596 BULLETIN 50, UlSriTED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



primary or two outermost longest, and in adult males usually " 

 attenuated and accuminate terminally (in S. platycercus slightly 

 excurved, in other species strongly incurved). Tail of adult male 

 about two-thirds as long as wing, more or less rounded or graduated 

 (nearly truncate in S. plaiycercus) , the rectrices more or less con- 

 tracted and obtusely pointed terminally, the lateral ones sometimes 

 very narrow; in adult females and young a little less than three- 

 fifths to two-thirds as long as wing, rounded, the rectrices broader 

 and rounded terminally. 



Coloration. — Above metaUic bronze-green or bronze, or else (in 

 S. rufus) mostly cinnamon-rufous; chest white or whitish. Adult 

 males with chin and throat metallic scarlet, rose red, wine purple, 

 or heliotrope, the ''gorget" elongated laterall}^; rectrices mostly 

 dusky, edged, more or less broadly (at least on one web), with 

 cinnamon-rufous, or else cinnamon-rufous with a mesial streak (at 

 least near end) of dusky. Adult females and young with throat 

 whitish, usually flecked with bronze or dusky, sometimes spotted with 

 metallic red, etc., the lateral rectrices cinnamon-rufous basally and 

 broadly tipped with wliite, cinnamon-bufi^, or cinnamon-rufous. 



Range. — Southern Alaska to western Panama. (Eight species.'') 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF SELASPHORUS. 



a. Throat metallic red or purple. {Adult males.) 

 b. Pileum metallic greenish. 

 c. Throat metallic purple (reddish purple to greenish purple); rectrices mostly 

 purplish black or dark bronzy purple. 

 d. Larger (wing more than 45, tail 30 or more, exposed culmen 16 or more); 

 tip of outermost primary attenuated and recurved; throat bright sol- 

 ferino. (Western United States to Guatemala.) 



Selasphorus platycercus, adult male (p. 597). 



dd. Smaller (wing less than 45, tail loss than 30, exposed culmen much less 



than 16); tip of outermost primary neither attenuated nor recurved; 



throat not solferino. 



e. Throat dull rose purple to greenish heliotrope; middle rectrices mostly 



metallic green; under wing-coverts and axillars with little if any 



cinnamon-rufous . 



/. Throat dull rose purple or wine purple. (Costa Rica and western 



Panama.) Selasphorus flammula, adult male (p. 601). 



ff. Throat dull grayish or greenish purple (greenish heliotrope). (Costa 

 Rica and western Panama.) 



Selasphorus torridus, adult male (p. 602). 



ee. Throat bright reddish purple (pomegranate purple to nearly crimson); 



middle rectrices mostly purplish black or dark bronzy purple; under 



wing-coverts and axillars with much cinnamon-rufous. 



/. Middle rectrices very broadly edged with cinnamon-rufous and inner 



webs of lateral rectrices broadly edged with same ; under tail-coverts 



o The tip of the outermost primary in S. flammula, S. ardens, and S. torridus is 

 obtusely pointed and the quill less attenuated than in other species. 



?>The ninth species of Sharpe's Hand-List (vol. ii, p. 141), S. floresii Gould, is 

 undoubtedly a hybrid of Selasphorus rufus (or S. alleni) and Calypte anna. 



