518 On some West-Indian Humming-birds. 



Gould makes out a further species of Bellona, which he 

 calls B. ornata, and which he distinguishes from B. cristata 

 by the tip alone of the crest being blue. I have examined a 

 large series of skins of both of these in the British Museum, 

 and many birds were ^^ndoubtcdly to be so distinguished ; 

 moreover, the blue on the crest of B. cristata, as a rule, 

 appeared to be of a more purple hue than in B. ornata. 

 But there were specimens the species of which it woukl 

 be diflScult to determine. In those skins that I examined 

 there is a certain amount of variation in the colour of 

 the central rectrices. In those labelled B. cristata these 

 feathers are all of a purplish hue, but one or two specimens 

 have greenish edges to these feathers. Those labelled 

 B. ornata have in some specimens these feathers purplish, and 

 in others a greenish hue entirely, like that of B. exilis. On 

 the whole I am inclined to think that there is not enough 

 ground to make these into tw'o species, but that some 

 specimens of the same species are rather richer in colour 

 than others:, just as we see in other Humming-birds — 

 Eulampis j agidaris , for instance — some specimens being much 

 brighter-coloured than others. In Grenada Bellona cristata 

 is exceedingly common and may be seen everywhere, especially 

 on the telephone-wires. Its habits are exactly similar to 

 those of B. exilis. It has a double note when chasing other 

 Humming-birds — a quickly repeated shrill note, rather re- 

 sembling the syllables " witt-tu, witt-tu.""^ 



Glavcis hirsuta appeared to be far from common in the 

 neighbourhood of St. George^s, where we were quartered. 

 I saw it only up at the Grand Etang ; and after spending a 

 day here in search of it, I only succeeded in obtaining one 

 specimen. I saw several others, but they were invariably 

 flying across the road at a tremendous [)ace and disappearing 

 into the forest, which here is composed of immense trees, 

 very dense and thick. This must be over 1000 feet elevation. 

 I tried to pursue my hunting inside the forest for a little 

 time, but was glad enough to get out again, as it was full of 

 a very savage kind of tall grass, Avhich grew 6 feet high, had 

 saw-edges, and cut like a knife, also clinging to one's clothes 



