TROCHILIDiE — THE HUMMING-BIRDS. 
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^ Genus SELASPHORUS, Swainson. (Page 91.) 
A* Feathers of the metallic gorget not elongated laterally. 
S. platycercus. Above continuous metallic-green; tail-feathers merely 
edged with rufous. Gorget purplish-red. ( Broad-tailed Humming-Bird.') 
Length, 3.60; wing, 1.90; tail, 1.40; bill (from forehead), .66. Gorget 
rich solferino-purple, the feathers grayish-white beneath the surface. 
Outer primary with its attenuated tip turned outward. Hab. Rocky 
Mountains and Middle Province of United States, south to Guatemala. 
B* Feathers of the metallic gorget much elongated laterally. 
S. rufus. Above chiefly rufous, overlaid by green ; tail-feathers rufous 
with a shaft-streak of dusky. Gorget fiery red. Attenuated tip of outer 
primary curved inwards. (. Rufous Humming-Bird.) 
Length, 3.50; wing, 1.60; tail, 1.30; bill, .65. Hab. Western Prov- 
ince of North America, from East Humboldt Mountains to the Pacific. 
North to Sitka, south to Mirador. 
3 Genus ATTHIS, Reichenbach. (Page 91.) ™ 
A. keloisae. Above bright golden-green ; beneath white, the sides strongly rufous. 
Tail-feathers (of both sexes ?) black, white at the tip, and rufous at the base, the inter- 
mediae entirely green. Throat-feathers very elongated laterally, and entirely deep 
violet-purple, except at extrem base. 9 • Throat white, speckled with dull green. 
Wing, about 1.50 ; tail, 1.00 ; bill, .50. Hab. Eastern Mexico, and Guatemala ; El Paso, 
Texas. ( Heloisce Humming-Birds.) 
Genus HELIOFiEDICA, Gould. (Page 92.) “ 
Common Characters. Above metallic green; tail plain black or chestnut, 
glossed with green, and without white in either sex. A conspicuous white post- 
ocular stripe, and a blackish auricular one beneath it ; beneath with more or less 
green. £. Forehead, chin, and side of head deep black or metallic dark blue; 
throat and jugulum brilliant green. 9 • Front dull brownish-green ; chin, throat, 
and jugulum white or ochraceous, with or without a green gloss. 
H. melanotis. Male. Belly white, glossed with green ; tail black beneath ; 
base of bill, all round, brilliant blue ; white cheek-stripe beginning back of 
the eye. Female. Beneath white glossed with green ; tail bluish-black. 
Hab. Guatemala and table-lands of Mexico. 
H. xantusi. Male. Belly cinnamon ; tail beneath purplish-cinnamon ; chin 
black; white cheek-stripe beginning at the bill. Female. Beneath plain pale 
rufous; tail deep rufous. Length, 3.50; wing, 2.10; tail, 1.40. Hab. Cape 
St. Lucas. ( Xantus's Humming-Bird.) 
The three families next in order are those generally known as the Zygodactyly in their 
more restricted sense, that is, having the toes arranged in pairs, two before and two 
behind. In the present case the anterior toes are the inner and the middle (the second 
and third), the posterior being the hinder and outer (the first and fourth) ; where, as is 
sometimes the case, a hind toe is wanting, it is the first, or hind toe proper. 
