THE HUMMING BIRDS. 379 



bronze- green, the sides of the body (from breast to flanks) similar, but 

 more bronzy ; under tail-coverts bronze-green, margined terminally 

 with pale grayish; bill and feet dusky. Length, skin, 4.25; wing, 

 2.55 ; tail, 1.50 (middle feathers, 1.40), exposed culmen, 1.00. 



Immature birds (both sexes?) : Resemble the adult female, but have 

 the feathers of the upper parts tipped with pale dull buffy, and the 

 white bordering the black median stripe of the under parts sometimes 

 mixed with light brown. * 



Nestlings : "At a very young age the upper surface is bronzy green ; 

 the under surface white, spotted down the sides of the neck and body 

 with chestnut-red, the spots being arranged in a double line from the 

 angle of the lower mandible, and leaving a line of white between them 

 and the eye." 



This is a very abundant species in northern South America, but does 

 not occur, so far as known, north of the Isthmus of Panama. It was 

 introduced as a North American bird, however, by Mr. Audubon, on 

 the strength of a specimen given him by Dr. Bachman, which was 

 alleged to have been taken by Dr. Strobel at Key West, Florida. If the 

 specimen in question was really taken at Key West, its occurrence there 

 must of course have been purely accidental. 



The circumstances attending the case are thus given by Mr. Au- 

 dubon : 



It affords me great pleasure to introduce to the lovers of natural history this species 

 of Humming Bird as an inhabitant of the United States. The specimen which is 

 now in my possession was obtained by Dr. Strobel at Key West in East Florida. He 

 informed me that he had succeeded in capturing it from a bush where he had found 

 it seated, apparently wearied after its long flight across the Gulf of Mexico, probably 

 from some of the West India Islands or the coast of South America. Whether this 

 species is numerous in auy part of Florida, I have no means of ascertaining. The 

 interior of that territory, as its name indicates, is the land of flowers, and con- 

 sequently well suited to the peculiar habits of this genus ; and as it has seldom been 

 visited by ornithologists it is possible that not only this, but several other species 

 of Humming Birds, may yet be discovered as inhabitants of our southern country. 



Genus ATTHIS Reichenbach. 

 Atthis Reich., Aufz. der Colib., 1853, 12. Type, Ornysmia heloisa Less, and DeLattr. 



Generic characters. — Similar to Stellula, but tail-feathers not in- 

 clining to spatulate form, the outer two or three broadly tipped with 

 white in both sexes; feathers of gorget in male broader and without 

 white bases. 



The only two known species of this genus are very much alike in 

 general appearance, but may be distinguished by the following char- 

 acters : 



Common characters. — Exposed culmen not more than 0.50; outer 

 taihfeathers broadly tipped with white in both sexes. Adult males 



* According to Gould " the young male is similar to the female, but has the white 

 on each side the neck suffused with chestnut." 



