and the shaft nearly pure white. Sides of
head similar to top, but darker; chin, sides of throat, and malar region,
together with breast and belly (except along median line), white; a vel-
vety black stripe extending from upper part of the throat along median
line of under surface as far as the lower belly; sides of neck bright

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 379

bronze-green, the sides of the body (from breast to liauks) similar, but
more bronzy; under tail-coverts bronze-green, margined terminally
with pale grayish; bill and feet dusky. Length, skin, 4.25; wing,
2.55 ; tail, 1.50 (middle feathers, 1.40), exposed culmen, 1.00.

Immature birds (both sexes ?): Resemble the adult female, but have
the feathers of the upper parts tipped with pale dull buffy, and the
white bordering the black median stripe of the under parts sometimes
mixed with light brown. *

Nestlings : "At a very young age the upper surface is bronzy green ;
the under surface white, spotted down the sides of the neck and body
with chestnut-red, the spots being arranged in a double line from the
angle of the lower mandible, and leaving a line of white between them
and the eye."

This is a very abundant species in northern South America, but does
not occur, so far as known, north of the Isthmus of Panama. It was
introduced as a North American bird, however, by Mr. Audubou, on
the strength of a specimen given him by Dr. Bachman, which was
alleged to have been taken by Dr. Strobel at Key West, Florida. If the
specimen in question was really taken at Key West, its occurrence there
must of course have been purely accidental.

The circumstances attending the case are thus given by Mr. Au-
dubon :

It affords ine great pleasure to introduce to the lovers of natural history this species
of Humming Bird as an inhabitant of the United States. The specimen which is
now in my possession was obtained by Dr. Strobel at Key West in East Florida. He
informed me that he had succeeded in capturing it from a bush where he had found
it seated, apparently wearied after its long flight across the Gulf of Mexico, probably
from some of the West India Islands or the coast of So*uth America. Whether this
species is numerous in any part of Florida, I have no means of ascertaining. The
interior of that territory, as its name indicates, is the land of flowers, and con-
sequently well suited to the peculiar habits of this genus ; and as it has seldom been
visited by ornithologists it is possible that not only this, but several other species
of Humming Birds, may yet be discovered as inhabitants of our southern country.

Genus ATTHIS REICHENBACH.
Atthis REICH., Aufz. der Colib., 1853, 12. Type, Ornysmia heloisa LESS, and DELATTR.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— Similar to Stellula, but tail-feathers not in-
clining to spatulate form, the outer two or three broadly tipped with
white in both sexes; feathers of gorget in male broader and without
white bases.

The only two known species of this genus are very much alike in
general appearance, but may be distinguished by the following char-
acters :

COMMON CHARACTERS.— Exposed culmen not more than 0.50; outer
tail-feathers broadly tipped with white in both sexes. Adult males

* According to Gould " the young male is similar to the female, but has the white
on each side the ueek sutf'iiHed with chestnut."

380 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

bronzy green or bronzy above, the middle tail-feathers broadly edged
with rufous on inner web, the other tail feathers with basal half rufous,
then purplish black, the two or three outermost broadly tipped with
white; gorget rich metallic purplish; chest and other median lower
parts white, the sides and flanks rufous, tinged or spotted with green-
ish or bronzy. Adult females similar to males, but throat dull white,
spotted with dull greenish or bronzy; under tail coverts pale rufous;
four middle tnil-feathers without rufous edgings.

a1. Adult male: Outer primary narrow, abruptly attenuated at tip ; gorget brilliantly

metallic reddish violet, with decided violet tints in certain lights. Culmou,

0.48-0.50. Hab., Eastern Mexico.

A. lieloisa (LESS, and DE LATTR.). Hcloise's Summing Bird. (Page 380.)
«2. Adult male with outer primary broad, not attenuated at tip ; gorget metallic reddish

purple, without violet tints; otherwise much like A. lieloisa. Culmen, 0.38-0.40.

Hal>., Highlands of Guatemala. A. eUioli RIDGW. Elliot's Humminy Hint.*

A. lieloisa has been included in works on North American birds pub-
lished since 1870, on the strength of a specimen erroneously identified
as this species, collected by Mr. J. H. Clark, of the United States and
Mexican Boundary Survey, at El Paso, Texas. t It is a species of east-
ern Mexico, where it inhabits the tropical coast district (and perhaps
the temperate slopes also), and may be expected to occur within our
limits along the lower llio Grande.

HKLOISK'S HUMMING BIRD. Atthis lieloisa (LKSS. and DE LATTR.).
(Plate XLVI.)

Omismya licloisa LESS, and DE LATTR., Rev. Zool., 1639, 15.

Selasphorus f lieloisa; GOULD, Mou. Troch., pt. vin, 1854, pi. 2; vol. in, 1861, pi. 141.

