Tail nearly even, and slightly emarginated. Lateral feathers very broad and obtuse at end … Heliopædica.
We have included Lampornis in the list of United States genera on exceedingly doubtful evidence of the occurrence of L. mango, which was said to have been taken at Key West, and sent to Mr. Audubon, who figured it. The species, however, proves to be one belonging to Brazil, and not the Jamaican form (L. porphyrura, Gould), which might possibly have straggled there.
In reference to the large number of species of Trochilidæ, it may be well to remark that many differ by very slight, sometimes quite inappreciable characters, and are to be looked on as only climatic or geographical varieties. All those given for the United States are, however, well marked.
Additional species of Trochilidæ will doubtless yet be detected within our limits, especially in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Texas, where almost any of the Mexican table-land species may be looked for, such as Calypte floresi, Calothorax cyanopogon, etc. South Florida will probably yet furnish to us the Bahaman Doricha evelynæ.
The following synopsis expresses, perhaps, a more natural arrangement of the genera:—
A. Nasal operculum entirely covered by the frontal feathers; base of the bill narrow.
a. Tail forked, and unvariegated in the male. Outer primary strongly bowed, or curved inward at the end.
Stellula. Tail deeply emarginated in ♂, somewhat doubly rounded in ♀, but outer feather not longest; the feathers spatulate; outer primary very strongly bowed, and very broad at end. ♂. Gorget feathers linear, much elongated; only their terminal half colored; crown green like the back. ♀. Similar in form, but the intermediate feathers of tail longer than the external, instead of shorter.
Trochilus. Tail deeply emarginated in the male, the feathers attenuated toward tips; doubly rounded in ♀, and broader; outer primary strongly bowed, but narrow at end. ♂. Gorget feathers broad, short, squamate; colored blue or crimson to their bases. Crown green like the back.
Calypte. Tail as in Trochilus, but the external feather abruptly narrower than the next, with its edges nearly parallel. Outer primary as in Trochilus. Crown metallic (violet or crimson) like the throat. Female like that of Trochilus.