BIEDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 583 



Immature male. — Similar to tho adult female but upper parts more 

 hronzy (intermixed with coppery feathers in older specimens); tail 

 as in adult male; median under parts coppery puri)le (more or less 

 extensively). 



Caribbean slope of Costa Rica (Angostura; Tucurriqui; Turrialba; 

 Bonilla; Carrillo; Rio Sucio; Puerto Limon; La Balsa; La Vijagua) 

 and Nicaragua (Chontales; Matagalpa). 



PnmjcMora parvirostris Lawrence, Proc. Ac. Nat. Rci. Philad., 18G5, 39 (Anp;os- 

 tura, Costa Rica; coll. U. S. Nat. Mus.). 



MicTOchera parvirostris Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1867, 154, in text (Tucur- 

 riqui, Costa Rica; crit.); Ibis, 1872, 313, 319 (Chontales, Nicaraijua; crit.); 

 1892, 327 (Matagalpa, Nicaragua); Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xvi, 1892, G7, G56 

 (La Balsa, Costa Rica, etc.). — Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y., ix, 18G8, 122 

 (Angostiu'a, Costa Rica; descr. adult male). — Frantzius, Journ. fiir Om., 

 18G9, 315 (Costa Rica). — Mulsant and Verreaux, Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouch., 

 iii, livi-. 2, 187G, 136.— Boucard, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1878, 69 (Costa 

 Rica); Gen. Hum. Bird, 1892, 51 (Chontales, Nicaragua; Limon, Custa 

 Rica). — Elliot, Classif. and Sjaiop. Troch., 1879, 104. — Gould, Suppl. 

 Troch., 1880, pi. 30.— Zeled6n, Cat. Aves de Costa Rica, 1882, 20; Anal. 

 Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, i, 1887, 121 (Rio Siicio, Costa Rica). — Ridgway, Proc: 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., vi, 1884, 415 (Rio Siicio, Costa Rica); Condor, vii, 1905, 

 157, in text (Bonilla, Costa Rica). — Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Am., 

 Aves, ii, 1892, 269. — Carriker, Ann. Carnegie Mus., vi, 1910, 551 (Carib- 

 bean slope of Costa Rica, 1,000-3,000 ft.; descr. nest). 



[Microchera\ parvirostris Sclater and Salvin, Nom. Av. Neotr., 1873, 83. — 

 Mulsant, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyun, n. s., xxii, 1876, 221. — Suarpe, Hand- 

 list, ii, 1900, 143. 



M[icrochcra] parvirostris IIartert, Das Tierreich, Troch., 1900, 216 (monogr.). 



[Topaza] parrirostris Gray, Hand-list, i, 1869, 134, no. 1725. 



Genus MELLISUGA Brisson. 



Mellisuga Brisson, Orn., iii, 1760, G94. (Type, TrocJnlus minimus Linnaeus.) 

 Dyrinia Mulsant and Verreaux, M6m. Soc. Imp. Sci. Nat. Cherb., xii (ser. 2, 

 ii), 1866, 232 (Classif. Troch., 18G6, 88). (Type, Trochilus minimus Linnneus.) 



Very small Trochilida3 (lengtli about 55-60 mm.'^) with bill shorter 

 than lioad, straight, wing more than three times as long as exposed 

 culmen, tail about half as long as wing, emarginatc in adult male, 

 rounded in female and young, the adult male without brilliant coloring 

 on throat, which is dull whitish or grayish m both sexes. 



Bill shorter than head, straight, relatively rather stout, broader 

 than deep basally; culnien rounded except basally, where contracted 

 into a rather distinct ridge; tomia smooth; mandible with the usual 

 lateral median groove. Nasal 0])erculum rather broad, convex, 

 and tumid, nude, but hidden by a])])ressed frontal feathering, wliich 

 anteriorly extends about as far as anterior end of nostrils, forming 

 a short obtuse pohit or antia on each side of culmen. Tarsus feath- 

 ered, except on posterior side; lateral toes about equal in length, 



a With a single exception {Culypte lielenx) the smallest of birds. 



