Mr. D. G. Elliot on the Trochilidie. 155 



species. Or if specimens exhibiting the extremes of the 

 species as regards size are shown, it then also appears diffi- 

 cult to one who has never investigated the subject with suffi- 

 cient material, to believe that they only represent one and 

 the same species. To show how very greatly individuals of 

 this species do vary among themselves, I have selected thirty- 

 one of the specimens now before me, and given the measure- 

 ments of the bill, wing, tail, and amount of bifurcation ob- 

 servable in the latter. These birds represent nearly every 

 locality in which the species is known to have been obtained. 

 I might here mention that the specimen described by Mr. 

 Gould as C. melanorhynchus is chiefly deemed distinct from 

 its large size. The table will show what reliance is to be 

 placed on this as a specific character. The smallest specimen 

 is from Panama, and measures respectively "60, 1"84, 1"20, and 

 •30 in the order given for all the examples. Next in size to 

 this comes one from the Volcano of Chiriqui, in Veragua, 

 and measures "64, 1"80, 1"40, '35, thus showing a somewhat 

 larger size, excepting the wing, which is "04 of an inch shorter. 

 Nos. 3 and 4, both from Panama, have bills of equal length 

 and -01 of an inch longer than No. 2. No. 4^s wing is of equal 

 length with No. 2, but that of No. 3 is -10 inch shorter than 

 that of No. 2, and -14 inch shorter than that of No. 1. The 

 tail of No. 3 is imperfect ; but that of No. 4 is '04 inch shorter 

 than that of No. 1, and '24 inch shorter than that of No. 2 ! 

 No. 5 comes from Veragua, same collector as that of No. 1, 

 and exhibits a bill -06 inch longer than that specimen, and a 

 shorter wing and longer tail. No. 6 comes from Popayan, 

 with a bill only -01 inch longer than the last, but with both 

 a shorter wing and tail, although not so short a wing as No. 3. 

 Nos. 7, 8, and 9, coming respectively from Columbia, Vene- 

 zuela, and Panama, have bills of equal length. Wings of 

 Nos. 7 and 8 are equal; but that of No. 9 is -10 inch longer. 

 No. 10, also from Panama, while having a bill -01 inch longer 

 than the last specimen, has the wing "03, and the tail -16, and 

 the bifurcation '20 greater. Nos. 11 to 19 inclusive, from 

 Panama, Veragua, and Ecuador respectively, have bills of 

 equal length, viz, -70; the length of wing, however, varies 



