LAMPORNIS. . 279 
first person to attach Lesson’s name to the Mexican Lampornis, and in this course he 
has been followed by all recent writers, 
With a general resemblance to L. violicauda this species may readily be distinguished 
by the middle of the abdomen being green and not black, and this character is shared 
by the following closely allied species. 
The range of L. prevosti is very extensive, and includes the whole of the Mexican 
State of Vera Cruz, and even spreads a little further north to Tampico and Altamira 
in the State of Tamaulipas. It thence passes through Yucatan, British Honduras, 
Guatemala, and as far south as Western Costa Rica. In Guatemala it is by no means 
common, and we do not recollect to have seen any skins of it in the great collections 
made near Coban. It occurs, however, in the province of Peten and near Escuintla on 
the side of mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean. In both places we found this bird 
feeding from the flowers of a species of Erythrina, commonly planted to form hedges. 
Boucard says! that it frequents the gardens of Cordova and Jalapa, and builds in the 
coffee-trees ; and according to de Oca ° it is common and resident in the State of Vera 
Cruz, but in no other part of Mexico. 
It is common on most of the islands lying off the coast of Yucatan, British Honduras, 
and the Republic of Honduras. The Cozumel bird was separated by Mr. Ridgway as 
L. thalassinus 18, but we cannot trace any difference between our series from that island 
and others from the mainland. 
The presence of L. prevosti in Venezuela seems to be assured. Not only did 
Mr. Spence procure a specimen in that country !2, but we believe Count Berlepsch has 
also obtained skins from there which are certainly referable to this species. 
3. Lampornis hendersoni. 
Lampornis hendersoni, Cory, Auk, iv. p. 177’; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 99”. 
L. prevosti similis, sed rostro breviore forsan distinguendus. Long. tota 4:4, alee 2°65, caude 1-4, rostri a 
rictu 0-9. 
9 afemina L. prevosti rostro brevi differt. (Descr. maris et femine ex Ins. Old Providence. Mus. nostr.) 
Hab. Panama, Old Providence I. in the Caribbean Sea (R. Henderson } 2). 
This bird is very closely allied to LZ. prevosti, and the only difference that can be 
relied on with any certainty is the dimensions of the bill, that of the island bird being 
very short. Mr. Cory, in his description, speaks of the back being green instead of 
bronzy, the black patch on the throat longer and narrower, and the top of the head 
faintly tinged with ash colour. These are variable characters, and may be partly due 
to the age of the plumage and the way the skin is made up. 
The birds which were described by Mr. Cory were all obtained by Mr. R. Henderson 
on the little island of Old Providence, which lies at some distance from the east coast 
of Central America in the Caribbean Sea. ‘Three of these specimens were most kindly 
sent us by Mr. Cory. 
