J .6 .M aiuLT/.CJitefüt.r, drl tlUiJi
GLAUCIS DOHRNI.
Dohrn’s Hermit.
T r o c h ilm D o l im ii , Bourc. Ann. de la Soc. Sci. de Lyon, May 7, 1 8 5 2 .
G la u c is D o h r n i , Bon ap. R ev . e t Mag. de Zool. 1 8 5 4 , p. 2 4 9 .— Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris,
p. 15.
Up to within a few weeks o f the present time, July 1855, a single specimen only o f this bird, so far as I am
aware, was to be found in Europe. The specimen alluded to, which is said to have been procured in
Ecuador, forms part o f the Collection o f M. Bourcier, and was kindly transmitted to London for the
purpose o f being figured in the present work: after my figures o f this then unique bird had been drawn
and the Plate printed, I myself received a very fine example direct from Rio de Janeiro, where it was
collected by M. De Gand in the district o f Espiritu Santo. In all probability, then, this bird inhabits the
interior o f Brazil as well as the country whence M. Bourcier received his example. I regret that I had not
received my bird before the Plate was printed, as I might have made some differences in the figures; for
I find that M. Bourcier’s specimen has been contracted in the process o f mounting, and that consequently
the drawing does not represent the bird so large as life : it will be seen also, on reference to the figures,
that most o f the tail-feathers are represented as indented at the extremity; I at first thought that this was a
peculiar character, but in my specimen this feature occurs only in one feather, all the others being beautifully
tipped with fawn-white, which portion o f the feather has, by some process unknown to us, been thrown off
in M. Bourcier’s specimen. When perfect, this is a very fine species : it is nearly allied to Glaucis hirsutus,
but differs in having all the tail-feathers, except at their extreme tips, o f a beautiful bronzy-green instead
o f chestnut.
M. Bourcier has “ dedicated this species to M. Dohrn, President o f the Entomological Society of Stettin,
and one o f the most zealous friends o f the natural sciences.”
Head, upper surface and wing-coverts dull green ; rump and upper tail-coverts dull green, bordered with
a rufous t in t; tail bronzy-green, each feather tipped with fawn-white, the extent o f which increases as the
feathers recede from the centre; wings purplish-brown; above and behind the eye a stripe o f pale buff;
throat and all the under surface, including the under tail-coverts, deep fawn-colour; upper mandible black;
under mandible straw-white for the basal two-thirds o f its length, black on the apical third; feet yellow.
The plant is the Barnadesia rosea.