DIPHOGENA IRIS, Oouid.
Rainbow.
Helianthea Iris, Gould in Proc. o f Zool. Soc. 1853, p. 6 1 ; Reported in Athenseum April 16,
1833.
— — _ ifis , Bonap. Consp. Troch. in Rev. e t Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 'SSI.
D u r i n g the last two years it has heen my good fortune to obtain so many extraordinary species of Humming
Birds from the hitherto almost untrodden parts of Peru, that I am quite at a loss for suitable expressions
wherewith to describe their beauty, as will, I am sure, be apparent to my readers if they wdl take even
the most transient glance at the Plates intended to represent this and some of the other species I have
lately attempted to depict, among which no one is more brilliant than the D'vphogena Iris. It is to the
indefatigable perseverance of M. Warszewicx that we are indebted for onr knowledge of this new bird,
to which the name of Iris has been given, with the view of conveying some idea of the hues with which it is
decorated; but beautiful as are the tints of the heavenly rainbow, they fall far short of the gorgeously
brilliant colours of this bird’s crest. u
It will be seen that I have made the present bird the type of a new genus, to which future research in the
rich provinces of Peru will doubtless add other species. The same means of information must also show
whether the bird I have called Aurora, and another which at present I refrain from naming, are, or are not,
the young males or females of the bird here represented, or if they be two other distinct species; my belief
is that the latter will prove to be the case, but as yet I have not sufficient data to determine this point; I
need scarcely say that I shall keep the subject in view, and communicate the information I may obtain as
soon as received.
Feathers of the forehead and crown of the most resplendent brilliancy, those of the forehead green on
the sides, glossed with gold in the centre; on the crown the feathers are divided into three portions, those
on each side being rich orange-scarlet, and the centre equally rich blue ; throat, neck and chest glittering
grass-green, with a small gorget of purplish blue in the centre of the former; back of the neck velvety
black f wing-coverts and spurious wing bronxy brown ; wings purplish brown, the feathers nearest the body,
lower part of the back, under surface, upper and under tail-coverts, and tail, chestnut-red.
The figures are of the natural size.