Todd-Caeriker : Birds of Santa Marta Region, Colombia. 269 



Marta, in range). — Bangs, Auk, XVI, 1899, 138 (Salvin and . Godman's 

 record). — Dubois, Syn. Avium, I, 1900, 134 (ref. orig. descr. ; range). — 

 Hartert, Tierreich, Lief. 9, 1900, 33 (references; descr.; range). — Shaepe, 

 Hand-List Birds, II, 1900, 102 (Santa Marta [region], in range). — Allen, 

 Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist, XIII, 1900, 120, 138 (Salvin and Godman's 

 references). — Brabourne and Chubb, Birds S. Am., I, 1912, no (ref. 

 orig. descr.; range). — Cory, Field Mus. Z06I. Series, XIII, 1918, 168 (ref- 

 erences; range), 

 Sapiopterus phainopeplus Boucard, Humming Bird, II, 1892, 86 (Sierra 

 Nevada de Santa Marta, in range; ref. orig. descr.). — Boucard, Gen. 

 Humming Birds, 1895, 358 (ref. orig. descr.; descr.; range). — Simon, 

 Cat. Fam. Trochilidae, 1921, 32 (descr.), 267 (references; range). 



This beautiful large hummingbird is one of those which is peculiar 

 to the Santa Marta region, where during the spring months it inhabits 

 that part of the Subtropical Zone lying on the south slope of the Sierra 

 Nevada, but apparently ranges higher up at other times. Simons ap- 

 pears to be the only observer who has met with it, and it is known 

 only from the specimens collected by him, most of which are now 

 deposited in the British Museum, the only examples in this country 

 being a fine male in the collection of the American Museum of Natural 

 History and another specimen in the Field Museum of Natural His- 

 tory. It was described in 1879 by Salvin and Godman, from whose 

 account we quote as follows : 



" Of this beautiful species Mr. Simons has sent several specimens, 

 all but one of them shot, unfortunately, a little before their plumage 

 had become complete, the wing-feathers being still not fully grown. 

 He has since sent us the following note concerning it: 



" ' During an eight months' sojourn in the Sierra Nevada de Santa 

 Marta I had frequent opportunities of observing this interesting and 

 brilliant Humming-bird, which I believe is migratory, spending the 

 months of February, March, April, and May in the banana-plantations 

 of the Lower Nevada, from 4000 to 6000 feet above the sea-level. 

 From June to October I found it in the more elevated regions up to 

 nearly the snow-line, or 15,000 feet above the sea-level. While explor- 

 ing a mountain-gorge near Atanques (4000 ft.) I obtained my first 

 Specimen, in March. It was resting on a bent twig in the shade of a 

 banana-leaf, and appeared very tame, allowing me to retire some dis- 

 tance before firing. The species was unknown to most of the inhabi- 

 tants of Atanques, and excited much admiration from its beauty. A 

 few days afterwards I had the pleasure of meeting with it again among 



