TROCHILID.E — THE HUMMING-BIRDS. 



447 



Dr. Cooper thinks that he met with this species in August, 1853, on the 

 summit of the Cascade ^lountains, but mistook the specimens for the young 

 of Sclasphorus rufns. 



Early in June, 1859, Mr. John Feihier found these birds breeding near 

 Pitt Kiver, California, and obtained their nests. 



This species was obtained by Mr. Itidgway only on the East Humboldt 

 Mountains, in Eastern Nevada. The two or three specimens shot were 

 females, obtained in August and September, and at the time mistaken for 

 the young of Sdasphuriis platijccrcus, which was abundant at that locality. 



Dr. \V. J. Hoffman writes, in relation to this species, that on the 20th of 

 July, 1871, being in camp at Big Pines, a place about twenty-seven miles 

 north of Camp Independence, California, on a mountain stream, the banks 

 of which are covered with an undergrowth of cottonwood and small bushes, 

 he frequently saw and lieard Huniming-r)irds flying around him. He at 

 length discovered a nest, wliich was perched on a limb directly over the 

 swift current, where it was sometimes sulyected to the sjiray. The limb 

 was but half an inch in thickness, and the nest was attached to it by means 

 of thin fibres of venetable material and hairs. It contained two eogs. The 

 parents were taken, and proved to be this species. There were many birds 

 of the same kind at this point, constantly on the tops of the small pines 

 in search of insects. 



Genus TROCHILUS, Lixnjjus. 



Trochilus, LiNNiEUs, Systema Naturte, 174S (.Vga.ssiz). 



Tail forked ; the feathers 



Gen. Char. Metallic gorget of throat nearly even all round, 

 lanceolate, acute, becoming gradually narrower from the 

 central to the e.xterior. Inner six 

 primaries abruptly and considerably 

 smaller than the outer four, with the 

 inner web notched at the end. 



The female has the outer tail- 



Trochihis roi„bris T feathcrs lanceolate, as in the 

 male, though much broader. The outer feathers are 

 broad to the terminal third, where they become TrockUus coiiOns. g 



rapidly pointed, the tip only somewhat rounded ; the sides of this attenuated 

 portion (one or other, or both) broadly and concavely emarginated, which dis- 

 tinguishes them from the females of Sdasplwriis and Cahjptc, in which the 

 tail is broadly linear to near the end, which is much rounded without any 

 distinct concavity. 



A peculiarity is observable in the wing of the two species of Trochiivs 

 as restricted, especially in T. coluhris, which we have not noticed in other 

 North American genera. The outer four primaries are of the usual shape, 

 and diminish gradually in size ; the remaining six, however, are abruptly 



