THE BLACK-CHINNED HmOHNGBIRD. 393 



No. 152. 



BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD. 



A. O. U. Xo. 429. Trochilus alexandri I'.durc. iS; Mul*. 

 . Synonjms. — .Vlexaxder Hummingbird. Spo.\i;e Hu.mmer. 



Description. — .Adult male: Upperparts including middle pair of tail-feathers 

 shining bronzy green ; wing-quills and remaining rectrices fuscous with purplish 

 retlections; tail double-rounded, its feathers broadly acuminate, and central pair 

 of feathers about .12 shorter than the third pair, the outermost pair shorter than 

 middle pair; the gorget chiefly opaque velvety black, on each side of the median 

 line a small irregular patch of metallic orange, or else with various jewelled 

 iridescence posteriorh- : remaining underparts white, heavily tinged with greenish 

 on sides, elsewhere lightly tinged with dusky and dull rufous ; bill slender, straight. 

 .-idiilt female: Similar to male in coloration but without gorget, a few dusky 

 specks instead ; tail different, single-rounded, central feathers like back in colora- 

 tion, and scarcely shorter than succeeding pairs, remaining feathers with broad 

 subterminal space of purplish black, and tipped with white, lateral feathers 

 scarcely acuminate, the outermost barely emarginato on inner web. Length f)f 

 adult male: about 3.50 (88.9) ; wing 1.75 (44.5) ; tail 1.25 (31.8) : bill .75 ( 19.1 ). 

 Female, length about 4.00 ( 101.6) : wing 1.95 (49.5). 



Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size: black gorget of male distinctive; female 

 larger than in Sttlliila calliope, with which alone it is likely to come into com- 

 parison. 



Nesting. — Xest: Of plant down secured by cobwebs, saddled upon small 

 descending branch at moderate height, or lashed to twigs of small fork. Eggs: 

 2 or, rarely. 3. pure white, elliptical oval in shape. Av. size, .50 x .33 ( 12.7 x 8.3 1. 

 Season: May or June according to altitude; one brood. 



General Range. — Western United States, except the northern Pacific coast 

 district, north in the interior into British Columbia, breeding south to northern 

 Lower California and east to the Rocky Mountains; south in winter into Mexico. 



Range in Washington. — Not common summer resident east of the Cascades 

 only. 



Authorities. — ?Bendire, Life Hist. N. A. Birds, \o\. H. 1895, P- i99 

 (inferential ). Dawson, Auk, \'ol. XR". Apr. 1897. P- 175- ^r. Ss-. T- 



Specimens. — ( U. of W. ) P". C. 



THOSE of us, who as children were taught tn call lady-bugs 'ia<l}'-birds," 

 might have been pardoned some uncertainty as to the whereabouts of the divid- 

 ing line between insects and birds, especially if, to the vision of the '"Hum- 

 bird's" wings shimmering by day above the flower bed, was added the twilight 

 visits of the hawk-moths not a whit smaller. The Hiniinier is painted like a 

 butterfly: its flight is direct and buzzing like a bee's; it seeks its food at the 

 flower's brim by poising on rapidlv \ibrating wing like the hawk-moth ; but 

 there the resemblances cease. For the rest it is a bird, migrating, mating, and 

 nesting quite like grow'ii folks. 



