250 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



196. Metallura districta Bangs. 



Metallura smaragdinicollis (not Orthorhynchiis smaragdinicollis D'Orbigny 

 and Lafresnaye) Salvin and Godman, Ibis. 1S79, 205 (Valley of Chinchicua; 

 crit.).— von Berlepsch, Journ. f. Orn., XXXV, 18S7, 335 (Santa Marta 

 [region], ex Salvin and Godman). — Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XVI, 

 1892, 154 (Chinchicua Valley). — Simon, Cat. Fam. Trochilides, 1897, 32 

 (Santa Marta [region], in range). — Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 

 XII, 1898, 174 (Palomina and San Miguel). — Hartert, Nov. Z06L, VI, 

 1899, 73, in text ("Santa Marta"; crit.). — Bangs, Auk, XVI, 1899, 139, in 

 text (Palomina and San Miguel; crit.).— Dubois, Syn. Avium, I, 1900, 156 

 (Santa Marta [region], in range; references). 



Metallura districta Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XIII, 1S99, 94 (Pueblo 

 Viejo, La Concepcion, San Miguel [type-locality], Paramo de Macotama, 

 Macotama, and Paramo de Chiruqua ; orig. descr. ; type now in coll. Mus. 

 Comp. Z06L). — Bangs, Proc. New England Zool. Club, I, 1899, 76 (San 

 Sebastian and Templado). — Sharpe, Hand-List Birds, II, 1900, 133 (ref. 

 orig. descr.; range). — Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 121, 

 140 (El Libano and Valparaiso).- — Dubois, Syn. Avium, II, 1903, 1067 

 (ref. orig. descr.; range). 



Laticauda districta Brabourne and Chubb, Birds S. Am., I, 1912, 138 (ref. 

 orig. descr.; range). 



Metallura smaragdinicollis districta Cory, Field Mus. Zool. Series, XIII, 1918, 

 271 (ref. orig. descr.; range). — -Simon, Cat. Fam. Trochilida?, 1921, 202 

 (diag.), 381 (ref. orig. descr.; range). 



Forty-one specimens: El Libano, Valparaiso, Cincinnati, San Lor- 

 enzo, Las Taguas, Cerro de Caracas, San Miguel, Sierra Nevada de 

 Santa Marta (6,000 and 8,000 feet), and Heights of Chirua. 



The first specimen of a Metallura collected in the Santa Marta re- 

 gion was referred by Salvin and Godman to M. smaragdinicollis with 

 some misgiving. Mr. Bangs pointed out its distinctive characters in 

 due course, and gave it a name as soon as he was sure that these were 

 really constant. It is very closely related to M. smaragdinicollis of 

 Bolivia and Peru, and might readily stand as a subspecies of that form, 

 were it not for the fact that another and different bird, M. tyrianthina, 

 occupies the intervening region. In the several races of this latter 

 species the tail is bronzy or coppery, while in M. districta it is more 

 purplish or violet. There is, however, considerable variation shown 

 in the present series as regards the precise shade of color, in both 

 sexes. Females vary also in the amount of green spotting on the 

 under parts. No. 45,292, San Miguel, April 13 (sexed as a male but 

 more probably a female, judging by the rufescent underparts), is a 



