562 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
HELIOTHRYX BARROTI (Bourcier and Mulsant). 
BARROT’S FAIRY. 
Adult male.——Forehead and crown bright metallic violet or blue- 
violet (“royal purple’’); loral, suborbital, and auricular regions 
opaque velvety black, the last terminated by a spot or short tuft of 
metallic bluish violet; a band extending from malar apex to side of 
neck, immediately beneath the black loral-suborbital-auricular 
stripe, very brilliant metallic emerald green; occiput, hindneck, back, 
scapulars, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform soft 
metallic green; four middle rectrices slightly glossy blue-black; 
remaining rectrices pure white; under parts, from chin to under tail- 
coverts, inclusive, immaculate pure white; bill black; feet light 
brownish (in dried skins); length (skins), 94-121 (108); wing, 63-69 
(65.9); tail, 35.5-54.5 (45.4); culmen, 15-18 (16.7). 
Adult female ——Similar to the adult male, but forehead and crown 
green, like rest of upper parts, white of under parts extending up to 
the black loral-suborbital-auricular stripe, and violet post-auricular 
spot wanting; chest sometimes (in younger individuals) spotted or 
streaked with brownish gray; tail averaging much longer; length 
(skins), 117-134 (124); wing, 63-70.5 (66.6); tail, 48-73 (60.9); cul- 
men, 15.5-19 (17.1). 
« Twenty-six specimens. b Twenty-seven specimens. 
Localit wing. | Tait. | posed 
ocality. ing. ‘ail. | pose 
culmen, 
MALES. 
One adult Male fom Custemnali nc. cssnmcnacavenassavvdxeved eetaeeasenesg ihe 66.5) 49.5 i. 
Four adult males from Honduras.....-.-..2....0cesecee eee e cece cece ee eee ne ceee 67.3 51.7 16.2 
Ten adult males from Honduras.........0..2.ccecee nce e eee e eee er eee ceeeteeeeee 66 45.6 16.6 
Seven adult moles from. Panama 0.6.00 nsenscesscnvavswowevewaaseseecesiewes 65.8 46.6 17.2 
Four adult males from western Ecuad6r...........cceecee cence ence eeeeeeneee eee 64.1 37.1 16.2 
FEMALES. 
One adult female from Guatemala. .... 2.2... eee e eee e cence nen n newer ncceeceece 4 70.5 58 17 
One adult female from Honduras. ..... 2.2... cece ccc c cece cece eee w eee eeceeeene 67.5 72 19 
Ten adult females from COSA: RACH. sic cic cainiaciein'en bin vin oie oe sisinjnwacieinsie cece co ecaee 66.6 63.5 16.4 
Eight adult females from Panamd...............cee eee e eee eceeeee cece seen eens 67.1 60.6 17.5 
Seven adult females from western Ecuad6r.........2-..2-22-20 sec eee eee ee eee eee 65.1 56.1 17 
I am unable to subtantiate the claims of a subspecies, H. b. alincius, for Guatemala 
to Costa Rica, as proposed by Mr. Oberholser, since the characters ascribed do not 
hold good. It is possible the bird from western Ecuadér should be separated on 
accopnt of its much shorter tail, usually more bluish violet crown, and apparently 
broader subauricular green stripe; but a much larger series is necessary to determine 
the question. 
The individual variation in length of tail is very great, especially among females, 
