Mr. D. G. Elliot on the Trochilide. 315 
more so than any other member of the genus, reaching from 
Mexico, in the vicinity of Cordova (where it was procured. by 
M. Sallé), through Guatemala, into Honduras. Mr. Gould, 
in his Introduction to the monograph of the Humming-birds, 
separates the bird from Dueiias, in Guatemala, as distinct under 
the name of guatemalensis, although in his monograph he stated 
that there was not the slightest difference between specimens ~ 
from Guatemala and Mexico. In the Introduction he charac- 
terizes them as follows: ‘ Guatemalan specimens have the tail 
bronzy green, while the Mexican are olive-green.” It is true 
that in a series of specimens these differences are observable, 
in a greater or less degree; but it does not seem to me suffi- 
cient to entitle the birds from the different localities to a 
separate specific rank. The difference in the majority of 
cases 1s so slight that it would be well nigh impossible to 
decide to which species the specimens belonged. I have 
therefore placed the name C. guatemalensis as a synonym of 
C. cyanocephala*. 
I have had for some years in my collection a specimen of 
Cyanomyia which differs from all other described species, 
It was said to have come from Honduras; but for the accu- 
racy of this habitat I cannot vouch. It is nearest to C. 
cyanocephala, but differs in several remarkable and important 
characters. Although possessing every indication of being an 
adult individual, it is much smaller than its ally, and has an 
extraordinarily small bill. Im some groups of the Trochilidz 
I am well aware that the length of the bill 1s of no specific 
value; but I have never seen any material difference in this 
organ among the adult specimens of the different species 
of this genus until I obtained the present specimen. Besides 
its general small size and remarkable bill, the tail and under 
tail-coverts are very differently coloured, the former being 
more like that of C. viridifrons, though the bird resembles that 
species in no other manner. Not having been successful in 
obtaining another specimen, I have decided to deseribe it, 
and thus call the attention of ornithologists to the bird :— 
* [What is C. faustina (Boure.), Muls. H. N. Ois.M. i. p. 223?—EKp.] - 
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