TROnilLID.E — THE IIIMMINd lilltns. 



451 



'^JKi: 



T">i Itilus u'> .ittmlii. 



The cliief cliaractcrs (if tliis species ave tn bo i'oiuid in tlic violet, 

 steel-lihu', or steel-i^veeii retleetioiis of tiie liiiider part of the p:tirget, vary- 

 ing with the situation of the feathers and the specimen, as distinpuislied 

 from the liright liery or cojjpery red of the other. Th(( eldn and upper 

 part of the throat extending heneatii the eves 

 are opaciue velvety or greenish lilack, witiiout 

 metallic lustre, while in T. co/nhris it is only the 

 extreme chin winch is thus dull in ajipearance. 

 The bill is about .10 of an inch longer, the tail 

 less deeply forked, and tinged with green at the 

 end. 



It is exceedingly dilHcult to (listing ,..^h the female of this s]iecies from 



that of T. ailiihn'a. The size is rather 

 larger, and tlie tail rounded, without any 

 distinct einargination ; tlic nnddle feathers 

 being. 1") (»f an inch longer than the lateral 

 ones, instead of actually sliorter. The 

 color is much the same. The ]irimaries 

 are also nuicli broiuler in tiie present spe- 

 ei(!s. 



In both species the outer tail-feathers, 

 though broader tlian in the mal'\ are (piite 

 acutely ])ointc(l on the terminal third, one 

 side or the other of which is slightly concave, iiistead of l)eing linear to near 

 the end, and ronnded witluait any concavity, as in Sr/((sp/wnis and Cdl/fjih: 



H.MilTS. This llumming-Iiird, originally described as a ^lexican species, 

 is found from the higidands ot that rejmblic northward, not only to the 

 southern borders of the western Uiuted States, but as far north as tlie TiSth 

 liaiallel. It was first diNcovered on tlie lalib'-lands of Mexico, east of the 

 city, by Signor Floresi, a distingni.siied naturalist, wiio devoted himself to 

 the study of the Trorlii/itlc of Mexico, but was tirsf added to the f iiina of 

 Xortli America liy Dr. irccrmann. wiio detected il, imd obtained S(!veral 

 s])eciinens, within the buryiug-gnuind of Sacramento City, Cat. Tiiere .sev- 

 eral ])airs remained (hiring the jieriod of incnliation, and reared their young, 

 lindiiig both food and sludter among the flowering plants of tluit cemetery. 

 He found several of their nests whicli were essentially similar to the 7'. 



Dr. ('oo])er met witii this s])ecies along the Mohave Kiver. He saw the 

 first on the .">d of dune. He alx) found one of tiieir nests built iii a dark 

 willow-thicket in the fork of a tree, eigiit feet from the ground. Those 

 afterwards found near Santa liarliara wen; all built near tlu! end of hanging 

 branches of the .sycamore, constructed of white down from willow catkais, 

 agglutinated by the bird's saliva, and thus fastened to the liranch on which 

 it rested. These were built in the latter jiart of April, and early in May 



TrorUUils alrxnnilri. 



