312 Dr, A, Hall on the Mammals and Birds 



basal, naked, horizontally perforated in a membrane and half 

 closed by a membrane; feet slender; inner toe free; outer toe 

 connected at base to inner one ; claws considerably curved, that 

 of the hind toe longest; tail graduated, elastic and acuminate ; 

 3rd and 4th primaries longest. 



C.fam,iliaris. Brown Creeper. 

 C. Americana. Baird ! 



v.s.p. Upper mandible dark; lower one pale flesh colour; 

 legs and feet dusky ; eggs 7 or more, cinereous, spotted with red- 

 dish yellow and streaked with dark brown. 



Dorsal aspect. Prevailing tint ferruginous, darkest on the 

 head, mixed with white on the interscapular region, scapulars* 

 and wing coverts, and pure ferruginous on the rump ; tail cunei- 

 form, drab colour, the feathers acuminate ; wings rounded, pale 

 brown, with a single white bar across their middle tinged with 

 ferruginous, and margined faintly with brownish white on the 

 outer vanes. 



Ventral aspect. French white ; the feathers of the whole 

 body exceedingly silky and long. 



3rd primary longest ; 2nd shorter than 4th. Length 5 inches ; 

 alar expanse 7 inches. Tail about two lines longer than the 

 body. 



Genus Trochilus. 



Gen. char. Bill long, straight or more or less arcuate, slender, 

 the base depressed, and as wide as the forehead, point acumin- 

 ate ; nostrils linear, basal, covered by a membrane ; tongue, long, 

 extensible, bifid and tubular; legs very short; tarsus shorter 

 than middle toe, more or less feathered ; front toes nearly free ; 

 wings acute; 1st primary longest. 



T. colubris. Ruby-throated Humming Bird. 

 T. colubris. Baird ! 



V.S.P. Bill, legs and feet dusky black ; irides deep hazel or 

 black ; eggs 2, white. 



Dorsal aspect. Except the wings and tail rich golden green, 

 darkest on the head ; wings and tail brownish black ; the former 

 falciform, the latter furcate. 



Ventral aspect. Chin, throat and cheeks rich ruby colour, the 

 feathers somewhat erectile ; shoulders, breast, belly, and coverts 

 pale brown, in the first mentioned situation, tinged with golden 

 green ; vent white. 



