432 Mr. Vigois's Sketches in Ornithologr/. 



NOTE. 



I cannot omit this opportunity of paying a deserved compliment to our zea- 

 lous Navigator in inscribing this species to him. The specimen is that of a 

 young bird. This fact I ascertained by baring some of the feathers from the 

 head, underneath which a beautiful covering of bright ruby feathers was be- 

 ginning to make its appearance. It was in consequence of the concealment 

 of these feathers thatCapt. King pronounced tliis species to bo undistinguished 

 in its colours. The adult bird is to be found in the splendid collection of Mr. 

 Leadbeater, and exhibits its identity with our specimen by the acuminated 

 shape of the tail featliers. Tiie species belongs to the genus Mellisuga of M. 

 Brisson, or the straight-billed division of the Trochilidee. 



Mellisiiga Kingii. 



Mell. supra metallice viridis, infra alba viridi variegata, verlice splendide 

 rubeo, rectricibus acuminath. — N. A. V. 



[To be concluded in our next Number,'] 



Art. XL VI. Sketches in Ornithology, SfC. S^c. Bj/ N. A. 

 Vigors, Esq., M.A., F.R.S. &{ L.S., Secretari/ of the 

 Zoological Societi/, Sfc. 



[Continued from p. 246.] 

 ON SOME SPECIES OF BIRDS FROM CUBA. 



Having lately received from my friend W. Sharp MacLeay, Esq., 

 a number of bird-skiiis, which had been collected by him in the 

 neighbourhood of the Havana, I do not think I can more strongly 

 evince my sense of his kindness in transmitting them to me, and 

 of the zeal with which he labours to advance every department of 

 science, than by giving some notice of them in this Journal. 

 The greater number of the species are well known, and have long 

 since been characterized as inhabitants of the New World. Many 

 of them, also, belonging to the Ornithology of the United States, 

 are rendered as familiar to us by the writings of Wilson, and the 

 scientific illustrations of his able successor the Prince of Musig- 

 nano, as the birds of our European Continent. Still however they 

 derive interest from their immediate locality. When we can 



