LAMPOEXIS. 279 



first person to attach Lesson's name to the Mexican Lampornis, and in this course he 

 has been followed by all recent writers. 



With a general resemblance to L. violicauda this species may readUy be distinguished 

 by the middle of the abdomen being green and not black, and this character is shared 

 by the following closely allied species. 



The range of L. prevosti is very extensive, and includes the whole of the Mexican 

 State of Vera Cruz, and even spreads a little further north to Tampico and Altamira 

 in the State of Tamaulipas. It thence passes through Yucatan, British Honduras, 

 Guatemala, and as far south as Western Costa Eica. In Guatemala it is by no means 

 common, and we do not recollect to have seen any skins of it in the great collections 

 made near Coban. It occurs, however, in the province of Peten and near Escuintla on 

 the side of mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean. In both places we found this bird 

 feeding from the flowers of a species of Erythrina, commonly planted to form hedges. 

 Boucard says ^^ that it frequents the gardens of Cordova and Jalapa, and builds in the 

 coffee-trees ; and according to de Oca ^^ it is common and resident in the State of Vera 

 Ci'uz, but in no other part of Mexico. 



It is common on most of the islands lying off the coast of Yucatan, British Honduras, 

 and the Republic of Honduras. The Cozumel bird was separated by Mr. Ridgway as 

 L. thalassinus ^^, but we cannot trace any difference between our series from that island 

 and others from the mainland. 



The presence of L. prevosti in Venezuela seems to be assured. Not only did 

 Mr. Spence procure a specimen in that country i^, but we believe Count Berlepsch has 

 also obtained skins from there which are certainly referable to this species. 



3. Lampornis hendersoni. 



Lampornis hendersoni, Cory, Auk, iv. p. 177 * ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 99 ". 



L. prevosti similis, sed rostro breviore forsan distinguendus. Long, tota 4*4, ate 2-65, candae 1-4, rostri a 



rictu 0-9. 

 $ a femina L. prevosti rostro brevi differt. (Deser. maris et feminae ex Ins. Old Providence. 51ns. nostr.) 



Eab. Panama, Old Providence I. in the Caribbean Sea {B. Henderson ^ ^). 



This bird is very closely allied to L. prevosti, and the only difference that can be 

 relied on with any certainty is the dimensions of the bill, that of the island bird being 

 very short. Mr. Cory, in his description, speaks of the back being green instead of 

 bronzy, the black patch on the throat longer and narrower, and the top of the head 

 faintly tinged with ash colour. These are variable characters, and may be partly due 

 to the age of the plumage and the way the skin is made up. 



The birds which were described by Mr. Cory were all obtained by Mr. R. Henderson 

 on the little island of Old Providence, which lies at some distance from the east coast 

 of Central America in the Caribbean Sea. Three of these specimens were most kindly 

 sent us by Mr. Cory. 



