199. P t e r o p h a n e s T e m m in c k i ............................................................................................................................. Vol. III. PI. 178.
Pterophanes Temmincki, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 14; Id. Troch. Enum. p. 11; Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein.
Theil iii. p. 80.
Habitat. New Granada and Ecuador.
The Pterophanes Temmincki must rank with the Patagona gigas among the very largest o f the Humming-Birds;
the two species are nearly equal in size, but in their structure and the colouring o f their plumage they are very
different. The native country o f the P. Temmincki is the temperate portion o f the Andes, over which it ranges for
a considerable distance from Bogota, the probable centre o f its area. I have also seen specimens from Ecuador,
where it appears to be scarce. This fine bird is rendered a very striking species by the beautiful blue colouring of
its wings.
Genus A g l e a c t i s , Gould.
( ’AyAata, splendor, et ixns, radius Solaris.)
Generic characters.
Male.—Bill rather short, depressed at the base, and straight; wings long and powerful; primaries, particularly
the outer one, sickle-shaped; tail moderately large, and slightly forked when closed ; tarsi partially clothed; fe e t
strong and powerful; hind toe and nail longer than the middle toe and n a il; breast ornamented with a tuft of
lengthened plumes; back luminous when viewed from behind.
The birds for which I instituted the above genus have always greatly interested me. They are o f large size,
have very ample wings, and are distinguished from all other Humming-Birds b y their luminous backs, o f which the
rich and glittering hues are only perceptible when viewed from behind, or reversely to the direction o f the feathers—
contrary to the law which regulates the disposition o f the colouring in all the other genera, except in Gceligena,
where it is slightly apparent. All the species are natives o f the Andes, over which they roam from the northern
part o f New Granada to Bolivia. The latter country is the cradle o f the Aglceactis Castelnaudi and the richly
coloured A. Pamela. These extraordinary birds, to which I have given the trivial name o f Sunbeams, are among
the most wonderfid o f the Trochilidie.
200. A g l e a c t i s c u p r i p e n n i s ..........................................................................Vol. III. PI. 179.
Agldiactis cupripennis, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 69.
Habitat. New Granada.
Professor Jameson and Mr. Fraser state that “ The females o f this species have the glittering back, but not so
brilliant as in the males.”—Ibis, vol. i. p. 400.
2 0 1 . A g l e c t i s íE q u a t o r ia l i s .
Agldiactis aequatorialis, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 70, note.
Habitat. Ecuador.
This bird is considered distinct from H. cupripennis by Dr. Cabanis; but the only difference I can perceive
between this and Bogota specimens is in its larger size and longer w in g ; but if this be admitted as a species,
I must further increase the list by calling another parvula, o f which I have two specimens shot by M. Warszewicz
in Peru or Bolivia; for the precise locality is unknown to me.
202. A g l e a c t i s p a r v u l a , Gould.
Habitat. Peru, or Bolivia.
This bird has a much shorter bill, is o f a deeper red on the under-surface, more red in the tail, and altogether
o f much smaller size.
Total, length 4£ inche s; bill ; wing 3 ; tail I f .
203. A g l e a c t i s c a u m a t o n o t a , Gould.
Aglaactis caumatonotus, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. p a r t xvi. 1848, p. 12.
Habitat. Peru, or Bolivia.
Described by me as above from a single specimen said to have been procured in Peru, which differs from the
preceding in being o f smaller size and in the darker hue o f the luminous portion o f the back.
204. A g l/e a c t ís Ca s t e l n a u d i . . . . . . . e _ _ y 0j j j t pj ion
Aglaeactis Castelnaudi, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 9.
Helianthea Castelnaudi, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 6, pi. 739. figs. 4694-95.
Agldiactis Castelnaudi, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 69, note.
Omismya castelnaudii, Dev. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1852, p. 216.
Habitat. The mountains near Cusco in Peru.
M. Deville says, “ This bird, which is very rare, confines itself to the blossoms o f a species of Mimosa, the
odours o f which attract the small insects which form its food. Its cry is very piercing; its flight very rapid and
noisy. The species, which is quite new, was killed by myself in the valley o f Echarate, near Cusco.”
205. A g l e a c t i s P a m e l a .................................................................................. Vol. III. PI. 181.
Agldiactis Pamelae, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 69.
Habitat. Bolivia.
Distinct from every other genus are the two species o f Oxypogon. These bearded birds stand quite alone
among the Trochilidse; and although not remarkable for brilliancy o f colour, their fantastic markings, towering
crests, and lengthened beards render them very conspicuous objects. I shall not be surprised if other species of
this form be discovered when the higher peaks o f the great Andean range o f mountains have been more closely
examined.
For a long time the Oxypogon Guerini was the only species known; but in the year 1842 the intrepid traveller
Mons. J. Linden ascended the high mountains o f the Sierra Nevada de Merida, and was rewarded by the discovery
o f the second species, which bears his name.
Genus O x y p o g o n , Gould.
QOgvs, acutus, et irwyav, barba.)
Generic characters.
Male.— Bill shorter than the head, feeble, and straight; face both above and below ornamented with lengthened
plumes, the former erect, the latter pendent; wings rather lo n g ; tail large and forked when closed; tarsi bare;
fe e t large and strong ; hind toe and nail longer than the middle toe and nail.
Female.—Smaller, and destitute o f the ornamental face-plumes.
206. O x y p o g o n G u e r i n i ...........................................................................................................Vol. III. PI. 182.
Oxypogon Guerini, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 12; Id. Troch. Enum. p. 10; Cab.etHein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 67.
Habitat. New Granada; plentiful around Bogota.
207. O x y p o g o n L i n d e n i . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. III. PI. 183.
Oxypogon Lindeni, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 12; Id. Troch. Enum. p. 10; Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii.
p. 67, note.
Habitat. The Sierra Nevada de Merida in New Granada.
“ This bird,” says M. Linden, “ inhabits the regions immediately beneath the line o f perpetual congelation,
and never at a less elevation than 9000 feet.” I t might be thought that such bleak and inclement situations were
ill adapted for so delicate a structure as that of the Humming-Bird; but there, and there only, does it dwell, while
the equally lofty Paramos o f Bogota are the native locality o f the allied species O. Guerini. The minute insects
which frequent the alpine flora o f these districts afford abundance o f food to these birds; and beautifully constructed
are their little bills for searching among the flowers in which they are found.
Near the members o f the genus Oxypogon are the various species of Ramphomicron, another bearded group, but
differing in the total absence o f any lengthened plumes on the crown, and in the structure and colour of the pendent
chin-feathers. It will only be necessary to glance at the plates on which these species are depicted to perceive that,
though they bear a general resemblance to the Oxypogons, they are generically distinct from them. Their short and
feeble bills indicate that they feed on a similar kind o f insect fo od ; and we know that such flowers as those o f Sida
and other plants with open corollas are frequently visited for the insects which abound therein.
I t is said that the members o f this genus fly with great rapidity, and that, like flashes o f light, they are constantly
dashing about the hill-sides from one flower to another. I t must be extremely interesting to watch the
aerial movements o f these comparatively large birds among the lofty regions they frequent, and where the air is so
pure and rarefied. In all the hilly countries, from the Caribbean Sea southward to Bolivia, are the members o f this
genus to be obtained; in the neighbourhood of Bogota one o f them is very common: this bird (the R. heteropogon)
extends its range from thence to about the latitude o f Popayan, while the little R. microrhynchum is equally abundant