LOPHOENIS. 363 



the development of the feathers of the head and neck and their diversity of shape and 

 colour. These peculiarities have suggested the division of the genus into no less than 

 six genera ; but as there are only eleven species in Lophornis as a whole, and as the 

 characters for its subdivision are all drawn from one set of modifications, it is perhaps 

 as well to treat the subdivisions as sections of one genus. The most distinct from 

 Lophornis is Polemistria, which contains three species, none of which occur in Central 

 America. 



All the species of Lophornis are very small birds, the males distinguished by the 

 development of their lateral cervical plumes. In some of the species the head is 

 conspicuously crested. All the species have rounded or slightly forked tails, and the 

 rectrices are all of normal width. The lower back is crossed by a transverse white or 

 whitish band. 



Three of the eleven species occur within our limits. L. helence, the type of Mulsant 

 and Verreaux's genus Paphosia, ranges from Southern Mexico to Costa Bica. L. adora- 

 bilis, the type of Mulsant's Dialia, occurs in Chiriqui and also in Costa Eica; and 

 L. delattrii, the type of Mulsant and Verreaux's Telamon, is found in the State 

 of Panama and also in more southern parts of Colombia. In South America the 

 genus ranges over the greater part of the forest-region as far as South-eastern 

 Brazil. 



1. Lophornis delattrii. 



Ornismya [Lophornis) delattrii, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839j p. 19 \ 



Lophornis delattrii, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 121 (Sept. 1861)'; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. 



p. 465 ' ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 365 ' ; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 207 " ; Cat. Birds Brit. 



Mus. xvi. p. 423'; Tacz. Orn. Per. i. p. 299'. 



Supra nitenti-aTireo-viridis, uropygio et tectricibus supracaudalibus saturate purpureo-cupreis, fascia transversa 

 dorsali cervino-albida ; capita summo cinnamomeo, plumis valde elongatis angusfcis, acutis, pu'nctis minutis 

 nigris terminatis, loris et gutture toto micanti-viridibua illius plumis lateralibus ad basin cinnamomeis ; 

 pectore plumis paucis albis notato ; corpora reliquo subtus viridi, subcaudalibus cmnamomeis ; cauda 

 cinnamomea, rectricibus mediis ad apicam viiidibus, reliquis pogonio externo viride nigricante limbatis : 

 rostro cameo, apice nigro. Long, tota circa 2'7, alae 1-5, caudee 0-9, rostri a rictu 0-5. 

 $ supra aureo-viridis, fronte cinnamomea plumis elongatis nuUis : subtus gula cervina fusco maculata, gutture 

 imo fascia lata nigra notato et infra aam plaga albida ; abdomine viridi, bypochondriis posticis et tectri- 

 cibus subcaudalibus cinnamomeis ; cauda cinnamomea fascia subterminali nigra, rectricibus mediis 

 medialiter viridibus. (Descr. maris et feminae ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) 



Hab. Panama, Castillo, Laguna del Castillo {Arce% Lion Hill [M'Leannan^ % Line of 

 Railway and Chepo (Arce^). — Colombia^^ ; Peeu^. 



This beautiful species was discovered by Delattre, and described by him in conjunction 

 with Lesson 1, but the exact locality where it was found was not stated. We now 

 know it as a not uncommon bird in the trade collections from Bogota. It is also far 

 from rare in the State of Panama as far westwards as Castillo, whence Arce has sent us 

 many specimens 5. Beyond this point, however, it does not seem to occur, as we have 



46* 



