^"Isc^'n Richmond, Three Nexv Birds from Venezuela. 3^9 



instead of blue black ; under tail-coverts uniform pale chestnut, 

 without any metallic green or steel blue feathers ; the bird is also 

 larger than A.fe/icue. In the series of six females of the latter 

 the under tail-coverts are mixed chestnut and metallic green or 

 steel blue, with some occasional grayish feathers ; the upper 

 parts are brassy green in four of the specimens, in another there 

 is a wash of bronze on the edges of the feathers of the back, 

 while in the sixth the back and hind crown are quite as bronzy as 

 in A. alicice, but this color extends down on the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts more than in the latter species. The bronzy color on 

 this last specimen of A. felicice seems to be due to a stain, or 

 rather to a mechanical change in the structure of the ' metallic ' 

 feathers. It is well known that hummers when shot frequently 

 become soiled through the exudate from shot holes in the throat, 

 and the nectar or exudate drying upon the feathers, even in a very 

 diluted state, probably changes the color of the feathers with 

 which it comes in contact. The metallic green crest of a Fharo- 

 fnacnis will turn a deep reddish bronze when moistened with 

 water, and the original color is restored upon drying. It is some 

 such accident, I think, which accounts for the bronzy specimen 

 of A. felicice mentioned above. 



The series of A. alicice has been compared with A. eryihrofiota 

 and A. tobaci, in addition to A. felicice, and it is clearly more 

 nearly related to the latter. 



The sexes are easily separable in this species, and from its 

 c^ose affinity to the other three forms just mentioned, the same is 

 doubtless the case with them. The glittering green cap of the 

 male, sharply defined from the less brilliant remainder of the 

 crown, is sufficient to separate the sexes without recourse to the 

 other characters mentioned in the description. 



Doleromya pallida, new species. 



Type, No. 151,069, $ adult, Margarita Island, Julv, 1895; Wirt Rob- 

 inson ; collector's No. 432. — Similar to D. fallax, but much paler below, 

 where pale buff j fulvous ; metallic green of upper parts less brilliant and 

 less brassy ; size the same. Upper mandible and tip of lower, black ; lower 

 mandible flesh color. Wing, 2.41 ; tail (central feathers), 1.40; exposed 

 culmen, .82 inches. 



