PICAEIAE TROCUIL1DAE TEOCHILUS ALEXANDRI. 373 



TEOCniLUS ALEXANDRI, Bourcier & Mulsant. 

 Black-chinned Hummingbird. 



Trochilus alcxandri, BOURCIER & MULSANT, Aim. de la Soc. d'Agric. do Lyons, ix, 1840, 

 380. BD., Birds N. A., 1858, 133. Id., U. S. & Mex. Bound. Surv., ii, pt. 

 ii, 1859, Birds, 6, pi. v. HEEEM., P. R. R. Rep., x, pt. ii, 1859, 50. XAN- 

 TUS, Proc. Acad. Nat, Sci. Phila., 1859, 190. GOUES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila., 1806, 50 (Colorado Desert). Id., ib., 1808, 82. COOPER, Birds Cal., 

 ii, 1870, 353. COUES, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, 184 MERRIAM, U. S. Geol. 

 Surv. Terr., 1872, 693 (Ogden, Utah). BD., BREW., & RIDG., N. A. Birds, 

 ii, 1874, 450, pi. xlvii, f. 1. YARROW & HENSHAW, Rep. Orn. Specs., 1872, 

 Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 23. HENSHAW, An. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., xi, 1874, 

 8. Id., An. List Birds Utah, 1872, Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 47. Id., Rep. 

 Oru. Specs., 1873, Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 130. 



This hummingbird, a near ally of the eastern Ruby-throated Hum- 

 mer (T. colubris), appears to take the place of that bird in the far West. In 

 Utah, it is perhaps the most numerous of its tribe, and indeed was the only 

 one detected by our parties. It seems to follow the range of the flowers, 

 and to determine its habitat by their presence, following them from the 

 plains to a high altitude in the mountains, though it is most abundant 

 between the two extremes. Farther West, in the canons of Nevada, Dr. H. C. 

 Yarrow found it still abundant. In fact, while from Utah it extends to the 

 Pacific, and to the northward follows the Coast range far up, it appears quite 

 restricted to the eastward, not apparently reaching into Colorado, and not, 

 so far as I am aware, having been reported from New Mexico. 



In Arizona, we did not meet with this bird till, at Camp Apache, a few 

 were found in August, nor till we reached the neighborhood of Camp Bowie, 

 in the extreme southeastern portion of the Territory, was it observed to be at 

 all common ; but here it was present in great numbers, far outnumbering all 

 the others. At this season (August), the rather sterile country about Camp 

 Bowie did not afford blossoms in abundance, and the faded flowers of the 

 Agave americana seemed the chief source whence it drew its supply of insects, 

 which the non-decaying blossoms attracted. In a narrow rocky canon near 

 Camp Crittenden, I noticed large beds of our common Morning Glory, and 

 it seemed as though these little creatures must have assembled from miles 

 around to run riot in the profusion of the bright blue flowers. The buzzing 



