238 
HUMMINGBIRDS 
Distribution. — Central and southern California, chiefly west of the 
mountains, southern Arizona, and Lower California. 
Nest. — Plant down covered with bits of green mosses and lichens, fas¬ 
tened by web, sometimes lined with feathers or fur; placed usually 8 to 15 
feet from the ground, in trees or bushes often overhanging water. Eggs: 
2 , white. 
Food. — Spiders, small insects, and nectar from flowers ; also sap exud¬ 
ing from sapsucker punctures. 
‘ ‘ Like all the hummingbirds this species follows the flowers, and 
its local presence or absence is governed by their abundance or 
scarcity. Thus, in August and September hundreds of Anna hum¬ 
mers are to be found over the stubble fields and sunflower patches^ 
attracted by the flowers of the ‘tar-weed.’ During the winter 
months they are found in profusion about the blossoming eucalyptus 
trees. In January and February when the weather is mild, they 
appear high on the mountain sides among the flowering manzanitas ; 
and in March and April in the blossoming orange groves in the 
valley, and about the currant bushes on the hillsides.” (Joseph 
Grinnell.) 
GENUS SELASPHORUS. 
General Characters. — Adult males with outer primary narrow and 
_pointed ; tail feathers partly rufous, more or less grad- 
2 uated. 
Fig. 312. 
8 KEY TO ADULT MALES. 
1. Top of head red like gorget. floresii, p. 238. 
1 . Top of head greenish, unlike gorget. 
2 . Upper parts mainly rufous. rufus, p. 239. 
2'. Upper parts mainly green. 
3. Gorget purple. platycercus, p. 238. 
3'. Gorget scarlet .alleni, p. 241. 
[431.1.] Selasphorus floresii Gould. Floresi Hummingbird. 
Adult male .— Top of head and gorget brilliant metallic red; middle tail 
feathers green bordered with rufous, outer tail feathers wholly dusky ; belly 
white; sides and flanks green. Adult female: unknown. Length: 3.25, 
wing 1.75, tail 1.40, exposed eulmen .65. 
Distribution. — Mexico. Recorded at San Francisco and Haywards. 
432. Selasphorus platycercus (Swains.). Broad-tailed Hum¬ 
mingbird. 
Adult male .— Gorget without elongated sides , deep rose pink; top of head 
bronzy green like back and middle tail feathers; other tail 
f feathers purplish black, some of them edged with rufous; 
under parts whitish, sides glossed with green. Adult female 
and young : upper parts bronzy green ; under parts whitish, 
the throat with dark specks, sometimes with a few central 
feathers like gorget of male; sides brownish ; three outer 
tail feathers rufous at base, with a black subterminal band 
Fig. 313. and white tip; a touch of green on the second and third 
