island o f Trinidad, Venezuela, New Granada, and Central America. The sexes o f each species are alike in colour.
I f any difference be observable, it is in the outer tail-feathers o f the female being faintly tipped with olive-grey.
3 2 3 . T h a u m a t ia s c a n d id u s . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. V. P I. 2 9 2 .
Agyrtria candida, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 3 3 , note.
Habitat. Guatemala and Southern Mexico.
Mr. Salvin states that this species is “ common on the Atlantic coast-region, about Yzabal, and thence one
day’s ride into the interior. Very abundant about Coban. Many species o f Humming-Birds in Guatemala extend
through a great range o f temperature, the same species being frequently found both in the coast regions and also
in the more elevated districts.” Mr. Taylor saw very few examples o f this bird in Honduras.
324. T h a u m a t ia s c h io n o p e c t u s , Gould . . . . . . . . . . Vol. V. PI. 293
Agyrtria niveipectus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 33, note.
Habitat. Trinidad, Cayenne, and Guiana.
325. T h a u m a t ia s l e u c o g a s t e r ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 9 4 .
Cynanthus leucogaster, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming-Birds, vol. ii. p. 149.
Trochilus mellisugus, B urn. Th. Bras. tom. ii. p. 343.
Agyrtria leucogastra, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 3 4 .
Trochilus Cleopatra, Gould, MS.
Habitat. North-eastern Brazil, Cayenne, and the Guianas.
326. T h a u m a t ia s v i r i d i c e p s , G o u l d y 0 j> y_ 2 9 5 .
Habitat. Ecuador.
327. T h a u m a t ia s M i l l e r i . . . . . . . . . . . y 0i# y_ p^ 296
Agyrtria Milleri, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 33, note.
Habitat. New Granada. Common in the neighbourhood o f Bogota.
328. T h a u m a t ia s n i t id i f r o n s , G o u ld ..................................................................................................................... y_ p i 2 9 7 .
Habitat. Unknown: supposed to be Venezuela.
329. T h a u m a t i a s c a b r u l e ic e p s , Gould.
Thaumatias cteruleiceps, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. part xxviii. p. 307.
Habitat. New Granada. Received from Bogota.
330. T h a u m a t ia s b r e v i r o s t r i s Vol. V. PI. 298
Trochilus versicolor, “ L icht.,” Nordm. Erm. Reis. Atl. pp. 3 , 2 7 ,1 .1. f. 1- 3 .
Hylocharis versicolor, Gray & Mitch. Gen. o f Birds, vol. i. p. 115, Hylocharis, sp. 4 5 ; Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av.
tom. i. p. 74, Hylocharis, sp. 9.
Agyrtria versicolor, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 1 0 ; Id. Troch. Enum. p. 7, pi. 759. figs. 4750-51.
Thaumantias versicolor, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 255.
Agyrtria brevirostris, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 34.
Habitat. South-eastern Brazil.
331. T h a u m a t ia s a f f i n i s , G ou ld ............................................................................................................................... y pj 299
Agyrtria affinis, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 33, note.
Habitat. Southern Brazil; the districts o f Novo Friburgo and Minas Geraes.
332. T h a u m a t ia s c h io n u r u s , G o u l d .................................................................................................................... y pj 30 0
Leucippus chionurus, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 11 ; Id. Troch. Enum. p. 8 , pi. 780. figs. 4 8 1 3 - 15 .
Thaumantias chionurus, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 255.
Agyrtria chionura, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 32, note.
Habitat. Costa Rica.
333. T h a u m a t ia s a l b iv e n t r i s . . . . . . . . . y 0j y p] 3 q |
Trochilus albiventris, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming-Birds, vol. ii. p. 1 4 1 .
Agyrtria albiventris, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 32.
Habitat. Brazil, the neighbourhood o f Sta. Catharina ( Bourcier).
This, the largest species of the genus, has the centre o f the abdomen and the under tail-coverts white.
