460 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS.— PICARIJE ~ CYFSELIFOBMES. 



134. 



407. 



If a female or youngj he must refer to the detailed descriptions. He will be much assisted by 

 the figures of generic details, drawu from nature by Mr. K. Kidgway for Mr. D. G. Elhot's 

 moBographj and kindly loaned to me by Prof. Baird. 



Analysis of Genera and Specits of N. A. TrochiUdce {adult males). 

 Frontal feathers not fully covering nasal scale. Tarsi feathered. Tail emarginate. Bill broad, in part 

 flesh-colored. 

 Nasal scale entirely naked. 



White stripe on head. Crown, face, and chin, hlack. Tail rufous .... Basilinna xantusi 407 

 Nasal scale partly naked. 



Crown green; throat blue; tail blackish lacht latirostris 421 



Throat green; tail rufous; sides rufous AmazUia cerviniventrls 420 



Throat green ; tail rufous ; sides green AmazUia fuscocaudata 419 



Frontal feathers covering nasal scale. 

 Bill not perfectly straight. 



Bill curved throughout. Tail forked, with almost filiform lateral feather . . Calothorax lucifer 418 

 Bill nearly straight. Length over 4 inches. Throat and breast green .... Eugenes ful gens 408 

 Bill perfectly straight. Length under 4 inches. 

 Crown as well as throat with metallic scales. 



Scales lilac-crimson. Lateral tail-feather parallel-edged Calypte annm 414 



Scales violet. Lateral tail-feather acutely falcate Calgpfe costm 415 



Crown simply glossy, like back ; throat with metallic scales. 

 i\Iiddle tail-feathers unlike back in color. 



Scales confined to ends of throat-feathers, tlieir bases snow-white . . . SteUula calliope 417 

 Middle tail-feathers like back in color ; throat-scales forming a continuous surface. 



Lateral tail-feathers white-tipped ; none acuminate. Outer primary abruptly emarginate 



and acute Attlth heloisce 416 



Lateral tail-feathers not white-tipped; some or all acuminate. 

 Throat-scales coppery-red; back and tail greenish ; outer two primaries acute, falcate; 



all the tail-feathers acuminate, the two outer acicular Selasphorus alleni AVI 



Throat-scales coppery-red ; back and tail mostly chestnut ; primaries as in S. t-ufus ; 



next to middle tail-feather abruptly notched Selasphorus nifus 411 



Throat-scales lilac-red; back golden-green; 1st primary emarginate, turned outward, 



next obliquely incised at end Selasphoi^us platycercns 413 



Throat-scales opaque black, becoming violet posteriorly; back golden-green ; primaries 



not peculiar Trochilus alexandri 410 



Throat-scales ruby-red; back golden-green. Primaries not peculiar (Eastern) 



Trochilus colubris 409 



BASILIN'NA. (Gr. ^ao-iXivva, hasiUnna, a queen.) Queen Hummers. Head appearing 

 more globose than in any other N. Am. genus, in consecpience of the non-extension of the 



feathers on base of upper mandible, where they do not reach 

 opposite those on chiuj leaving the turgid nasal scale entirely 

 exposed. Bill broad at base, tapering regularly to tip, Avith dis- 

 tinct supra-nasal grooves; scarcely longer than head, straight. 

 Tarsi feathered. Tail ample, all the feathers broad and 

 ~^^~p=^jj/ rounded J nearly even, in (J a little double-rounded by short- 

 ^-^ ^^^ "^ ness of both lateral and central pair of feathers, in 9 simply a 



little rounded. No peeuliarity of primaries. Sexes nearly alike 

 ~^'^'*''^^^=^==^=^^ in form ; 9 lacking the green gorget of ^ ; bill in both sexes 

 Fig. 30O. — Xantus Hiiniming- largely flesh-cfdored ; ^ with white stripe on head; no white 



bird, nat. size. (From Elliot.) ,,^ ^^^-^ ,-,f gj^i^^j. ^^^^ ^^^ ^ rpj^-^ ^^^^^ ^yqmU be better 



ranged next after lache.) 



B. xan'tusi. (To L. J. Xantus de Yesey. Fig. 300.) Xantus Humming-bird. Adult g : 

 Above, and the throat, metallic grass-green ; below, cinnamon-rufons ; face blue-black ; a 

 wliite stripe through the eye ; wings purplish-dusky ; tail purplish-chestnut, the central feathers 

 glossed with golden-green ; bill Hesh-colored, black-tipped. 9- Shining green above, including 

 central tail-feathers; below, and the face, pale rufous, whitening about the vent, and the sides 

 greenish j head-stripe rufous, whitening on the auriculars ; tail-feathers, except the central; 



