108 



A FLYING TRIP TO THE TROPICS. 



Saturday, July 3, 1892. Cabell, Alice, and myself were up early 

 this morning', and, after having some eggs and coffee, went back 

 along the Honda road for about a mile to a coffee plantation, a 

 place called " Tuscola," where we had obtained permission to shoot, 

 and where Cabell had found the humming-birds on the day before. 

 When we reached the place, we found on the roadside a tree in 

 bloom, and around this some humming-birds were feeding. The 

 first one that I saw and shot proved to be a new one, but in poor 

 plumage. It had a long, curved beak, the lower mandible yellow. 

 Above it was dull green ; be- 

 low dusky, mark above eye 

 and ear coverts black ; a whit- 

 ish superciliary streak. The 

 two central tail-feathers were 

 prolonged and pointed, their 

 tips white and bases dusky 

 [Plictithornis siq^erciliosiis). 

 From here we went up into 

 the plantation, which we found 

 grown up into a perfect jun- 

 gle. It consisted of coffee, 

 orange, and cocoa trees planted together ; but they were all shaded 

 by large forest-trees, and interwoven so thickly as to be almost im- 

 penetrable. We found a cool, shady spot near a little trickling 

 spring, and Alice arranged herself comfortably with a book, whilst 

 we hunted around within fifty yards. As we drew near some trees 

 with a white, fringy blossom, we could see humming-birds darting 

 about among them, and could hear tlieir humming and buzzing at 

 quite a distance. The first one that I shot was a perfect gem, — 

 by far the prettiest that we had yet seen, — a male, ruby and topaz 

 (Chri/solamjns moschitus), in perfect plumage. Its body was 

 brownish green ; tail rich chestnut ; head above ruby ; gorget 

 brilliant, golden yellow. Later, I killed two young males, similar 

 to those that Cabell had shot the day before, but having a few 



PH^THORNIS SUPERCILIOSUS. 



(From Elliot.) 



