HELIOMASTER ALBICRISSA, Gowda.

White-vented Star-throat.

Heliomaster albicrissa, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 504.—Sclater & Salvin, Nomencl.
Av. Neotr. p. 90 (1873).—Mulsant, Hist. Nat. Oiseaux-Mouches, ii. p. 274
(1876).

Floricola albicrissa, Elliot, Synopsis of the Humming-Birds, p. 83 (1878).

 

Mr. Exxior has placed the present species in the genus FYoricola; but as the term Heliomaster has hitherto
been used in this work as the generic name for these Humming-birds, we continue the practice.

The following is a copy of the original remarks and description :—

“In size it is about the same as HZ. /ongirostris and its near allies ; but it differs from them all in having a
bill and a much redder throat-mark, in the white spot on the external tail-feather

still larger and longer
part of the abdomen being white, in the under tail-coverts being

being longer or larger, in the lower
greyish white, instead of blackish green, with lighter edges, and in the glittering feathers of the crown being
of as pale, or nearly as pale a green as in the H. pallidiceps of Mexico. As the peculiar markings of the
tail and the under tail-coverts do not occur in H. longirostris of Trinidad and some parts of Venezuela, nor
in the H. sclateri of Costa Rica, I am induced to regard the present bird as new.

‘Throat fiery reddish purple ; crown light glistening green; upper surface and two central tail-feathers
een, with the usual white mark in the centre of the back; four outer feathers on each side bronzy
black towards the end, and tipped with white, the external one more largely than the
flanks bronzy grey; centre of the abdomen white ; bill black.

bronzy gr
green, becoming nearly
others ; wings purplish brown ; chest grey;

«Total length 4% inches, bill 18, wing 1%, tail 12, tarsi 4.

«« Hab. Citado, Ecuador.”
(R. B. S.J