BIRDS—TROCHILIDAE—SELASPHORUS PLATYCERCUS. 135 
shade on the covered edges of the feathers on the lower part of the back and rump. The sides 
uf the body along the wings and the under tail coverts are pale cinnamon; the throat with 
occasional spots of green and metallic red ; the rest of the under surface dull white tinged with 
brown across the breast. The tail feathers are cinnamon at the base, then violaceous black ; all 
are tipped with white, except the middle one, on either side, which is golden green to near the 
black tip. There is also an indication of green between the black and cinnamon of the other 
feathers. 
In both male and female there is a concealed tuft of white feathers near the insertion of the leg. 
This species is entirely dissimilar from any other North American humming bird, and is 
perhaps the only one without indication of metallic green on the belly. The rufous feathers of 
both sexes readily distinguish it from any other North American species. There is, however, 
a closely allied South Mexican species, Selasphorus scintilla of Gould, from Veragua, (Proceed- 
ings Zool. Soc. 1850, 162,) which is very similar, differing chiefly in the smaller size. 
I cannot discover in the Zrochilus ruber of Linnaeus the exclusive characters of the present 
species. 
List of specimens. 
1 
Catal. | Sex and Locality. When collected.) Whence obtained. |Orign’]} Collected by— | Length. | Extent. 
No. age. No. 
6058 3 Steilacoom, W. T--.--- April 26,1856 | Dr. Suckley----- BEY F Soe ROCCO CASO E Ace | SCE meas | REPEC ese 
6059 Ole Pao ooe CRA Seer eH eSn ene SaGeenacrosenal scces Lea ee |e ee | eee | 
6060 Git Nescewe Costs a sere css|ssecesceeeecet senses dos seua sit |betsoe |e cece cc Poet SSe RES cause Sse acccz 
6061 oad ea d6=aenseses sooo April’ 21,1856). 222 =. do en ee OBR | Bors ees epee Seseb eed eee 
6062 Gry leet dol teste ee ese April 28, 1856 |.....- (ha ey BEARS Reamer e Banc eee seg) aaaouaae 
6063 Cheat ee doweee= 44-22 es | 5-555 dose aselasees do2s 22 So eee he seme 3. 87 3. 94 
6064 Op |ess25= Ope staan ==|-soeee Os eeaee saan do2seacoss 330) ese ee aeecoas 3. 87 4. 69 
6065 Gh posers dodate so ee se Sealed Cee Se | Pesan eee 3.92 4. 25 
1943 | o o | Columbia river.......- Mavee2 04 8o0) |e Kee COwnleendi=|-S2202|0 2. aaaeece oan aes on-s||-eaneoe= 
2896 ey ety ee dovecesscensteesltascee ddGeseac|sesse= d0sclmacuclsansse|scaterce cosesces)|Sose esos esse meee 
1198 OPw | Secca dOStsstocscenee-|-scesecceacece|soee os Oe Serge eal Sm eee ee 
1268 a Californiat.oiceo.coccclbesuececeeceee SAW Baird Se Secs. one cee tem ce: Mo ate cho ae: leet a 
6057 fot San’ Hranciscos 225225 5- Winter "5354 | Ris iCutts:< + sete] semalcosasae oo Secs ey Se eee ee 
segdoase Fort; Tejon,, Cal. .--..2-|-------s-<-5-4| J. X. DeVesey...<|.-----|---------------- |--------|5------- 
(UG Seco Beaso ss heXase see see cieae eee Mays PM Ony sa a:e| sone JH; Clarks 2 22) |— 2 oe | Seo 
7981 Q iMexiCOeseme ses en ce |aaat comsiceaass Ose TT Clare ee fe ee | mr let | eed | eee 
SELASPHORUS PLATYCERCUS, Gould. 
Broad-tailed Humming Bird. 
Trochilus platycercus, Sw. Philos. Mag. I, 1827, 441, (Mexico.) 
Selasphorus platycercus, Goutp, Mon. Trochilid. or Humming Birds, iii, May, 1852. 
Ornismia tricolor, Lesson, Colibris, 125, (no date) ; pl. xiv, (Brazil.)—Is. Trochilidees, 1831, 156; pl. lx, (Mexico.) 
JARDINE, Nat. Lib. II, 77; pl. xiii. 
Ornismya montana, Les Trochilid. 1831, 161; pl. Ixiii, adult, and 163; pl. Ixiv, young, (Mexico.) 
Spr. Cu.—Outer primaries greatly attenuated at the end. Outer tail feathers nearly linear, but wiaening a little from the 
base ; its width .20 ofaninch. Tail slightly graduated and emarginate. Male above and on the sides metallic green ; chin and 
throat light reddish purple, behind which, and along the belly to the tail, is a good deal of white. Wings and tail dusky 
purplish ; the tail feathers, excepting the internal and external ones, edged towards the base with light cinnamon. 
Length, 3.50; wing, 1.92; tail, 1.40. Bill, gape, .80. 
Hab.—Mexico, as far north as El Paso, Texas, hitherto the only known locality in the United States. 
