DIPHLOG.ENA AURORA, Gould.
Bolivian Rainbow.
Diphlogena Aurora, Gould in Proc. o f Zool. Soc., p a rt xxi. p. 61.
Hypochipsia Aurora, Reiclienb. Aufz. der Col., p. 9.
Coeligena Warszeioizii, Reiclienb. Aufz. der Col., p. 23.
Coeligena TP'arszeioiczii, Reiclienb. Troch. Enum., p. 4, pi. 690. fig. 4526.
T he beautiful bird to which I have given the name of Diphlogcena Iris, and the one represented in the
accompanying plate, were both collected by M. Warszewicz; and two finer or more interesting species are
scarcely to be found among the Trochilidce. It is very unfortunate that the traveller, of whose intrepidity I
have so often had occasion to speak, did not ascertain the sexes of these birds by dissection; had this been
done, the doubt which has arisen in my mind as to whether this may be a distinct species, or merely a
female of D. Iris, would have been dispelled ; as it is, the point must remain to be decided by future research.
Since my original description was published in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society ’ for 1853, I
have examined the collection of birds contained in the Museum at Dresden, and thereby ascertained that the
bird to which Dr. Reichenbach has given the specific name of Warszewiczii is precisely identical with my
D. Aurora. It is a question which name has the priority; but I believe that mine was first given; for I know
that all the Humming-Birds collected by M. Warszewicz were sent direct to George Ure Skinner, Esq., and
by him at once handed over to me, and those that were new were immediately described; a few, and only
a few, were retained by M. Warszewicz, and afterwards sent to Berlin, whence some of them found their
way to Dresden.
I t is now pretty certain that both these fine birds were collected in the Andes of La Paz, in Bolivia, and
not in Peru, as stated in my account of D. Iris.
The following is a copy of my description of this bird, read at the scientific meeting of the Zoological
Society, held in the evening of the 12th of April, 1853.
“ The whole of the crown rich metallic green; throat and back of the neck also metallic green, but not so
lustrous as on the crown; body and tail chestnut red, as in D. Iris, but not of so deep a hue.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Lisianthus acutangulus.