AttMs heloisa; GOULD, Ifttrod. Troch., oct. ed., IfCl, 89.— COOP., Orn. Cal., i, 1-70,

361.— 13. B. & R., Hist. N. Am. B., n, 1874, 465, pi. 47, tig. 0.
Heloisa's Flame-hearer (GOULD).
L' Atthis d'Helo'i-e (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Chupauiirto do peto violado purpureo (D'OcA).

KANGE. — Eastern Mexico.

SP. CHAR. — Adult male, with gorget rich metallic magenta-purple,
with steel-blue reflections, the feathers much elongated posteriorly and
laterally; tail feathers all extensively rufous basally, the three outer
ones tipped with white and with a subterminal black patch ; length
about 2.70-2.75 ; wing, 1.30-1.50; tail, 0.95-1.10; exposed cul men, 0.45-
0.50. Adult female, similar to the male above, except that the middle pair
of tail-feathers are without any rufous, while that on the other rectrices
is much more restricted; chin and throat white (tinged with rusty lat-
erally), spotted with bronze; chest and middle line of breast and belly
dull white; sides and flanks cinnamon-rufous; under tail-coverts cin-
namon-buff; length (skin), 3.25; wing, 1.40; tail, 0.80; exposed culmen.
0.48.

*Atlltis ellioli RIDGW., Proc. U. 8. Xat. Mus., i, July 1, 1H7H, !).
I Sr<>. The, Auk, Jan., 1891, p. 11f>.

Report of National Museum, 1890. — Ridgway.

PLATE XLVI.

HELOISA'S HUMMING BIRD (Atthis heloisa)

Male. (Cat. No. 24616, U. S. N. M. Xalapa, Mexico. Collected by R. Montes de Oca )
Female. (Cat. No. 24618, U. S. N. M. Xalapa, Mexico. Collected by R. Montes de Oca.)

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 381

Adult male 'No. 24G16, Jalapa, Mexico ; Dr. A. L. Heerinann) : Above
metallic greenish bronze, strongly tinged with golden bronze on hind-
neck, back, scapulars, and ramp; remiges dusky, very faintly glossed
with purplish; middle pair of tail-feathers bronze-green, the basal por-
tion cinnamon-rufous, this most distinct on edges (broadly) where con-
tinued half-way to the tip; next pair of feathers cinnamon-rufous,
tipped with a guttate spot of purplish black, this preceded by a broad,
V-shaped patch of metallic bronze-green ; remaining rectrices broadly
tipped with white and crossed by a broad, subterminal patch of pur-
plish black, the basal portion of all light cinnamon-rufous. Ear-coverts
grayish brown or olive ; gorget, including chin, malar region, and entire
throat, brilliant metallic magenta-purple, with steel-blue and even
greenish reflections; the more posterior, and especially the postero-
lateral, feathers much elongated (the longest extending nearly 1.00 inch
from the chin-angle), the individual feathers rather narrow but with
rounded tips; chest, breast, belly, and under tail-coverts white; sides
and flanks light rusty, glossed in places with golden bronze ; bill and
feet black; length (skin), 2.75; wing, 1,50; taU, 0.95; exposed culmen,
0.50.

Adult female (No. 24618, Jalapa, Mexico; Dr. A. L. Heermaun) :
Above bright metallic bronze-green, tinged with golden bronze, duller
on top of head; rerniges dusky, with faint purplish reflections; middle
pair of tail-feathers metallic green, passing into blackish at tips, but
without rufous at base; next pair with a terminal spot of light cinna-
mon, then purplish black for about 0.22 of an inch, the remaining por-
tion cinnamon rufous, with a small space of green between this color
and the black, on the outer web; next feathers similar, but terminal
spot whitish instead of cinnamon, with black more extensive and only
a trace of the green space; next, similar, but terminal spot pure white
and a little larger; outer feather similar to the second, but white spot
a little larger, and basal portion much duller, as well as paler, rusty.
Chin and throat white, tinged with pale rusty laterally, spotted with
bronzy brown ; chest plain white; sides and flanks cinnamon-rufous,
the belly whitish ; lower tail-coverts cinnamon-buff; bill and feet black ;
length (skin), 2.85; wing, 1.40; tail, 0.85; the outer feathers 0.10
shorter ; exposed culmen, 0.48.

The specimen from El Paso, Texas, referred to in the u Ornithology
of California," u History of North American Birds," and subsequent
works as being this species, proves to be a young example of Stellula
calliope. (See The Auk, January, 1801, p. 115.)

382 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890.

Genus AGYRTRIA REICHENBACH.

Thaumantias BONAP., Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1854, 255 (nee ESCHOLTZ, 1829).
Thaumatias GOULD, Introd. Troch. oct. ed. 1861, 151 (wee BONAP., 1850).
Agyrtria REICH., Troch. Euum. 1855, 7. Type, Trochilus brevirostris LESS.
Leiicodora MULS., Hisfc. Nat. Ois. Mouch. i, 1873, 309. Type, Trochilus norrisii BOURC.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.— In what the characters of this supposed
genus really consist, I have not been able to discover, either by a cai
ful examination of specimens or by consulting the various works whi<
recognize it. The various species referred to Agyrtria are essential!;
identical in structure with the species referred to Amazilia, and in nr
opinion should be placed in the same genus with them. Other so-called
genera, as Uranomitra, Timolia, Eucephala, Arlnia, and Callipharus, are
also involved in the uncertainty. (See p. 3G2.)

