CAMPYLOrTERlUS VILLjWICEITCIO.
J$<mldanilJf.CR/dtfcr,iülttÜth
CAMPYLOPTERUS YILLAYICENCIO.
Villavicencio’s Sabre-wing*.
Trochilus Villaviscensio, Bourc. Compt. Rend. de 1’Acad. des Sci., tom. xxxii. p. 187.
Heliomaster Villaviscensio, Reich. Auf. der Col., p. 13.
Heliomastes villavisencio, Bonap. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 251.
Campyloptei'us splendens, Lawr. in Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. vi. p. 262 ?.
T he Campyiopterus Villamcencio was first deseribed by M. Bourcier, from a specimen obtained by him during
his sojourn in Ecuador, and named in honour of a gentleman attached to the study of natural history
resident in that country. A single specimen is also contained in the Loddigesian collection. Both these
examples appear to be females, and assimilate so closely in size and in some parts of their colouring to the
bird lately named C. splendens by Mr. G. N. Lawrence of New York, that I am induced to believe them to be
so many examples of one and the same species. I do not, however, insist upon such being the case, and
therefore only place them together prövisioually. In the length and form of the bill, in the general colouring
of the tail and of the upper and under surface, they are precisely similar; the only observable difference
being, that Mr. Lawrence’s specimen has a splendid deep-blue throat-mark, which is entirely absent in
M. Bourcier’s and the Loddigesian examples. As both sexes of some other species of the Campylopteri are
very sombrely coloured, it is just possible that Mr. Lawrence’s bird may prove to be distinct, in which case
his name of splendens may be restored, and retained for the bird represented in the upper figure on the
accompanying Plate, and that of Villamcencio for the lower one. Mr. Lawrence’s example was procured by
Mr. Wm. E. Moore, between the head waters of the Napo and Quito, the same locality in which the other
specimens were obtained.
The following is a description of M. Bourcier’s specimen
Crown of the head metallic golden green; upper surface, wing-coverts and flanks dark golden green;
wings purplish brown; two centre tail-feathers dark green, the remainder steel-blue, the two outer ones
tipped, and the others slightly fringed with greyish white at the tip; all the under surface ashy grey;
bill black; feet brown.
Mr. Lawrence’s specimen differs in having a gorget of rich deep metallic blue on the tliroat, and in the
lateral tail-feathers being merely fringed instead öf tipped with greyish white.
The Plate represents the two birds of the natural size. The plant is the Gualtheria bracteata.