Genera of Humming Birds. 143 



gray, spotted with bronze feathers. A few shining blue spots 

 on breast. Rest of underside plumage, like the male. 

 Dimension slightly smaller than the male. 



It is a rare species. I have several specimens from Colum- 

 bia, and Chiriqui (Veragua). Others I killed at San Carlos 

 (Costa Rica), thinking at the time that I had discovered a 

 new species. Lately Mr. Salvin have described specimens 

 from Chiriqui under the name of Polyerata decora ; but I 

 am of opinion that they are all one and same species, having 

 some specimens from Columbia, coloured exactly as those 

 from Costa Rica and Chiriqui. In my specimens, the central 

 rectrices have a reddish shade as in the others, the only 

 difference that I can see is that the throat of my specimens 

 from Costa Rica and Chiriqui is more bluish than in those 

 from Columbia and Ecuador. 



Genus LXIV. Hylocharis, Boié, Isis, 1831, p. 546. 



Sapphironia, Bon., Rev. et Mag. Zool, 1854. P- 2 5^- 



Type : T. sapphirinus, Gmelin. 



Bill longer than the head, straight, broad, and flat at base. 

 Wings long, pointed, nearly reaching the end of tail. Rectrices 

 narrow, of even size. Tarsi clothed. Males brilliantly coloured 

 on breast, and sometimes on forehead also. Females plain. 



Habitat. — Guiana, Brazil, Peru. 



200. Hylocharis sapphirina, Gmel. Syst. Nat., 1788, t. i., 



p. 496. 



Trochilus fulvifrous, Lath. Ind. Ornit. Suppl., 1790, vol. ii., 

 p. 172. 



Ornismya sapphirina, Less. Ois. Mou., 1829, p. 172. 

 Sapphironia sapphirina, Bon. Rev. and Mag. Zool., 1854. 

 p. 256. 



Red-throated Sapphire, Gould, Mon. Troch., vol. v., p. 342. 



L Hylocare à poitrine de saphir, Muls., Hist. Nat. Ois. 

 Mou., 1875, vol. ii., p. 17. 



Habitat. — Brazil. 



Male. — Upperside dark shining green. Uppertail-coverts 

 reddish-bronze. Middle rectrices reddish-bronze, lateral chest- 

 nut, edged with blackish purple. Chin rufous. Throat and 



