Mr. H. G. Elliot on the Trochilkhe. 
403 
generally throughout Central America, Trinidad, the Gui- 
anas, and along the northern and western countries as far 
south as Peru. The habitat of P. coruscans is not known. 
Petasophora anais. 
Ramphodon anais , Less. Hist. Nat. des Troch. p. 146,, pi. 55. 
Petasophora anais , Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. iv. pi. 224 ; 
id. Intr. Troch. (8vo ed.) p. 124. sp. 249. 
Petasophora iolata, Gould, P.Z. S. 1847, p. 9. sp. 5; id. 
Mon. Troch. vol. iv. p. 225 ; id. Intr. Troch. (8vo ed.) p. 124. 
sp. 250. 
Hab. Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. 
Lesson described this bird in his f Histoire Naturelle des 
Trochilidse/ and erroneously gave its habitat as Mexico. 
He also confounded with it one or two other species of the 
same genus, supposing them to be immature examples of P. 
anais. The specimens before me are from Columbia, Ecuador, » 
and Peru. Mr. Gould states that the form he has called 
iolata has its true habitat in Bolivia, extending to Chili; but 
I do not by any means find that this race is restricted to any 
particular country west of the Andes. I have placed without 
hesitation the name P. iolata among the synonyms of the pre¬ 
sent species, as I do not see that it has any claims whatever to a 
specific rank apart from P. anais. That there are specimens 
of P. anais larger than others every one who has examined 
these birds will readily admit; but they come from no especial 
district, and therefore have not even the claim of being deemed 
to belong to a geographical race. For instance, there are before 
me specimens from Bogota representing the typical P. anais, 
and also others from Antioquia, brought by Salmon, which are 
as large as any so-called P. iolata from Peru or Ecuador. The 
measurements are :—Bogota example, total length 4f inches, 
bill on culmen |, wing 2J, tail 2J ; Antioquia specimen, total 
length 5 J inches, bill on culmen |, wing 3J, tail 2J. The entire 
appearance of this latter bird is more robust than the one from 
Bogota. Both forms are before me from Tinta, Peru, col¬ 
lected by Whitely, the wings measuring respectively 2f and 
3 J inches—the latter intermediate, as will be noticed, between 
2 F 
ser. hi.—VOL. VI. 
