■ ORTHORHYNCHUS CRISTATUS. 



Blue-Crest. 



Trochilus cristatus, Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 192. — lb. Gmel. Edit., torn. i. p. 498. Lath. 



Ind. Orn., torn. i. p. 317. — Swains. Birds of Brazil, pi. 21. — Vieill. Ency. Metli. 



Orn., part 2. p. 565. pi. 131. fig. 3.— Schomb. Hist, of Barbadoes, p. 681. 

 Mellisuya cristata, Briss. Orn., torn. iii. p. 714. pi. xxxvii. fig. 2. — Id. 8vo, torn. ii. p. 35. Gray 



and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 113, Mellimga, sp. 98. 

 LOiseau-mouche huppe, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois., torn. vi. p. 22.— lb. Sonn. Edit., torn. xvii. 



p. 173. 

 L' Oiseau-mouche huppe de Cayenne, Buff. PL Enl. 227. fig. 1. 

 Crested Humming-bird, Edw. Nat. Hist, of Birds, vol. i. p. 37. pi. 37. 

 Crested Green Humming-bird, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 783. — Shaw, Gen. ZooL, vol. viii. 



p. 352. pi. 44. — Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 339. 

 Orthorhynchus cristatw, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 83, Orthorhynchus, sp. 1. — Reichenb. Aufz. 



der Colibris, p. 11. — Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de ZooL 1854, p. 256. 

 Omismya cristata, Less. Les Troch., p. 20. pi. 4. — lb. Traite d'Orn., p. 285. — lb. Ind. Gen. et 



Syn. des Ois. du Gen. Trochilus, p. xxx. 

 Trochilus pileatus, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 318. 



puniceus, Gmel. Edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 497. 



& Oiseau-mouche a huppe bleue, Aud. et Vieill. Ois. dor., torn. i. p. 112. pi. 63. 



Crested Brown Humming-bird, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 784. — Shaw, Gen. ZooL, vol. viii. 



p. 354.— Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 340. 



It will have been noticed, while perusing the pages of the present work, that many species of Humming- 

 birds are confined to very small areas of country, some to the cones of lofty mountains, and some to the 

 craters of extinct volcanos, while others are migratory, and extend their range over vast regious. A 

 similar law appears to govern some at least of the species inhabiting the West Indian Islands : for instance, 

 two species are found in Jamaica, which up to the present time have not been detected in St. Domingo ; 

 on the other hand, of the St. Domingo species two at least are not found in Jamaica : and not only does 

 this law appear to prevail on those two islands alone, the largest of the AVest Indian group, but to extend to 

 the smaller islands also, most of them being inhabited by a species peculiarly its own ; hence it becomes a 

 matter of much interest to ascertain to which of the islands the numerous species of the West Indian 

 Humming-birds really belong. I am aware that in making the above remarks I am digressing from the 

 more immediate subject of the present paper — the history of Orthorhynchus cristatus ^ but I have done so 

 intentionally, in order to point out the utter confusion which exists with regard to the localities given by 

 the older authors, whose errors, I regret to say, have been perpetuated by most of the more recent writers 

 on the Trochilidee ; thus, one and all of them give St. Domingo as the habitat of the present bird, while, so 

 far as I have been able to ascertain, it is not found within hundreds of miles of that island; and, although I 

 am unable to give the extent of its range, or how many of the islands it frequents, I can positively state that it 

 is a native of Barbadoes, and I believe of St. Vincent's also. In Martinique its place appears to be occupied 

 by a nearly allied species — the Orthorhynchus emits. A complete survey of the Windward and Leeward 

 Islands, furnishing an account of the fauna of each, by some competent person, would, in a scientific point 

 of view, be attended with the most interesting results; and I trust the time is not far distant when such a 

 task will be undertaken and accomplished. Up to the present time, numerous examples of this bird, its 

 nest and eggs, have been sent to Europe, but hitherto not one word has been recorded respecting its 



