Genus Chrysuronia Bonap.

The genus Chrysuronia is composed of six species, with pretty, golden tails. The females of most of them are strikingly different; for, although they all have the tail similarly coloured, they are destitute of brilliancy on any part of the body. All are inhabitants of the Andes in New Granada, Ecuador, and Peru, with the exception of the C. Eliciæ, which inhabits countries to the northward of Panama.

• 362.

  Chrysuronia Œnone

  Habitat: Venezuela and New Granada

  Plate 325 Chrysuronia Œnone Œnone Humming-bird

  I find no difference between the birds from Venezuela and those from the neighbourhood of Bogota, except that the latter have rather longer bills, and the tail-feathers lighter and inclined to green.

  • Cynanthus Œnone, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming-Birds, vol. ii. p. 149.
  • Chrysurisca Oenone, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 42.
• 363.

  Chrysuronia Josephinæ

  Habitat: The upper parts of the River Amazon, where specimens were procured by Mr. Bates

  Plate 326 Chrysuronia Josephinæ Josephine’s Humming-bird

  I have two specimens of a bird of this form in my collection, one of which, procured in Paris, is labelled “O. neera, Less.;” they differ from every other species I possess. They are much larger than C. Josephinæ, and their tails are rich fiery bronze; their crowns greenish blue; all the under surface golden green; the under tailcoverts fiery bronze like the tail; and the blue of the crown extends further down the neck. I therefore retain the name of neera for this bird. I have still another bird allied to Josephinæ, with a longer wing, a shorter tail, and a somewhat shorter bill; the colour of the crown is violet or purplish-blue instead of greenish-blue, and the tail, instead of being rich fiery bronze, is light greenish-bronze. I cannot do otherwise than provisionally name this bird, and I therefore propose to call it C. cæruleicapilla.

  • Chrysurisca Josephinae, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 42, note.
• 364.

  Chrysuronia neera

  Habitat: Unknown

  No illustrations

  • Ornismya neera, Less., Delatt. et Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 18.
• 365.

  Chrysuronia cæruleicapilla (Gould)

  No illustrations

• 366.

  Chrysuronia Humboldti

  Habitat: The banks of the river Miva in the province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador

  Plate 327 Chrysuronia Humboldti Humboldt’s Humming-bird

  • Chrysurisca Humboldti, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 42, note.
• 367.

  Chrysuronia Eliciæ

  Habitat: Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Veragua

  Plate 328 Chrysuronia Eliciæ Elicia’s Golden Tail

  • Chrysurisca Eliciae, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 42.
• 368.

  Chrysuronia chrysura

  Habitat: Peru

  Plate 329 Chrysuronia chrysura Golden-tail

  • Phaëthornis? chrysurus, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming-Birds, vol. ii. p. 152.
  • Chrysurisca chrysura, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 42, note.