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Mr. D. G. Elliot on the Troehilidse. 
A well-marked but rare species, differing from all those 
previously known by its non-luminous buff underparts. It 
has only been procured twice, and is a desideratum in most 
collections. 
I possess three specimens : 1 <3 ( Warszewiez ) from Bolivia; 
1 d, 1 juv. ( Buckley) from Bolivia. 
Helianthea osculans. 
Helianthea osculans y Gould, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 503. 
Hah. Peru. 
It is to Mr. II. Whitely that we are indebted for the discovery 
of this fine bird. He procured the few examples he sent to 
England at Cachupata, in Peru, at a height of 11,000 feet. 
It was probably migrating when he met with it, as he only 
saw it for a short time at a certain season. It is very closely 
allied to H. violifera, but is destitute of the white band across 
the breast, so conspicuous in that species, the upper part of 
the breast is a deeper green, and that hue covers a much 
larger area. The tail also is conspicuously tipped with 
bronzy green; that of H. violifera shows merely an indication 
of that colour. 
I have two specimens, 1 1 ,cJ juv. ( Whitely ) from Ca¬ 
chupata, Peru. 
Helianthea dichroura. 
Helianthea dichroura , Taczanowski, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 138. 
This species was obtained by M. Jelski at Maraynioc, in 
the mountains behind Lima, Peru, and three specimens sent 
to M. Taczanowski, the Director of the Warsaw Museum of 
Natural History, who described it in the f Proceedings 3 of the 
Zoological Society, as given above. Its principal difference 
from H. osculans is in the tail, where the bronze tips of that 
species are extended in the present bird for one third the 
length of the tail-feathers, forming a very conspicuous apical 
band. Otherwise the birds are very much alike. Whether 
this mark is sufficient to constitute a specific difference, with 
my present knowledge of the bird (having only seen the three 
specimens sent over), I am unable to determine; but many 
species of the Trochilid8e have been established on much 
