2 9 9 . P hjEol /Em a ASq u a t o r ia l i s , Gould
Habitat. Ecuador.
Vol. IV. PI. 269.
Genus E r io c n e m i s , Reichenb.
The conspicuous tufts o f feathers ■with which the legs o f the Eriocnemides are clothed is a feature both novel
and peculiar; and as it is not to be found in any other group o f birds, they are thereby rendered especially singular.
In some these powder-puff-like decorations are white, in others brown and white, and in one je t black. All the
species are confined to that portion o f the Andes which is bounded on the north by New Granada, and on the
south by Bolivia.
It is not to be supposed that the minor distinctive characters which exist among the many species o f this group
should have passed unnoticed by ornithologists; on the contrary, they have attracted the notice o f more than one
writer, and the birds which were all formerly included in the genus Eriopus or Eriocnemis have received the subgeneric
titles o f Engyete, Threptria, Phemonoc, Aline, Luciania, Mosqueria, Derbyomia, &c.,—a tolerable division for
the genus first established by me in 1847, under the name o f Eriopus. I shall now give my own views on the
subject, and point out those which I consider to be natural divisions. The first, then, is the well-known E. cuprei-
ventris, with which I associate the E. Isaacsoni, the E. Luciani and the E. Mosquera. In all these the sexes are alike
in colour. The next division comprises E. vestita and E. nigrivestis, as they both have a brilliant patch o f feathers
on the throat, and the lower part o f the back and the upper tail-coverts exceedingly luminous; and their females
are somewhat different and less brilliant in colour. The E . Godin i and E. D ’Orbignyi form another little sec tion;
but we really know so little respecting these species, that nothing can be said with certainty as to their females.
The black-puffed E. Derbiana stands alone, and a rare and very beautiful bird it is. The E . Alina is distinguished
from all the rest by the glittering green o f its face and under-surface; it is by far the smallest species o f the genus,
while it has the largest puffs; and the female, although bearing a general resemblance to the male, is far less
brilliant. The members o f the next section are very sombre in their colouring, as will b e seen on reference to the
plates on which they are represented; they are E. squamata, E. lugens, and E. Aurelia. Ornithologists may please
themselves about adopting generic terms for these minute divisions; but, for myself, I have kept them all under
that o f Eriocnemis, and still feel inclined to do so. They all possess the important character o f the puff leg, and
they are remarkably alike as to the amount o f this peculiar ornamentation.
300. E r io c n e m i s c u p r e i v e n t r i s ................................................................................................Vol. j y . Pis. 270 271.
Phemonoé cupriventris, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 9.
Eriocnemis cupriventris, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 6, pi. 729. figs. 4668-69.
Eriocnemis cupreiventris, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 73.
Habitat. The Andes in New Granada.
I now believe that the bird I have called Eriocnemis simplex is merely a dark variety o f the E. cupreiventris.
Such varieties do now and then occur with other species o f the family; the cause I cannot attempt to explain.
301. E r io c n e m i s I s a a c s o n i . y 0 j j y pj 27 2
Eriocnemis Isaacsoni, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 6, pi. 761. fig. 4700.
Habitat. New Granada.
I have never seen any other than the type specimen o f this species, which is now in the Derby Museum at
Liverpool.
302. E r io c n e m i s L u c ia n i . . . . . . . .
Phemonoé Luciani, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 9.
Eriocnemis Luciani, Reichenb. Troch'. Enum. p. 6, pi. 730. figs. 4671-72.
Habitat. Ecuador; western side o f Pichincha, at an elevation o f 10,000 to 12,000 feet ( Jameson)
3 0 3 . E r i o c n e m i s M o s q u e r a y 0 j j y p i 274
Threptria Mosquera, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 9.
Eriocnemis Mosquera, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 6, pi. 728. figs. 4664-65.
Habitat. The neighbourhood o f Pasto in New Granada ( Delattre) .
3 0 4 . E r i o c n e m i s v e s t i t a . . . . . . . . . Vol jy pj 275
Eriocnemis vestita, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 73.
