THE HUMMING BIRDS. 377 



The species of Lanqjornis are about ten in number (irchulinj^ sub- 

 species), and belong- chietiy to the West Indies and the Atlantic coast 

 district of tropical America; four of them, L. (lominicus (Linn.), L. vir- 

 idis (Vieill.), L. mango (Linn.), and L. ellioti Cory, are restricted to the 

 West Indies; the same number are continental; one which is merely 

 an insular race of a continental species is confined to the Caribbean 

 island of Old Providence, while one {L. ealosoma Elliot) is of unknown 

 habitat. 



The Central American forms may be distinguished by the following- 

 characters : 



Common characters, — Adult males bronze-green above; tail (except 

 middle feathers) bright chestnut-purple, glossed with violet-puri)le, 

 the feathers margined terminally with blue-black ; lower parts greenish, 

 with or without a broad black throat-stripe. Adult females with lower 

 parts mainly white, but with a median stripe (broadest on throat) of 

 black or green; tail-feathers (except middle pair) bluish or greenisli 

 black termially or subterminally, their tips often white. 



a'. Throat-stripe opaque velvety black. 

 IK Black of throat continued backward to belly. Nab., Panama to Brazil. 



L. nujricollh (ViEli.L.). JUacJc-lhroated Humming Bird (Page 'A77.) 

 h^. Black of throat not extending beyond chest. 



c'. Bill longer (culraen 0.90 or more). Hab., Southern Mexico to Costa Rica. 



L. prevosti (Less.). Prevost's Humm'uHj Jilrd," 

 c*. Bill shorter (culmen, 0.78). Hab., Old Providence Island, Caribbean Sea. 



L. prevosti heudersoni (CoRV). Eenderson's Hummiitg B\rd,\ 

 «-. Throat-stripe (female) or whole throat (male) brilliant green. Hab,, Veragua. 



L. veraguensis Gould. Veragua Humming Bird.t 



The first of the above-characterized species lias been included in sev- 

 eral works on North American birds, on the strength of a specimen 

 that was given to Mr. Audubon by Dr. Bacbman, who received it from 

 their " mutual friend, Dr. Strobel," who claimed to have obtained it at 

 Key West, Florida. If the specimen was really obtained at Key West, 

 its occurrence there must be considered as purely accidental, since it 

 is not even found in the West Indies, nor along the Central American 

 coast, but is a South American bird, with the Isthmus of Panama as 

 its normal northern limit. 



Black-tiiroated Mango Humming Bird. Lampornis nigricoUis {V\kiia..). 



Trochilus nigricoUis Vieill., Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vil, 1817, "349. 



Lamporitis nigncolUs von Beklepsch, J. f. O., 1884, 309. 

 Trochilus mango AUD., Orn. Biog., ii, 1834, 480, pi. 184 ; B. Am., iv, 1842, 18('), pi. 2!^y\ 

 (not of Linnaeus). 

 Lampornis mango Gould, Mou. Troch., pt. xii, 1850, pi. 1"^; vol. ii, 18G1, pi. 74. — 

 B. B. and R., Hist. N. Am. B., ii, 1874, 440. 



' Trochilus prevosti Less., Hist. Nat. Col., 1831, 87, pi. 24. — Lampornis prcroxli 

 (iuAY, Gen. B., i.,108. 

 \ fAtmpornis heudersoni Cory, The Auk, iv, July, 1887, 177. 

 \ f.<imj)i>riiis rerngueHstH Ooild, Mon. Troch,, ])t. xv, May, }!<^>>i, pi. 9; v<»l. ii, 1801, 



pi. 7.;. 



