292 Taylor, Hybridization in Hummingbirds . [lulv 



In addition to these definite records Bendire mentions "floresii" 

 as having been recorded from Jalisco, Mexico (Life Histories, II, 

 1895, p. 209); but he does not say upon whose authority the record 

 is made, nor does he give any information upon the subject. The 

 present record is, at all events, the third for California. 



The bird (No. 7125, Univ. Calif. Mus. Vert. Zool.) is in most 

 characters an intermediate between Calypte anna and Selasphorus 

 alleni but in general appearance is nearer the former. Like former 

 specimens of "floresii" it has the gorget and crown "glowing 

 metallic rose-red." The brilliant crown is not so extensive as in 

 Calypte anna, however, and there is a decided Sela$phorus-\ike 

 golden tinge to all the iridescent gorget and crown feathers. The 

 feathers of breast, belly, and sides resemble Calypte anna, but there 

 are some distinct traces of rufous. The breast is whiter than that of 

 the Anna, but not so white as that of the Allen Hummingbird. The 

 feathers of the occiput, nuchal region, back and rump, and the upper 

 tail-coverts are green with narrow edgings of rufous. The first 

 primary is much narrower than in Calypte anna, though its end is 

 rounded rather than pointed. The tail is much less deeply emargi- 

 nate than that of the Anna, which it nevertheless resembles in general 

 shape. All of the rectrices are marked to a greater or less extent 

 with rufous. The color appears to be rather unevenly distributed, 

 some of the feathers having the basal half of their outer webs, and 

 others a part of their inner webs, rufous. The elongated lateral 

 ruff-like extensions of the gorget are similar to those of Calypte anna 

 but not so highly developed. 



Taking into account the animal kingdom as a whole it is noted 

 that while hybridization between species is as a rule not common 

 (outside of birds, at least) that between genera is extremely rare. 

 Thayer and Bangs have called attention to the proneness of various 

 hummingbirds to hybridize, and list from California alone four 

 cases of the crossing of the so-called distinct genera (Auk, XXIV, 

 July, 1907, p. 313). 



In the light of results obtained from experimentation by Whit- 

 man, Beebe, and others, it is a question whether feather differences 

 alone are of sufficient morphologic significance to constitute the 

 characters of genera. Apparently the former genus Trochilus 

 has been split up into several genera on the basis of characters of 

 specific importance only. 