Habitat. The Andes o f N ew Granada. Commonly sent from Bogota.
Vol. IV. PI.
3 0 5 . E r io c n e m i s n i g r i v e s t i s ................................................................................................................... Vol. IV. PI. 2 7 6 .
Habitat. Ecuador, environs of Tumbaro ( Bourcier).
3 0 6 . E r io c n e m i s G o o in i . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. IV. PI. 2 7 7 .
Habitat. Ecuador.
3 0 7 . E r io c n e m i s D ’O r b ig n y i . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. IV. P I. 2 7 8 .
Habitat. Peru or Bolivia.
3 0 8 . E r io c n e m i s D e r b i a n a ..................................................................................................................Vol. IV. PI. 2 7 9 .
Eriocnemis Derbyi, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 6 , pi. 7 2 8 . figs. 4 6 6 6 - 6 7 and pi. 7 4 1 . figs. 4 6 9 8 - 9 9 .
Habitat. Volcano o f Purace in New Granada ( Delattre).
3 0 9 . E r io c n e m i s A l in jE .................................................................................................................... Vol. IV. P I. 2 8 0 .
Trochilm dasypus, Licht. in Mus. o f Berlin.
Eriocnemis Alinae, Cab et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 7 3 .
Habitat. The hilly parts o f N ew Granada.
3 1 0 . E r i o c n e m i s s q u a m a t a , Gould . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. IV. P I. 2 8 1 .
Habitat. Ecuador.
3 1 1 . E r io c n e m i s l u g e n s , G o u ld ...................................................................................................................Vol. IV. PI. 2 8 2 .
Threptria lugens, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 9 .
Eriocnemis lugens, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 6 , pi. 7 4 0 . figs. 4 6 9 5 - 9 6 .
Habitat. Ecuador; western side o f Pichincha (Jameson).
I t is just possible that this may prove to be the female o f E. squamata; for I have received many specimens from
Professor Jameson with wholly white puffs, which is the characteristic o f E. lugens; while from another locality
one has been sent with partly white and partly red puffs: independently o f the difference in the colouring o f the
puffs, the latter birds are larger than the former.
3 1 2 . E r io c n e m i s A u r e l i a . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. IV. P I . 2 8 3 .
Habitat. N ew Granada and Ecuador.
Specimens from the Napo differ considerably from those received from Bogota,—a deep coppery hue pervading
both the upper and under surface, whereas those parts are green in the Bogotan birds. I have seen specimens
which I consider may be females or young o f this species with wholly white puffs.
Proceeding from Mexico, southwards, through the high lands o f the temperate regions o f Guatemala, Costa
Rica, and Veragua, we there find several species o f the well-defined genus Cyanomyia which do not pass the Isthmus
o f Panama, while others occur in New Granada, Ecuador, and Peru. I have not yet seen any species of this form
from Brazil or from any o f the eastern portions o f the South American continent. They are all very lovely birds,
the colours with which they are adorned being blue, glittering green, and white, to which the red bills o f one or
two o f them offer a pleasing contrast. The females, although generally resembling the males, are inferior to them
in size and colouring. With these birds I commence the fifth volume.
Genus C y a n om y ia , Bornp.
313. Cy a n o m y ia q u a d r i c o l o r VoL V - P1- 284>
Ornismya cyanocephala, Less. Supp. des Ois.-mou. p. 132, pi. 17.
Trochilus verticalis, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mexican. Thier. ges. v. Deppe & Schiede (Sept. 1830), Nos. 27, 28.
Cyanomyia verticalis, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 254.
Agyrtria quadricolor, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 7, pi. 761. figs. 4758-59.
Uranomitra quadricolor, Cab. e t Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 41, note.
Habitat. Northern Mexico.
314. Cy a n o m y ia v io l ic e p s , G o u l d Vol. V. PI. 285.
Uranomitra violiceps, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 41.
Habitat. Western Mexico.