Illustration not included in supplement volume
Mr. Elliot has placed the present species in the genus Poricola; but as the term Heliomaster has hitherto been used in this work as the generic name for these Humming-birds, we continue the practice.
The following is a copy of the original remarks and description:—
In size it is about the same as H. longirostris and its near allies; but it differs from them all in having a still larger and longer bill and a much redder throat-mark, in the white spot on the external tail-feather being longer or larger, in the lower part of the abdomen being white, in the under tail-coverts being greyish white, instead of blackish green, with lighter edges, and in the glittering feathers of the crown being of as pale, or nearly as pale a green as in the H. palldiceps of Mexico. As the peculiar markings of the tail and the under tail-coverts do not occur in H. longirostris of Trinidad and some parts of Venezuela, nor in the H. sclateri of Costa Rica, I am induced to regard the present bird as new.
Throat fiery reddish purple; crown light glistening green; upper surface and two central tail-feathers bronzy green, with the usual white mark in the centre of the back; four outer feathers on each side bronzy green, becoming nearly black towards the end, and tipped with white, the external one more largely than the others; wings purplish brown; chest grey; flanks bronzy grey; centre of the abdomen white; bill black.
Total length 4\(\frac{1}{2}\) inches, bill 1\(\frac{5}{8}\), wing 1\(\frac{3}{8}\), tail 1\(\frac{1}{2}\), tarsi \(\frac{1}{4}\).
Hab. Citado, Ecuador.
[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
