DORIFERA VERAGUENSIS, Salvin.

Veraguan Lance-bill.

Dorifera veraquensis, Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soe. 1867, p. 154.

Hemistephania veraguensis, Elliot, Synopsis of the Humming-Birds, p. 82 (1878).

 

Tue very dark shade of the green under-surface, coupled with the metallic green forehead, which is darker
than in D. ludovici@, serves to render this species recognizable from the last-named bird. It was described
by Mr. Osbert Salvin from Veraguan skins collected by Enrique Arce ; and I have a skin in my collection
said to be from Costa Rica; but there may be some doubt as to the correctness of this locality.

Mr. Salvin published the followwing remarks when first calling attention to the distinctness of the
Veraguan bird :—‘‘ There seems to be considerable individual variation between members of this species ;
or I should be inclined to separate, as a distinct race, the bird found in Veragua, a single specimen only of
which has as yet reached me. The shining forehead is considerably darker and of a bluer shade, the bill
longer, and the under plumage blacker than in a New Granadian specimen of D. ludovicie before me ; the
wings, too, are shorter. Should the receipt of additional specimens confirm the constancy of these
distinctions, I propose for this race the name of Dorifera veraguensis.”

The Plate represents two males and a female bird, drawn from specimens lent to me by Messrs. Salvin
and Godman.