Sophia’s Erythonote
Costa Rica, Veragua, and New Granada
Before taking up my pen to give an account and description of the bird figured on the opposite Plate: I have carefully examined, side by side, the type-specimen from which M. Bourcier took his description of Trochilus Sophiæ, the type-specimen of the bird I described as Trochilus caligatus, and, through the kindness of the Director of the Royal Museum of Berlin, a veritable example of M. Cabanis’ Hemithylaca Hoffmanni; and I find that the three birds are so precisely alike, that Iam unable to detect any difference either in size, markings, or colour: the date of publication must therefore determine which of the three names is to be retained as a specific designation for the present species; and as that of M. Bourcier was proposed in 1846, my own in 1848, and M. Cabanis’ in 1860, the former must be the one adopted, and the others placed in the rank of synonyms.
The Erythronota Sophiæ appears to be very common in Costa Rica, for I possess many specimens from that country, all of which were collected in the neighbourhood of San José, a locality which is also inscribed on the label attached to the specimen belonging to the Berlin Museum; independently of Costa Rica, the bird is also found at Panama, and in the country to the southward and eastward of that locality. By some naturalists the Saucerottia typica has been considered to be identical with this bird; but on an inspection of the type-specimen, which is also before me, I am inclined to think it distinct; at the same time I must admit that it is very nearly allied; it appears to be a larger bird, to have the green of the under surface less brilliant, the centre of the under tail-coverts dull olive instead of blue, and the tail-feathers inclined to greenish; the lower part of the back, too, differs in presenting no trace of the purple hue which pervades the corresponding part in most of the specimens of the E. Sophiæ. The Saucerottia typica was brought from New Granada by De Lattre, and I do not find any examples in collections from Costa Rica. M. Bourcier has named this species in honour of Madame Sophie Gairal.
Head, all the upper surface and wing-coverts dark green, inclining to purplish red on the lower part of the back; wings dull blue; upper tail-coverts and tail very deep shining steel-blue; under surface of the body shining grass-green; thighs thickly clothed with white feathers; under tail-coverts blue, narrowly fringed with greyish white; on each side the flanks a tuft of white; bill black.
The purple hue of the lower part of the back immediately above the upper tail-coverts appears to vary considerably, being much deeper in some specimens than in others.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Trichopilia coccinea.
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
