September the localities o f the various species o f Humming-Birds are usually as follows. Among the trees
on the south-eastern side o f the lake ” o f Duenas “ are Amazilia Demllei, Thaumastura henicura (mostly
females), Campylopterus rufus, Heliomaster longirostris, Chlorostilbon Osberti (in small number), Cyanomyia
cyanocephala, and Trochilus Colubris.
“ On the hill-side to the south-westward o f the lake are great numbers o f Campylopterus rti/us,’and among
the willows close to the water the males o f ITiaumastura henicura congregate. About the Convolvulus-trees
in the llano at the foot o f the volcano are found Eugenes fu lg e n s , Amazilia Demllei, Thaumastura henicura
(in small numbers), Trochilus Colubris (very commonly towards the end o f September).
“ Entering the first barranco that opens out into the plain, we meet with Campylopterus rufus, Myiabeillia
typica, Heliopeedica melanotis; and a little higher up, Petasophora thalassina and D e la ttr ia mridipallens. Of
course, occasionally a species is found not in its place as here indicated ; for instance, I have seen in the
first locality a single specimen (the only female I have met with) o f Eugenes fu lg en s , and another high in
the volcano. I have also seen a single Petasophora thalassina out on the llano. These localities must
therefore be taken as only generally indicating the distribution of the species found about Duenas.”— Ibis,
vol. ii. p. 263.
At the moment o f printing these pages, I have received a very interesting letter from my friend the
Hon. G. W. Allen, o f Moss Park, Toronto, in which the following passage occurs respecting the Trochilus
Colubris i?*-* '
“ I wish you could have been with us last summer, you would have had an opportunity o f watching your
favourite Humming-Birds to your heart’s content. 1 do not in the least exaggerate when I say that, during
the time the horse-chestnuts were in flower, there were hundreds o f these little tiny creatures about my
grounds. While sitting in my library I could hear their little, sharp, querulous note, as the males fought
like so many little bantam-cocks with each other. On one large horse-chestnut tree, just at the corner o f the
house, they swarmed about the foliage like so many bees ; and as the top branches o f the tree were close
to my bed-room windows, every now and then one bird more bold than the rest would dart into the open
window, and perch upon the wardrobe or the top o f the bed-post.”
It will be expected that, in a monograph o f a group o f birds which have attracted so much notice, some
account should be given o f their internal structure; and as our well-known bird-anatomist, T. C. Eyton, Esq.,
has paid much attention to the subject, and given a very clear description o f the anatomy o f the largest
species o f the family (the Pa ta g ona g igas') in Mr. Darwin’s ‘ Zoology o f the Voyage o f H.M.S. Beagle,’ I
have much pleasure in transferring it to my pages:—
“ Tongue bifid, each division pointed; hyoids very long, in their position resembling those in the
Picidae (Woodpeckers) ; trachea o f uniform diameter, destitute o f muscles o f voice; bronchia very lo n g ;
oesophagus funnel-shaped, slightly contracted on approaching the proventriculus, which is small and scarcely
perceptible ; gizzard small, moderately muscular, the inner coat slightly hardened, and filled with the remains
of insects; intestine largest near the gizzard ; I could not perceive a vestige o f caeca. Length o f the oesophagus,
including the proventriculus, 12, inch o f the intestinal canal 3 f ; length o f the gizard 4-, breadth 4-
| Sternum with the keel very deep, its edge rounded and projecting anteriorly; posterior margin rounded,
and destitute o f indentation or fissure ; the ridges to which the pectoral muscles have their attachment large
and prominent, the horizontal portion much narrowed anteriorly, consequently the junctions of the coracoids
are very near together.
“ Pelvis short, very broad; os pubis long, curved upwards at the extremities, projecting far downwards,
and posteriorly beyond the termination of the caudal vertebrae; the ischiatic foramen small and linear;
femora placed far backwards; coracoids short, very strong, their extremities much diverging; os furcatum
short, slightly arched near the extremities o f the rami, which are far apart, furnished with only a small
process on its approach to the sternum; scapula flattened, long, broadest near the extremity; humerus,
radius, and ulna short, the metacarpal bones longer than either, the former furnished with ridges much
elevated for the attachment o f the pectoral muscles; caudal and dorsal vertebrae with the transverse processes
long and expanded; cranium o f moderate strength, the occipital portion indented with two furrows, which
pass over the vertex, and in which the hyoids lie; orbits large, divided by a complete bony septum; the
lacrymal bones large, causing an expansion o f the bill near the nostrils.
“ Number o f cervical vertebrae 10, dorsal 6, sacral 9, caudal 5 ; total 30.
“ Number o f true ribs 5, false 4 ; total 9.”
Dr. Davy states that the blood-corpuscles of a recently-killed Humming-Bird, examined by him in
Barbadoes, “ were beautifully definite, regular and uniform. The disk very thin, perfectly flat; the nucleus
slightly raised; and the two corresponding in outline. The corpuscles l-2666th by l-4000th of an inch,
the long diameter o f the nucleus very nearly l-4000th. The blood was small in quantity, as I apprehend
is the blood o f birds generally, but not deficient in red corpuscles. I have found its temperature to be about
105 degrees.”
I have found it impossible to divide the Humming-Birds into more than two subfamilies - ■PZaeikurniihina:
and TrocMUtue ; for I find no such well-marked divisions among them as will enable me so to d o : neither
can I arrange them in anything like a continuous series; so many gaps occur here and there, that one is
almost led to the belief that many forms have either died out or have not yet been discovered; consequently
I am unable to commence with any one genus and arrange the remainder in accordance with their affinity.
Whenever I have observed an apparent relationship between two or more genera, they have been placed in
contiguity; and the species which appear to be allied to each other are arranged in continuous succession.
I do not consider one species more typical than another; all are equally and beautifully adapted for the
purposes they are intended to perform.
The following Synopsis will be found to contain a general view o f the subject, and, as it also comprises
many new synonyms and the additional information I have been able to obtain during the progress o f the
work, should always be consulted.
I shall now give the general characters by which the Trochilid® are distinguished:—
Body small; sternum very deep; bill subulate, and generally longer than the head, straight, arched, or
upeurved; tongue composed of two lengthened cylindrical united tubes, capable o f great protrusion, and
bifid at the tip; nostrils basal, linear, and covered by an operculum ; wings lengthened, pointed, the first