Humming-Birds

My collection contains several examples of this species, all of which were obtained from the upper part of the Rio Negro.

On submitting them to the imspection of M. Bourcier, that gentleman immediately recognized them as being the same as his Pygmornis Amaura. More recently Mr. Lawrence of New York has favoured me with the loan of the type specimen of his Phaëthornis atrimentalis, the sight of which enables me to state that it is precisely identical with my own specimens, consequently the name of atrimentalis must give place to that of maura. In its affinities, this species is more closely allied to the bird I have figured under the name of P. Longuemareus than to any other; from this, however, it differs in its smaller size, and in the black at the throat beg streaked and clouded instead of forming a distinct spot. The two birds are evidently representatives of each other in the respective districts they inhabit; the older-known species frequenting the east, while the newly-discovered one is equally confined to the west.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wing and tail-coverts dark bronzy green, the tail-coverts margined with deep rufous; wings purplish brown; tail-feathers bronzy green, passing into brownish green towards the end, and tipped with buffy white; ear-coverts black, bounded above and below with a line of buffy white; chin clouded or streaked with black; under surface rufous, washed with grey on the breast, and becoming much paler on the under tail-coverts; upper mandible and apical half of the lower mandible black, the basal half of the latter being yellow; irides black; feet yellowish white.

The. figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Leucothoë pulchra.

References

Pygmornis Amaura, Bource. in Rev. Zool. 1856, p. 552.
Phæthorms atrimentalis, Lawr. in Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. vi. p. 260.

Phaëthornis Amaura

References

More hummingbirds in the genus Pygmornis

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