Illustration not included in supplement volume
Of the three known species of Eupherusa, E. poliocerca inhabits Mexico, E. eximia Guatemala, and E. egregia Costa Rica and Panama.
The latter is distinguished from E. eximia in the tail-markings, the four central feathers being dark greenish bronze, and the remaining feathers white margined with black.
E. egregia was discovered by the well-known collector Arcé at Castello and Calovevora, in the province of Veragua, in the State of Panama. Messrs. Sclater and Salvin give the following account of it:—
Arcé has sent two specimens of this apparently distinct species of Ewpherusa in one of his collections from Western ~Veragua. The male is not quite adult, and would probably eventually lose all traces of the irregular dark margins of the outer tail-feathers, as in the female no traces of these spots appear. In E. eximia the whole outer web of the two external rectrices is black, which renders the two allies readily distinguishable.
The following is a translation of the original description:—
Above bright green, the primaries dusky tinged with purple, the secondaries chestnut at base, with the tip purple; underneath shining green, with the belly whitish; two outer tail-feathers on each side white, externally irregularly margined and tipped with black; the six middle ones black, tinged on the upper surface of the outer web with bronze; bill black; feet yellow. Total length 4 inches, wing 2·3, tail 1·4, bill from gape 0·85.
Female. With the under surface white, some of the lateral feathers margined with shining green; two lateral tail-feathers entirely white.
[R. B. S.]
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
