Vol. XXIII, pp. 105-106 June 24, 1910 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW HUMMING BIRD FROM THE SIERRA NEVADA 

 DE SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA. 



BY OUTR.IM BANGS. 





While Mr. W. \V. Brown, Jr., was collecting birds in 1899 in 

 the higher parts of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Mavta, Colombia, 

 he secured at altitudes ranging from 7,500 to 11,000 feet, three 

 specimens of a Lifresnayea, which at the time I called L'lfres- 

 nayea said (Delat. and Bource.). 



Since then I have compared these skins with many specimens 



of L. said and L. lafresnayei (Boiss.) and find that the Santa 



Marta mountain bird is quite different froiu either. It may be 



known as 



Lafresnayea liriope sp. nov. 



Tijpe, from Paramo de Chiruqua, 11,000 feet altitude, Sierra Nevada 

 de Santa Marta, Colombia, adult cJ*, No. 6216, Bang.s Coll., Museum of 

 Comparative Zooloofy. Collected February 25, 1899, by W. W. Brown, Jr. 



CJinrarterx. — With the rectrices ( except of course the middle pair) icliite, 

 below the dark tips, as in L. saul, but with the bill nearly straight as in L. 

 lafresnayei (which has the rectrices yellow below the dark tips) very dif- 

 ferent from the much curved bill of L. saul; central pair of rectrices and 

 longer upper tail coverts, strong greeni.sh coppery, in marked contrast to 

 color of back. In all skins I have examined of L. saul the central rec- 

 trices and upper tail coverts are green, concolor with back. In most 

 skins of L. lafresnayei the central rectrices are slightly bronzy, not so 

 much so however as in the Santa JMarta form, but this character and 

 the straighter bill would seem to indicate, that in spite of liaving a white 

 tail the new l)ird is really more nearly related to the yellow-tailed L. 

 lafresnayei than to L. sanl. 



MEASinUiMEXTS. 



2G— Pkoc. Bioi,. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXIII, 1910. 



(105) 



