APHANTOCHROA CIRRHOCHLORIS.
Sombre Humming Bircl.
Trochihis cirrochloris, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 2nde Edit., torn. xxiii. p. 430.—Ib.
Ency. Méth. Om., part ii. p. 560.
Ornismya simplex, Less. Hist. Nat. des Ois. Mou. p. 119. pl. 33.— Ib. Hist. Nat. des Col.,
p. 111.—Supp. des Ois. Mou., pl. 6.
Polytmus cirrochloris, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 107, Polytmus, sp. 4.
Trochilus campylostylus, Licht. Verz. der Doubl., p. 14.
Carnpylopterus cirrhochloris, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av.,p. 71, Campylopterus, sp. 8.
While the greater number of the Trochilidae are characterized by a splendid style of plumage, there are
others, as will be seen on reference to the present Plate, in which these features are wanting; to most
persons these sombre-coloured birds will be less pleasing than their more gaily attired congeners, hut
they are eqnally interesting iu the eyes of the naturalist. Iu its general structure, this simply attired
bird, which I believe is never adorned with any luminous colouring, offers a considerable alliance to the
Campylopteri; hut as the peculiar dilatation of the shafts of the outer primaries is entirely absent, I have
separated it from a group of which I formerly considered it a member, and have made it the type of a new
gen us—Aphantochroa.
I have received numerous examples from various parts of Brazil, Pernambuco, Bahia, and the neighbour-
hood of Rio de' Janeiro, where Mr. Reeves States it is very common, and where it evinces a great predilection
for the flowers of the Banana.
As I have not been able satisfactorily to distinguish the one sex from the other, I am led to believe that
they do not differ externally.
Head and all the upper surface dark grass-green; wings purplish brown; tail dark purple-brown, glossed
with bronze, especially on the two central feathers; throat and breast grey, glossed with green; abdomen
greyish brown, crossed just above the vent by a band of white; bill black; feet olive-yellow.
In some specimens the upper surface is bronzy green; the tail of a darker purple and the under surface
of an olive-green, instead of grey glossed with green.
The figures are of the natural size.