312 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



and Veragua. It has tlio forehead dull ruby red or copper color ; the 

 very poiuted crest suow white, and a tuft of pointed feathers ou each 

 side of the head greenish black. 



The Spangled Coquette {L. stictolophus) has a very conspicuous, al- 

 most fan-shaped crest of a bright rufous color, dotted or spangled with 

 emerald green. 



The Frilled Coquette [L. ornatus) has the forehead and throat rich 

 metallic green ; the crest of pointed feathers, chestnut ; from each side 

 of the neck project lengthened narrow feathers of a rufous color, each 

 with an expanded tip of metallic green. 



The Coquette Humming Birds are all of small size, most of them 

 less than 3 inches long, and none of them much over that length, and, 

 together with the genera Popelairia and Discura, constitute a strongly 

 marked group or section of the family, strikingly characterized by the 

 jiresence, in both sexes, of a distinct band of white or buff across the 

 rump, a feature wanting in all other genera. 



The Sun-gem {Heliactin comuta), of Brazil, is one of the most curious 

 as well as beautiful of Humming Birds, and is furthermore unique in 

 both form and plumage. The tail is long and wedge shaped, and the 

 head is ornamented by a flattened tuft of broad imbricated feathers 

 springing from each side of the occiput, the color of these tufts being 

 a glowing metallic scarlet, passing into golden yellow at the tips. The 

 forehead and crown are shining greenish blue, the throat velvety black, 

 the rest of the under parts mostly white, and the upper parts bronzy 

 green, — certainly not a very extraordinary coloration for a Humming 

 Bird; but, in the flattened head-tufts mentioned, there seems to be 

 concentrated enough splendor of color to make up for the absence of 

 brilliancy from the rest of the plumage, and quite justifying the name 

 which has been given the bird. 



In the mountains of Veragua and Costa Rica dwell two little Hum- 

 ming Birds called " Snow-caps" (genus Microchera), which are altogether 

 unlike any others in their coloration. The whole top of the head is 

 snow white, while the rest of the plumage is rich plum purple (in M. 

 parvirostris) or blue-black {M. albocoronata). This coloration is remark- 

 able for its chaste simplicity, and the little creatures which wear it, 

 hardly half as big as our Ruby-throat {Trochilus colubris), are certainly 

 unique in their dainty loveliness. 



HUMMING BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Within the borders of the United States only seventeen species of 

 Humming Birds have been found, and of this number only seven can 

 be considered as i)roperly belonging to our country, their breeding 

 range being chiefly or entirely within our limits. These are the Ruby- 

 throated Humming Bird {Trochilus colubris), Black-chinned Humming 

 Bird(r. alexandri), Anna Humming Bird {Galypte anna), Broad-tailed 

 Humming Bird {Selasphorus platycercus), Rufous Humming Bird {S. 



