SELASPHORUS TORRIDUS, sawin.

Torrid Flame-bearer.

Selasphorus torridus, Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soe. 1870, p- 208.—Scelater & Salvin, Nomencl. Av.

Neotr. p- 84 (1873).—Mulsant, Hist. Nat. Oiseaux-Mouches, iv. p. 101 (1877).—
Elhot, Synopsis of the Humming-Birds, p. 112 (1878).

 

Mr. Sarvin gives the characters of this Humming-bird
species is peculiar, having a somewhat faded appearance. The tint is not brilliant red as in §. scintidla, nor
does it resemble the gorget of §. platycercus, but is altogether of a more lilac hue. However, six males,
sent by Arcé, are all so exactly alike, that I cannot but Suppose that the normal colour of the throat is
shown. The lateral plumes of the throat, too, are elongate, reminding one of Atthis heloise, and thus
render the species distinct from all Selasphori except 8. scintilla, from which it differs widely in other
respects. The most nearly allied species appears to be S. flammula, Saly. (P. Z. S. 1864, p- 986), which,
however, has a differently coloured throat, as well as distinctive ch

as follows :—* The coloration of the throat of this

aracters in the tail.”
The present bird has, as yet, only been met with on the volcano of Chiriqui, in Ver
As with the other two species of Sedasphorus, 1
Mr. Elliot :-—

‘“‘ Male. Upper parts dark shining grass-green.

agua.
append the diagnosis of §. ¢orridus, as given by

Throat shining lilac-red, silvery in certain lights.
Feathers on the side of the neck elongated, same colour as the throat. Breast and middle of abdomen
white. Flanks green. Under tail-coverts buffy white. Median rectrices bronze-green; lateral ones
purplish black, all except the two outer ones margined with rufous. Wings purplish brown. Maxilla black ;
mandible flesh-colour, tip black. Total length 23 inches, wing 18, tail 14, culmen 2.

“Female. Head brownish; upper parts green. Underparts whitish; feathers of throat spotted with
brown. Flanks rufous. Tail black; base of three outer feathers rufous, and tips white; next two margined
with rufous ; middle feathers green.”

SELASPHORUS HENSHAWYI, eEvioz

Henshaw’s Flame-bearer.

Trochilus rufus, Henshaw, Bull. Nuttall Orn. Club, ii. p. 54 (1877, nee Gm.).
Selasphorus henshawi, Elliot, Bull. Nuttall Orn. Club, ii. p. 102 (1877).—Id. Synopsis of the
Humming-Birds, p. 111 (1878).

 

Tuts is a species which I failed to distinguish from the true S. iT (Gm.) in my previous works, as ate
have many other writers on Humming-birds. Mr. H. W. Henshaw, in a paper published in the ‘ Bulletin

of the Nuttall Ornithological Club of July 1877, pointed out that under the name of Selasphorus rufus a
distinct bird, differing in having the tail-feathers next to the centre ones pointed and notched, occurred um
California; and he proposed to call this new form S. adleni, after Mr. C. a Allen, of Nicasi0 in California.
A good account of the habits and distribution is given in Mr. Henshaw’s geysers bul in ie sea oe
of the ‘ Bulletin’ Mr. D. G. Elliot has shown that it is the bird with the pomted tail-feathers which Hs the
true 8. rufus of Gmelin, and consequently the species with the notch in the tail-feathers Polo requires a
new title; and this Mr. Elliot conferred on the species by naming it Selasphorus henshawi. I refer my