THE EIVOLI HUMMINGBIED. 189 



San Luis Mountains, New Mexico. I believe Mr. Hensliaw's record from near 

 Fort Grant still remains the most northern one, and it is not likely that it will 

 be found much beyond latitude 33°. Its range seems to be restricted to the 

 mountain regions between altitudes of from 5,000 to 10,000 feet, audit breeds 

 throughout its summer range in the United States. 



Dr. A. K. Fisher has kindly furnished me with the following notes on this 

 handsome Htimmingbird : 



"The Rivoli Hummer was not met with by us in the Chiricahua Mountains 

 until we made camp in the upper part of Ruckers Canyon, among the yellow 

 pines (Pinus ponclerosa). On the morning of June 5, 1894, an adult male 

 dashed through the camp, paused a moment over a flower spike of a scarlet 

 Pentstemon, and then disappeared up the canyon as rapidly as it had come. No 

 more were seen until we reached the high mountains at Fly Park. On the 

 evening of June 7, Mr. Fred. H. Fowler killed an adult male, and on the fol- 

 lowing day the writer secured a female and two males, and subsequently others 

 were taken. They were usually found in the more open parts of the forest 

 where tire had killed a portion of the evergreens, and a deciduous undergrowth 

 of aspens and shrubs thrived about the cool springs and little rivulets. A 

 boreal honeysuckle (Lonicera involucratd) was abundant and just coming into 

 bloom. All the Hummers in the vicinity, the Rivoli Hummer among them, 

 delighted to glean from the flowers and to sit half concealed among the large 

 leaves of this shrub. If the large Hummer was startled from one of the clumps, 

 it would fly to the lower branches of a neighboring evergreen and settle on a 

 dead twig and remain motionless. They were not very shy and could be 

 approached within 20 feet. 



"It is the opinion of the writer that all the birds seen were migrants, for 

 after the first few days the species became quite rare, and during the three or 

 fom- days subsequent to June 15 none were seen. Moreover, the testes of all 

 the males secured were still undeveloped. It is probable that they spent a few 

 days after their migration in feeding, and then separated and retired to the more 

 secluded forest to hunt up nesting places. No note was heard." 



They are said to be especially fond of hovering about the blossoms of the 

 mescal {Agave americana) ; these are generally infested by numerous small insects, 

 on which they feed, and, like all our Hummingbirds, they are exceedingly greedy 

 and quarrelsome, chasing each other constantly from one flower stalk to another. 



Comparatively little is still known about the breeding habits of this species. 

 Mr. O. C. Poling published an account of its supposed nest and eggs in "The 

 Auk" (Vol. VII, 1890, pp. 402 and 403), but the measurements of the latter, 

 as given by him, show clearly that they can not belong to this bird, and are 

 much more likely to be those of one of the smaller Hummers breeding in the 

 same locality. The Rivoli Hummer is fully as large as the succeeding species, 

 whose eggs are known, and these are considerably larger than the measurements 

 given by Mr. Poling, and there are absolutely identified eggs of the Ruby- 

 throated Hummingbird now in the United States National Museum collection 



