344 TROCHILIDA. 
Dr. Merritt, who found this species in the district of Veragua called El Mineral, 
says that it is very pugnacious, seeking its food from the flowers of the guava. The 
specimens sent by this collector to Mr. Lawrence were described as Mellisuga merritti"; 
they were, from the characters given, evidently females. Males have since reached us, 
and though Gould at one time considered this Central-American form to be distinguish- 
able from the true K. guimeti, in which opinion he was followed by Salvin, we are now 
convinced that no such distinction exists. 
b. Minores: cauda plerumque abnormalis vie unquam regulariter rotundata aut furcata 
sed valde variabilis, rectrice utrinque eatima sepe attenuata ; gula plerumque rubra, 
micans, interdum violacea ; caput cristatum aut simplex, cervix nonnunguam plumis 
elongatis ornata; dorsum uniforme, aut fascia transversa albida ornatum. 
ec. Cauda variabilis, sed haud cuneata aut spatulata; gula plerumque micanti-rubra, 
interdum violacea; fascia dorsalis nulla. 
i’. Cauda elongata, furcata haud transfasciata ; rostrum longum et arcuatum ; gula 
micanti-rubra. violaceo tincta. 
DORICHA. 
Calliphlox, 8. Doricha, Reich. Autz. d. Col. p. 12. 
Doricha, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 94; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 380. 
Though this and the following genera are very varied as to their structural details, 
they all seem to be more nearly allied to one another than to the other members of the 
family. 
Doricha is distinguished by the long tail of all its species, the outer feathers having 
no transverse bands as in Zi/matura. The throat is usually of a ruby-red colour, with 
shades of violet and sometimes, as in D. enicura, of an amethystine-purple. The tail, 
though long, varies considerably in this respect, and diagnostic specific characters 
are to be found in the way in which the outer rectrices are edged with rufous. 
The range of Doricha is peculiar, inasmuch as all the species except two are peculiar 
to Southern Mexico and Central America. The exceptions are closely-allied species 
restricted to certain groups of the Bahama Islands, no species being found in the larger 
intervening Antilles. 
Of the three species found in our country, D. elize is peculiar to Southern Mexico, 
including Northern Yucatan, D. enicura to Guatemala, and D. bryante to Costa Rica 
and the adjoining portion of the State of Panama. 
