"g'" I Lucas o« the Food of Hummingbirds. 3^^ 



connects the two birds figured by a finely graduated series of inter- 

 mediates. These show how, as the birds travel northward, the 

 yellow tips of the feathers slowly drop off, and that where 

 they receive the most protection, as for example on the lower 

 belly and crissum, they persist the longest. At the same 

 time the nape, scapulars and rump are fading and the bill and feet 

 are changing respectively from flesh color ^:o blue-black and 

 brownish black. 



In a large series of spring males I have seen none taken before 

 June which did not show remains of the yellow fringe ; indeed it 

 is exceptional to find specimens which do not show at least a 

 trace of it. 



Birds taken during summer represent the extreme of faded 

 and abraded plumage, and Mr. Ridgway writes me, that in his 

 opinion the western race, D. o. albinucha, is based on exam- 

 ples in this condition. He futher says, that at the time albi- 

 micha was described, seasonal counterparts of the specimens on 

 which the race was based did not exist in the National Museum 

 series of Eastern birds. Thus, the specimen now figured from 

 Rutland, although taken as early as June 4, has the nape slightly 

 paler than a male from Pembina, N. D., taken June 14. Again, a 

 male (Am. Mus. No. 57,792) taken at Bluff City, Utah, May 19, 

 has the nape fully as dark as Eastern specimens taken at the same 

 time. 



I believe, therefore, with Mr. Ridgway, that the bird known 

 as Dolichonyx oryzivorus albinucha should be considered a 

 synonym of D. oryzivortis. 



THE FOOD OF HUMMINGBIRDS. 



BY FREDERIC A. LUCAS. 



In 'Science' for October 28, 1892, was an article by Dr. Morris 

 Gibbs of Kalamazoo, Mich., entitled 'The Hummingbird's Food,' 

 in which the author stated as the result of his observations, and 