Taking the single species which has been mentioned as a North
American bird, together with all the Central American species which
have been placed in the same so-called genus, we have four species of
Agyrtria whose differential characters are as follows :

a1. Throat and breast green.

ft1. Outer tail-feather blackish, with dusky gray tip. Hob. Tobago, Trinidad, and
Venezuela to Brazil; accidental in Massachusetts?

A. tobaci (GMEL.) Tobago Humming Bird. (Page 382.)

02. Outer tail feather bronzy green, with dark purplish bronze subterminal baud
and gray tip. Hob. Honduras. A. lucice (LAWR). Lucy's Humming Bird.*
a 2. Throat and breast white.
61. Belly pure white, flanks green. Hab. Mexico to Nicaragua.

A. Candida (BouRC. and MULS.). White-breasted Humming Bird.t
6 *. Belly and flanks pale rufous. Hab. Mexico.

A -norm-it (BouRC.). Norris's Humming Bird.t

TOBAGO HUMMING BIRD. Agyrtria tobaci (GMEL.).

Trochilus tobaci GMEL., S. N. i., 1788, 498.

Agyrtria tobaci ELLIOT, Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 206.

Thaumatias linnwi GOULD, Mon. Troch., pt. xn, 1856, pi. 4, vol. v, 1861, pi. 302. — B. B.
and R. Hist.N. Am. B., n, 1874, 468.$

Agyrtria linncei COUES, Key, 1872, 186.
Trochilus maculatus ViEiLL.,Ois. Dor., i. 1802, 87, pi. 44.

Agyrtria maculata CAB. and HEINE, Mus. Hem., in, 1860, 33.— MAYN., B. E. Mass.,

1870, 128 (Cambridge, Mass.).— ALLEN, Am. Nat., HI, Feb., 1870, 645 (do.).
Liunseus's Emerald (GOULD).

Le Thaumatias de Linne (MULSANT and VERREAUX).
Linne" Humming Bird (CoUES).

* Thaumatias lucia, LAWR. Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci., Phil., 1867, 233. Agyrtria lucia, ELLIOT,
Class, and Synop. Troch., 1879, 208.

t Trochilus candidus, BOURC. and MULS., Ann. Soc. Ag., Lyons, ix, 1846, 326. Agyr-
tria Candida, CAB. and HEINE, Mus. Heiu., iii, 33.

t Trochilus norrisii, BOURC., P. Z. S., 1847, 47. Agyrtria norrisii, ELLIOT, Class and
Synop. Troch., 1879, 204.

$Not Thaumantias linncei BONAP., Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1854,255, based on Trochilus
thaumantias LINN. (S. N. ed., 12, i, 1766, 190), which is certainly not this species.

THE HUMMING BIRDS. 383

KANOE. — Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela, Guiana, aud northern Brazil ;
accidental in eastern Massachusetts (!)

SP. CHAR. — Adult (No. 88468, U. S. National Museum, Surinam;
Count von Berlepsch) : Above dark bronze-green, including two mid-
dle tail-feathers, the latter, however, much -duller green than the back;
remiges dusky, very faintly glossed with purplish ; outer tail-feather
dusky, inclining to blue-black subterminally, the tip dusky gray for
about .20 of an inch; next feather similar, but with the dusky grayish
tip much less distinct, and the outer web slightly glossed with dull
bronze- greenish, except for terminal third; next feather with dusky
gray tip reduced to a narrow terminal margin, and the outer web dis-
distinctly dusky bronze-greenish, except terminally ; fourth feather
similar, but no trace of grayish at tip. Malar region, chin, throat, and
chest, bright metallic emerald-green, more yellowish green laterally,
the feathers of the chin and throat dusky grayish at base, with a white
bar between the dusky and the green, those of the chest dusky imme-
diately beneath the surface; breast, sides, and flanks bronze-green;
sides of belly similar, but feathers margined with pale grayish or gray-
ish white; middle line of belly (narrowly) white; downy femoral tufts
pure white; under tail-coverts brownish gray, broadly margined with
white. Upper mandible black ; lower pale yellowish brown (pinkish in
life), becoming blackish at tip; feet dusky. Length (skin), 3.90; wing,
2.15; tail, 1.20 (outer feathers a little shorter); exposed culmen, 0.80.

A specimen of this species is in the collection of Mr. William Brew-
ster, which is said to have been taken in the vicinity of Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in August, 1865. If it were really taken there, its occu-
reuce mnsfc of course be regarded as purely accidental. (See remarks
on p^ge 313/)