26 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 15 



Archilochus alexandri. Blaek-cliiniied Hummingbird 

 Taken by Henshaw, August 23-29, 1874, at Camp Crittenden, where it was 

 feeding in beds of morning glory; and found breeding in Madera Canyon by 

 Stephens, in 1881. Two adults wore taken by Nelson, June 15 and July 10, and 

 five juveniles July 10, 17, 21, and 22, 1884, at Gardner's Ranch. Swarth, in 

 Jimc, lOO.'l. found it tlie (»iil\' hummingbird that was at all common, and it was 

 found along the canyon streams. The protracted drought doubtless accounted 

 for the absence of other species. In 1921, while several other hummingbirds 

 Avere seen by us, alexandri was the commonest, possibly due to the same cause, 

 for the season of 1920-1921 was said to be the dryest in thirty years. The first 

 seen close enough for identification was on April 2, although hummingbirds 

 of various species had come north in numbers the latter half of March. On 

 April 6, an adult male was shot when it was feeding from the orange-colored 

 tubes of honeysuckle {Anisocantlnia fhnrheri), which is considered by Mr. 

 Oorm Loftfield one of the favorite hummingbird foods of the region. It 

 weighed three grams and its throat Avas full of nectar. Other males were seen 

 about the red terminal blossoms of ocotillo, the Avhite collar making a good 

 field character in contrast to the velvety black of the gorget and the dark 

 shade of the underparts. 



Still other Black-chins Avere seen giAnng their aerial courtship dance from 

 anu)nrr the mesquites. One that T AA^atched A^aried the usual triangulation by 

 first flying back and forth horizontally across the face of a bush, then making 

 narrow Vs Avith the point at the bush, folloAved by Avide-SAveeping swings out 

 over the mesquites as if from pure spirits. Near the ranch a nest was found 

 practically completed the last of April. It Avas in a hackberry about eight 

 feet from the ground and from beloAV Avas a buffy brownish ball, made ap- 

 parently of the soft down from sycamore leaves or balls wrapped with web. 

 The builder had a yelloAAash chest band that puzzled me until T saAv her feed- 

 ing from the honeysuckle tubes, when to my surprise T saAV the long-stemmed 

 stamens rise and apparently brush her chest. 



Calypte costae. Costa TTummingbird 



One Avas recorded by Stephens, April 26 and 27. 1881, at Tucson; and 

 an adult and a juvenile Avere taken by Nelson, on July 10. 1884, at Gardner's 

 Ranch. A fcAv Avere seen by SAvarth, in the latter half of June, 190.S. "along 

 the canyons." One taken for this species Avas seen by us on April 2, 1921 ; and 

 on April 20, as we were breakfasting out of doors, a rush of wings called our 

 attention to tAvo hummingbirds, bill to bill in air, one an adult male with 

 flaring brilliant ])ink ruff. Before Ave could recover from our surprise, they 

 were gone. 



Selasphorus platycercus. Broad-tailed Hummingbiid 



Taken by Stejjhens, May 13 and 15. 1881. iu Madera Canyon. On March 

 13, 1921. the first hummingbird of the season Avhiz/ed pa.st our camp up the dry 