334. T h a u m a t ia s L innabt, B o n a p . Vol. V. PI. 302.
Trochilus viridissimus, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming-Birds, vol. ii. p 149.
Trochilus viridipectus, Sauc. in Mus. Berol. et Heinean.
Saucerottia viridipectus, Reichenb. Aufz. der Col. p. 7.
Agyrtria Thaumantias, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 7, pi. 756. figs. 4738-39.
Chlorestes viridipectus, Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 4, pi. 702, figs. 4573-7$.
Hylocharis lactea, fern., Reichenb. Troch. Enum. p. 8, pi. 772, fig. 4792.
Coeligena Maugei, fern. (!!!), Reichenb. in Mus. o f Berlin (Cabanis).
Agyrtria maculata, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 33.
Habitat. Northern Brazil, Cayenne, Dutch and British Guiana, Trinidad, and Venezuela.
This bird is much smaller than the last, has less white on the abdomen, and the under tail-coverts tinged
with grey.
I think it likely that pi. 62 o f Lesson’s ‘ Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux-mouches ’ has reference to this species,
and the text to the T. albiventris.
335. T h a u m a t ia s f l u v ia t i l i s , Gould.
Habitat. Banks o f the River Napo.
In size this bird rather exceeds the last, and has a more than proportionately longer b ill; the breast is
^littering deep or grass green instead o f golden green, and there is a narrow irregular streak o f greyish white on
the abdomen; but the great difference which distinguishes it from the T. Linneei and the rest is the colouring of the
under tail-coverts, the centres o f which are dark brown margined with greyish w h ite; the tail-feathers are short,
and o f a nearly uniform dull black.
Total length 4 inches, bill 2-^-, wing 1, tail 1-f.
336. T h a u m a t ia s a p i c a l i s , Gould.
Habitat. New Granada.
About the same size as the last, with an equally lengthened b il l ; the upper-surface golden green; the centre
o f the abdomen and under tail-coverts pure w h ite ; the four outer tail-feathers steel-black margined with pure white
at the tip.
Total length 3^- inches, bill 1, wing 2^-, tail 1-J-.
337. T h a u m a t ia s m a c u l ic a u d u s , Gould.
Habitat. British Guiana.
This is a very little species, w ith a long thin b ill; its breast is green, as the other’s ; the centre o f its abdomen
white; the under tail-coverts white, except in the centre, where they are dark brown; but the great difference is
in the tail, which is exceedingly pretty, the two centre feathers being bronzy green, except at the extreme tip, which
is greenish black, the next on each side bronze for half their length, then black; the three outer ones on each side
bronzy green at their base, then broadly zoned with black, next to which they are green, and lastly white.
Total length 3£ inches, bill t> wing 2, tail !£•
A specimen o f this bird was brought from Guiana by Sir Robert Schomburgk; and in all probability the
species is an inhabitant o f the interior.
The five preceding species are all very nearly alike, and form a minor section; they are confined to a comparatively
limited area. The remaining members o f the genus are more widely distributed, one o f them inhabiting
Guatemala and Costa Rica, and two or three Veragua, while the others frequent Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas,
and B r a z il; but as each o f the species has its proper habitat indicated, it will be unnecessary to say more on the
subject here. The females are very similar to the males in colour, except in the case o f the rare species I have
called T. chionurus, where the two sexes differ considerably, as may be seen on reference to the plate in which they
are represented.
The group o f Humming-Birds to which I next direct attention comprises the genera Amazilia, Pyrrhophana,
Erythronota, Eupherusa, Saucerottia, Sapphironia, Hylocharis, and others, ranging between the Amazilia and the little
o-reen species forming the genus Chlorostilbon. These birds are the least understood o f the Trochilidae, and are
certainly the most difficult and perplexing to discriminate o f the entire family. I will, however, do my best to
unravel the confusion with which they are surrounded, and to place both the genera and species in as clear a light