270 BULLETIN 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Danforth in 1927 found them at Cavaillon, St. Marc, and Fonds- 

 des-Negres, and says that they are more common on Gonave Island 

 than on Hispaniola proper. There are two specimens in the Acad- 

 emy of Natural Sciences taken on Gonave Island July 15, 1927 by 

 John T. Emlen, jr. James Bond reports them from Gonave and 

 Tortue and secured a nest containing two fresh eggs on Tortue Island 

 March 21, 1928. The data with the nest states that it was " brought 

 in by boy, who said nest was placed about three feet above ground 

 near a spring in woods." The nest was constructed on the fork of a 

 slender limb a little more than two millimeters in diameter and was 

 made of soft plant downs of two colors, whitish and dull reddish 

 brown. The structure varies from 30 to 33 mm. in diameter and is 

 deeply cupped. Externally it is covered with flakes of thin, paper- 

 like bark. The eggs are dull white in color. Bond gives the meas- 

 urements as " 11.6 by 8.4 and 11.5 by 8.15 " mm. Both eggs were 

 cracked when examined in May, 1929. Poole and Perrygo secured 

 two specimens of this hummer at Fort Liberte, Haiti, February 6, 

 1929. 



The earliest available name for the vervain hummer of Hispaniola 

 is Trochilus vielloti of Shaw published in 1812. We agree with 

 Simon 6 that this form is best regarded a subspecies of minima of 

 Jamaica from which it differs only in slightly darker coloration. 



The vervain hummer measures from 60 to 70 mm. in length with 

 the wing from 34 to 40 mm. It is dull metallic green above and pale 

 grayish white below. The male has the throat spotted lightly with 

 dusky, a marking lacking in the female. 



RICCORDIA SWAINSONII (Lesson) 

 HISPANIOLAN EMERALD HUMMINGBIRD, ZUMBADOR, OUANGA NEGRESSE 



Ornismya swainsonii Lesson, Hist. Nat. Ois. Mouch., 1829, p. 197, pi. 70 

 (" Bresil "=Hispaniola). 



Trochilus maugaeus (part), Vielllot, Hist. Nat. Ois. Amer. Sept., vol. 2, 

 1807, p. 73 (" Saint-Domingue "). 



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

 p. 95 (Dominican Republic). 



Sporadinus elegans, Salle, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1857, p. 233 (mountains, 

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

 P€tionville, specimens) ; Birds Haiti and San Domingo, July, 1S84, pp. 93-94, 

 1 col. fig. (Samana, specimens) ; Cat. West Indian Birds, 1S92, p. 107 (Haiti, 

 Dominican Republic). — Tristram, Cat. Coll. Birds belonging H. B. Tristram, 

 1889, p. 110 (Samana, specimen). — Tippenhauer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, pp. 319, 

 322 (listed). — Cherrie, Field Columbian Mus., Ornitb. ser., vol. 1, 1S96, pp. 

 18-19 (Catarrey, Aguacate, specimens). — Christy, Ibis, 1897, p. 329 (S&ncbez, 

 La Vega).— Verrill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1909, p. 361 (El 

 Valle). 



6 Hist. Nat. Troch., 1921, pp. 400-401. 



