THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. aU | 
can species belong to two different sub-families,—the Lampornithine and the Tro- 
chiline, — and to at least four genera; but the precise character and limits of these I 
am unable to give. The following remarks, however, may serve to sketch out the 
characters of the North-American species: — 
A. Edges of mandible serrated near the end; throat without metallic, scale-like 
feathers. 
Lampornis. — Bill depressed, slightly curved; tail broad, slightly emarginate, the 
outer feather as broad as the rest; wings reaching the tip of tail; no metallic 
feathers on the throat. 
B. Edges of mandible nearly even towards the tip, without distinct serrations; 
throat with metallic, scale-like feathers. 
Trochilus. — Feathers of throat but little elongated laterally; lateral tail feathers 
but little narrower than the others, and lanceolate-acute; tail forked. 
Selasphorus.— Feathers of the throat much elongated laterally into a ruff; lateral 
tail feathers much narrower than the middle ones, and linear in shape, or with the 
sides parallel to the end, which is rounded; tail graduated or cuneate; outer primary 
attenuated at the tip; crown without metallic scales. 
Atthis. — Similar to the last, but the top of the head with metallic scales like the 
throat; the outer primary not attenuated; tail emarginated, or deeply forked. 
TROCHILUS, Linn us. 
TROCHILUS COLUBRIS. — Linneus. 
The Ruby-throated Humming-bird. 
Trochilus colubris, Linneus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 191. Wilson, Am. Orn., II. 
(1810) 26. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (18382) 248. Jb., Birds Amer., IV. (1842) 190. 
Ornismya colubris, Deville. Rey. et. Mag. Zool. (May, 1852) (habits). 
DESCRIPTION. 
Tail in the male deeply forked, the feathers all narrow lanceolate-acute; in the 
females lightly rounded and emarginate; the feathers broader, though pointed; male, 
uniform metallic-green above; a ruby-red gorget with no conspicuous ruff; a white 
collar on the throat; sides of body greenish; tail feathers uniformly brownish-violet; 
female, without the red on the throat; the tail is rounded and emarginate, the 
inner feathers shorter than the outer; the tail feathers banded with black, and 
the outer tipped with white; no rufous or cinnamon on the tail in either sex. 
Length, three and twenty-five one-hundredths inch; wing, one and sixty one- 
hundredths; tail, one and twenty-five one-hundredths inch; bill, sixty-five one- 
hundredths. 
HIS beautiful little winged gem is distributed through- 
out New England as a summer visitor. It arrives 
from the south from about the 15th to the 25th of May, 
according to latitude, and usually in pairs. The first notice 
that we have of his arrival is a humming sound, and now 
