562 



BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



HELIOTHRYX BARROTI (Bourcier and Mulsant). 



BARROT'S FAIRY. 



Adult male. — Forehead and crown bright metalhc violet or bhie- 

 violet (''royal purple"); loral, suborbital, and auricular regions 

 opaque velvety black, the last terminated b}^ a spot or short tuft of 

 metallic bluish violet; a band extending from malar apex to side of 

 neck, immediately beneath the black loral-suborbital-auricular 

 stripe, very brilliant metallic emerald green; occiput, hindneck, back, 

 scapulars, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform soft 

 metallic green; four middle rectrices slightly glossy blue-black; 

 remaining rectrices pure white; under parts, from chin to under tail- 

 coverts, inclusive, immaculate pure white; bill black; feet light 

 brownish (in dried skins); length (skins), 94-121 (108); wing, 63-69 

 (65.9); tail, 35.5-54.5 (45.4); culmen, 15-18 (16.7).« 



Adult female. — Similar to the adult male, but forehead and crown 

 green, like rest of upper parts, white of under parts extending up to 

 the black loral-suborbital-auricular stripe, and violet post-auricular 

 spot wanting; chest sometimes (in younger individuals) spotted or 

 streaked with brownish gray; tail averaging much longer; length 

 (skins), 117-134 (124); wing, 63-70.5 (66.6); tail, 43-73 (60.9); cul- 

 men, 15.5-19 (17.1).'' 



(i Twenty-six specimens. 



b Twenty-seven specimens. 



Locality. 



MALES. 



One adult male from Guatemala 66.5 49..5 17 



Four adult males from Honduras 67.3 51.7 16.2 



Ten adult males from Honduras 66 45.6 16.6 



Seven adult males from Panamd. 65.8 46.6 17.2 



Four adult males from western Ecuad6r 64.1 37.1 16.2 



FEMALES. 



One adult female from Guatemala •. 70.5 58 17 



One adult female from Honduras 67.5 72 19 



Ten adult females from Costa Rica 66. 6 63. 5 16. 4 



Eight adult females from PanamA 67.1 60.6 17.5 



Seven adult females from western Ecuador 65.1 56.1 17 



I am unable to eubtantiate the claims of a subspecies, H. b. alincius, for Guatemala 

 to Costa Rica, as proposed by Mr. Oberholser, since the characters ascribed do not 

 hold good. It is possible the bird from western Ecuador should be separated on 

 account of its much shorter tail, usually more bluish violet crown, and apparently 

 broader subauricular green stripe; but a much larger series is necessary to determine 

 the question. 



The individual variation in length of tail is very great, especially among females. 



Ex- 

 posed 

 culmen. 



