BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 495 



white tips to lateral rectrices, the adult male with throat purple or 

 purplish red instead of blue. 



Bill longer than head, depressed, very faintly decurved; culmen 

 rounded except basally, where contracted into a narrow ridge; 

 maxillary tomium very minutely serrate terminally; mandible with 

 a lateral median groove. Nasal operculum rather narrow (its convex 

 edge not descending to tomium), the posterior and inner portions 

 covered by frontal feathering, which extends not quite to anterior 

 end of the operculi, forming a very short point or antia on each side 

 of mesorhinium. Tarsus clothed with short feathers, except lower 

 and extreme posterior portions; middle and outer toes nearly equal 

 in length, the inner slightly shorter, the hallux about as long as inner 

 toe. Wing about three times as long as exposed culmen, the outer- 

 most primary longest. Tail ahout three-fifths as long as wing, 

 rather deeply emarginate in adult male, slightly double-rounded in 

 adult female, the rectrices firm, with rounded tip. 



Coloration. — Above metallic bronze-green or greenish bronze, duller 

 on rump and upper tail-coverts, the tail blackish with tips of outer 

 rectrices grayish; a dull v/hitish postocular streak and a similar (or 

 buffy) rictai one, enclosing a broader auricular space of dusky; 

 under parts brownish gra}", adult males with feathers of throat 

 broadly tipped with violet, purple or rosy. 



Range. — Highlands of Mexico and Guatemala. (Three species.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF LAMPORNIS. 



s. Throat metallic reddish purple, purple, violet, or violet-blue. {Adult males.) 

 b. Throat purple to reddish or pinkish purple. {Lampornis amethystinus.) 

 c. Throat reddish or i:)inkish purple, the feathers more broadly and distinctly 

 margined with whitish; under parts paler; averaging larger, with longer 

 bill (wing averaging 67.6, tail 42.3, culmen 21.5). (Southeastern Mexico.) 

 Lampornis amethystinus amethystinus, adult male (p. 496). 

 cc. Throat magenta purple, the feathers more narrowly and indistinctly margined 

 with pale grayish; under parts darker; averaging smaller, with shorter bill. 

 (Average measurements less than the above.) 

 d. Dusky suborbital and auricular area less blackish and white postocular 

 streak duller; averaging slightly larger (wing 68, tail 42.2, culmen 20). 

 (Western Mexico.) 



Lampornis amethystinus brevirostris, adult male (p. 497). 

 dd. Dusky suborbital and auricular area more blackish and postocular streak 

 pui'er white; averaging slightly smaller (wing 65.2, tail 39.5, culmen 19.5). 

 (Guatemala and Chiapas.) 



Lampornis amethystinus salvini, adult male (p. 498). 

 hh. Throat Aoolet or violet-blue. 

 c. Throat Anolet; green of upper parts lees bronzy. (Mountains of central 



Guerrero.) Lampornis margarltee, adult male (p. 499). 



cc. Throat violet-blue (royal purple or more bluish); green of upper parts more 

 bronzy. (Mountains of eastern Guerrero to central Oaxaca.) 



Lampornis pringlei, adult male (p. 500). 



