White-breasted Erythronote
Panama and Veragua
This species is very nearly allied to the Erythronota Edwardi; it is, however, a somewhat stouter bird, and is otherwise distinguishable by the lesser brilliance of the back and upper surface, and by the blackness of its tail.
Its native country is Veragua, whence I have received several examples direct; I have also a specimen procured by Dr. Berthold Seemann in Panama, and another collected by M. Warszewicz near David, at an elevation of between 5000 and 10,000 feet above the sea-level.
The whiteness of the abdomen of this species and its near ally is a character which at once separates them from the type of the genus, the Common Erythronote of Trinidad and Guiana.
The Erythronota niveiventris is at present very rare, as I know of no other examples in Europe but those contained in my own collection.
As far as I can judge, there is but little difference in the colouring of the sexes; the specimen procured by Dr. Seemann has, however, more white on the abdomen, less green on the throat, and the outer tailfeathers slightly tipped with a lighter colour, which distinctions may perhaps be characteristic of the female.
Head and upper surface green, passing into coppery red on the wing-coverts, lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts; wings dark purplish brown; tail purplish black; throat, breast and flanks luminous grass-green; abdomen white; under tail-coverts brown, fringed with white; upper mandible black; lower mandible flesh-colour.
The figures on the Plate are of the size of life. The plant is the Passiflora Medusæa.
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
