THE BIEDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 267 



The female is marked like the female of Mellisuga m. vlelloti but 

 is decidedly larger. The male has the throat metallic red.] 



MELLISUGA MINIMA VIELLOTI (Shaw) 



HISPANIOLAN VERVAIN HUMMINGBIRD, ZUMBADORCITO, OUANGA 

 NEGRESSE, SUCE-FLEURS 



Trochilus Vielloti Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. 8, pt. 1, 1812, p. 347 (Hispaniola). 



Trochilus niger, Audebert and Vieillot, Ois. Dor., vol. 1, 1802, pp. 119-122, 

 pi. 53 (habits). — Vieillot, Hist. Nat. Ois. Ainer. Sept., vol. 2, 1807, p. 73 

 ( " Saint-Domingue " ) . — Ritter, Naturh. Reis. Westind. Insel Hayti, 1836, pp. 

 153, 155 (nest).— Haktlaub, Isis, 1847, p. 609 (listed). 



Trochilus melllsugus, Hartlaub, Isis, 1847, p. 610 (listed). 



Trochilus minimus, Bryant, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist, vol. 11, May, 1867, 

 p. 95 (Dominican Republic; Haiti). 



Ornismya minima, Haktlaub, Isis, 1S47, p. 609 (listed). 



Ornismia Catharinae Salle, Rev. Mag. Zool., October, 1849, p. 498 (described 

 as new from Dominican Republic). 



Dyrinia minima, Kaempfeb, Journ. fur Ornith., 1924, p. 181 (Dominican 

 Republic) . 



Dyrinia minima Vieillot i, Simon, Hist. Nat. Troch., 1921, pp. 400-401 (His- 

 paniola). 



Melisuga Domimcensis Brisson, Ornith., vol. 3, 1760, pp. 702-704, pi. 36, 

 fig. 8 ("Saint-Domingue"). — Salle, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1857, p. 233 

 (Dominican Republic).— Cory, Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, 1881, p. 153 (Haiti) ; 

 Birds Haiti and San Domingo, July, 1884, pp. 92-93, col. fig. (Petionville, Puerto 

 Plata, specimens) ; Cat. West Indian Birds, 1892, p. 107 (Haiti, Dominican 

 Republic).— Tristram, Cat. Coll. Birds belonging H. B. Tristram, 1889, p. 108 

 (Samana, specimen). — Tippenhaueb, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, pp. 318, 322 

 (listed). — Cherrie, Field Columbian Mus., Ornith. ser., vol. 1, 1896, p. 18 (Do- 

 minican Republic). — Christy, Ibis, 1897, p. 329 (Sanchez, La Vega). — Verrill, 

 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1909, p. 361 (common). 



Mellisuga catherinae, Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, p. 140; Beneath 

 Tropic Seas, 1928, p. 22 (Port-au-Prince). 



Mellisuga catharinae, Ridgway, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 50, pt. 5, 1911, pp. 

 586-587 (Petionville, Port-au-Prince, Catarrey, Honduras, San Francisco, San- 

 chez, Cana Honda, La Canita, Rio San Juan, La Vega). — Peters, Bull. Mus. 

 Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 1917, p. 414; (Monte Cristi, specimens). — Danforth, Auk. 

 1929, p. 368 (recorded).— Lonnberg, Fauna och Flora, 1929, p. 103 (Haiti). 



Melisuga minima, Porsch and Sassi, Verh. Ornith. Ges. Bayern, vol. 18, 1928, 

 p. 7 (listed). 



Mellisuga minima catharinae, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 

 80, 1928, p. 503 (Haiti, Gonave, Tortue ; nest and eggs).— Moltoni, Att. Soc. 

 Ital. Scienz. Nat., vol. 68, 1929, p. 318 (Haina, specimens). 



Resident ; locally common. 



This tiny bird with its closely related cousin of Jamaica is the 

 second smallest of the birds of the world, the smallest being Helena's 

 hummingbird (Calypte helenae) of Cuba. The greater size of the 

 vervain hummer is expressed in so very few millimeters of length of 

 wing and body that it is almost negligible and would not be per- 

 ceived except with the birds in hand. On the wing the vervain 



