438 CORACIIFORMES 



CHAP. 



muff-like tufts of black, white, or buff, which cover the metatarsi. 

 To take an example of the twenty or more species, where the sexes 

 are fairly similar, E. cupreiventris is bronzy-green, with brighter 

 under surface, purplish-black tail, reddish abdomen, and lustrous 

 blue under tail - coverts. Calotliorax lucifer, the " Mexican 

 Star," is golden - green above and white below, with sliining 

 lilac -red throat; it has purplish -black lateral rectrices tipped 

 with white, of which the outer is filiform, as are the external 

 four in Acestrura of northern South America. Selasphorus rufus, 

 of western North America, from Alaska to Mexico, is cinnamon 

 above and white below, with golden-green crown and glittering 

 red throat ; the head-feathers are bordered with rufous, and the 

 sub-median tail-feathers are emarginate. The female has chiefly 

 green upper and white under parts. S. lAatycercus, resembling 

 the next species, but with a rosy-red throat, occupies the Eocky 

 Mountains and extends to Guatemala, the genus reaching Panama. 

 They constantly have the outer primary or outer rectrix attenuated. 

 Trochilus colubris, found at different seasons from the Fur Countries 

 and the Great Plains to Guatemala, is green above and whitish 

 below, the chin being black, the throat glittering ruby -red, and the 

 forked tail chiefly bluish-black. The hen lacks the red colour. T. 

 alexandri of western North America differs in its violet-purple 

 throat. Calypte annae and C. costae of the South-West United States 

 are green birds with mainly whitish lower surface, and have the 

 crown and throat rosy and lilac respectively. The latter form has 

 elongated gular plumes, as has the bluer Cuban C. helenae, where 

 they are crimson. The minute Mellisuga minima, or " Bee Hum- 

 ming-bird," of Jamaica and San Domingo is green above and white 

 below, with dusky throat-spots in the male. The equally small 

 Ghaetocercus homhus of Ecuador is green, with rosy throat, buff breast, 

 and chiefly purplish-black rectrices, of which the outer four are 

 short and spiny ; the female is green above and cinnamon below. 

 Thaumastura cora, the " Peruvian Sheartail," is golden-green, 

 with crimson throat .shading into blue, and white under surface ; 

 the black and white tail has two enormously elongated sub- 

 median feathers. The hen is white below, with huffish throat 

 and flanks. Prymnacantha 'pop>elairii, one of another group of 

 " Thornbills " (p. 437), has a yellowish-green crest with two long 

 black filamentous plumes ; the upper parts are bronzy-green with a 

 white rump ; the lower parts are black, with a glittering green 



