Genus Lampornis

I now proceed to the genus Lampornis. This genus comprises many species, some of which inhabit the West Indian Islands, and others the mainland. The best-known among them, the Lampornis Mango, has a wider range than any of the others, as will be seen on reference to my account of that species. They are all distinguished by the harmonious colours of their ample tails, which are even more beautiful in the females than in the males.

• 83.

  Lampornis Mango

  Habitat: The eastern part of Brazil, Trinidad, Venezuela, and the high lands of New Granada.

  Plate 74 Lampornis Mango The Mango

  • Trochilus punctatus, Vieill. sie Méth. Orn. ae il. p. 550 (young)
  • Trochilus lazulus, Less. Traité d’Orn. p. 290.
  • Lampornis Mango, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 19.
• 84.

  Lampornis iridescens (Gould)

  Habitat: Guayaquil

  No illustrations

  This is the bird from Guayaquil which I have spoken of in my account of L. Mango as differing from the Mangos of the other parts of America. The chief differences are a rather shorter tail and a glittering wash of blue and green on the throat, instead of that part being velvety black; there is also a greater amount of green on the flanks. Three specimens of this bird were killed and sent to me by Professor Jameson during one of his visits to the coast.

• 85.

  Lampornis Prevosti

  Habitat: Guatemala and Honduras

  Plate 75 Lampornis Prevosti Prevost’s Mango
• 86.

  Lampornis Veraguensis (Gould)

  Habitat: Veragua and Costa Rica

  Plate 76 Lampornis Veraguensis Veraguan Mango

  Mr. Bridges “found this species in the outskirts of the town of David, feeding among the flowers of a large arborescent species of Erythrina.”

  • Anthracothorax Veraguensis, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 9, 5 793. fig 4848.
  • Lampornis Veraguensis, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 18.
• 87.

  Lampornis gramineus

  Habitat: Trinidad, Cayenne, and Guiana

  Plate 77 Lampornis gramineus Green-throated Mango

  • Anthracothorax dominicus, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 9, pl. 792. figs. 4845–46.
  • Lampornis graminea, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 18.
• 88.

  Lampornis viridis

  Habitat: Porto Rico

  Plate 78 Lampornis viridis Blue-tailed Mango

  • Chalybura viridis, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 10.
  • Agyrtria viridis, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 7, pl. 765, figs. 4771–72.
• 89.

  Lampornis aurulentus

  Habitat: St. Domingo

  Plate 79 Lampornis aurulentus St. Domingo Mango
• 90.

  Lampornis virginalis (Gould)

  Habitat: The Island of St. Thomas

  Plate 80 Lampornis virginalis St. Thomas’s Mango

  Crown and all the upper surface bronzy green; wings light purplish brown; throat shining greenish waxyellow; chest and centre of the abdomen black, passing into green on the flanks; upper tail-coverts brilliant bronzy green; two centre tail-feathers rich bronze, the remainder fine purple, margined and tipped with bluish black; bill black; feet dark brown.

  Total length 4\(\frac{1}{2}\) inches; bill \(\frac{15}{16}\); wing 2\(\frac{3}{8}\); tail 1\(\frac{1}{2}\); tarsi \(\frac{1}{4}\).

  If I have led my friend, Alfred Newton, Esq., into an error, by causing him to state that the St. Thomas bird is identical with the Lampornis aurulentus, it was quite unintentional on my part. Since we made an examination and comparison of specimens of L. aurulentus from St. Domingo, with those, which we believed to be identical, from St. Thomas, I have received numerous other examples from the latter island, a careful consideration of which induces me to regard them as distinct; and as such, I have described them under the name of Lampornis virginalis. The difference between this new species and L. aurulentus is very marked: it is of much smaller size, and has a shorter, more square, and differently-coloured tail, the two centre-feathers being rich bronze instead of purplish black; the throat-mark is richer; the upper tail-coverts are very much finer and more brilliant; and the bill is shorter.

• 91.

  Lampornis porphyrurus

  Habitat: Jamaica

  Plate 81 Lampornis porphyrurus Porphyry-tailed Mango

  This species differs from all its allies in the female and the young male assimilating to the adult male in the colour of the tail, which is quite contrary to what occurs in the females of the other species; unlike them also, the female of this species has a different and more beautiful gorget than the male. This is one of the anomalies which cannot be explained, inasmuch as in structure, in size, and other characters it is a true Lampornis.

  The genus Eulampis now claims our attention. It is composed of four species, the distinguishing features of which are their luminous upper tail-coverts. These broad and glittering feathers, resembling plates of shining metal, have doubtless been designed for no special purpose connected with the habits of the bird, but for mere ornament; but such characters, trifling though they be, are of no little use in enabling us to group together nearly allied species. It will be recollected that in some genera—that of Hypuroptila for instance—the under and not the upper tail-coverts are extraordinarily developed; and many other instances might be cited of a similar development of other parts of the plumage, for which no other use but that of mere ornament can be conceived. ‘The members of this genus differ from most others in the perfect similarity in the colouring of the sexes. So far as I am aware, they are all confined to the West Indian Islands.

  • Anthracothorax porphyrurus, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 8, pl. 794. figs. 4849–50.
  • Lamporms porphyrura, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 19.

Supplemental

• Lampornis calosoma Elliot’s Topaz