CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 73 



403. Panyptila saxatilis (Woodh.) Coues. B 107. c 269. R 349. 



White-throated Rock Swift. 



404. Nephoecetes niger borealis (Kenn.) Coues. B 108. c 270. R 350. 



Black Rock Swift. 



405. Chaetura pelasgica (L.) Steph. B 109. c 271. R 351. 



Chimney Swift. 



406. Chsetura vauxi (Towns.) De Kay. B no. c 272. R 352. 



Vaux's Chimney Swift. 



407. Basilinna xantusi (Lawr.) Elliot. B . c 273. R 347. 



Xantus Humming-bird. 



408. Eugenes fulgens (Sw.) Gld. B . c 274&w. R 334. 



Refulgent Humming-bird. 



409. Trochilus colubris L. B 101. c 275. R 335. 



Ruby-throated Humming-bird. 



403. Pan-yp'-tl-la sax-at'-l-lls. Gr. irdvv, much, very, from TTUS, iraffa, irav, all, and -miXov, wing: 



in allusion to the great length of this member. Lat. saxatilis, rock-inhabiting : saxum, 

 a rock. 



404. Neph-oe'-cg-tes nlg'-er bor-6-a'-Hs. Gr. vtQos, a cloud, and OKTTJS, an inhabitant; well 



applied to this bird of great wing and high flight. See Pocecete.s, No. 232. Lat. nitjer, 

 black. Lat. borealis, northern. 



405. Chae-tu'-ra pel-as'-gl-ca. Gr. x a ' Tr ?. a stiff hair, a bristle, and ovpa, tail, in allusion to the 



spines which project from the ends of the tail-feathers. 



The specific word was written pe/uytca by Linnasus in 1758, and pehisgia by him in 

 1766. The word has occasioned much conjecture as to its orthography, derivation, and 

 applicability. We cannot suppose it to be pelayica, pelagic, relating to the high seas, like 

 marine. It is apparently one of Linnaeus's whims of nomenclature, by which he likened 

 this migratory species to a Pelasgian, one of the nomadic tribes of Greece, the Pelasrji, 

 Tlt\aayoi. There is indeed a geographical name pelasrjia, but such would hardly be used 

 in this form, and would be geographically false, moreover. Excluding pdasgia or peluglca 

 as out of the question, and supposing the allusion to be to the nomadic Pelasfji, we con- 

 clude that the proper form of the word is as above given, pelasgica, the adjective 

 meaning Pelasgian, i. e., in a tropical sense, nomadic, migratory. 



406. C. vaux'-I. To William S. Vaux, of Philadelphia. 



407. Bas-H-in'-na xan'-tus-i. Gr. fraaiKtwa, a queen, feminine form of /3a<riA.ei5s, a king. To 



Louis John Xantus de Vesey, who later called himself John Xantus, an energetic and 

 successful collector in South-western United States, and Mexico. We suppose the name 

 originally meant yellow, fai/0os, xanthus, and in fact it is written xanthusi sometimes. 

 This is given as Hcliopcedlca xantusi in the orig. ed. of the Check List. 



403. Eu'-gSn-es ful'-gens. Gr. euye^s, well-born; from e5, well, and ytvos, birth; ylyvopcu, I 

 am born. La.t. fulgens, glittering, refulgent, fromfulgeo, I shine, flash, gleam, glitter. 

 Not in the orig. ed. : since discovered in Arizona by H. W. Henshaw. 



409. TrSch'-I-lus col'-u-bris. Gr. rpSx^os or rpox'^os, Lat. trochilus, a kind of bird; from 

 rpoxos, a runner. The bird originally so called by Herodotus was an Egyptian species 

 of plover, of the genus sEgialitis, which was so named from its habit of coursing the 

 banks of streams. The name was also applied by the ancients to some small bird, 

 species uncertain, perhaps a warbler, wren, or kinglet. Very curiously, the name waa 

 afterward transferred to the American humming-birds, becoming fixed in modern nomen- 



