432 Mr. Vigors's Sketches in Ornithology, 



NOTE. 



I cannot omit this opportunity of paying a deserved compliment to our zea- 

 lous Navigator in inscribing this species to him. The specimen is that of a 

 young bird. This fact I ascertained by baring some of the feathers from the 

 head, underneath Vi^hich a beautiful covering of bright ruby feathers was be- 

 ginning to make its appearance. It was in consequence of the concealment 

 of these feathers that Capt. King pronounced this species to be undistinguished 

 in its colours. The adult bird is to be found in the splendid collection of Mr. 

 Leadbeater, and exhibits its identity with our specimen by the acuminated 

 shape of the tail feathers. The species belongs to the genus Mellisuga of M. 

 Brisson, or the straight-billed division of the Trochilidce. 



Mellisuga Kingii. 



Mell. supra metallice viridis, infra alba viridi variegataf vertice splendide 

 rubeo, rectricibus acuminatis. — N. A. V. 



[To be concluded in our next Number.'} 



Art. XL VI. Sketches in Ornithology^ &:c. <^c. By N. A. 

 Vigors, Esq.^ M.A.j F,R.S, &^ L.S,, Secretary of the 

 Zoological Society, <^c. 



[Continued from p. 246.] 

 ON SOME SPECIES OF BIRDS FROM CUBA. 



Having lately received from my friend W. Sharp MacLeay, Esq., 

 a number of bird-skins, which had been collected by him in the 

 neighbourhood of the Havana, I do not think I can more strongly 

 evince my sense of his kindness in transmitting them to me, and 

 of the zeal with which he labours to advance every department of 

 science, than by giving some notice of them in this Journal. 

 The greater number of the species are well known, and have long 

 since been characterized as inhabitants of the New World. Many 

 of them, also, belonging to the Ornithology of the United States, 

 are rendered as familiar to us by the writings of Wilson, and the 

 scientific illustrations of his able successor the Prince of Musig- 

 nano, as the birds of our European Continent. Still however they 

 derive interest from their immediate locality. When we can 



