EUCEPHALA CHLOROCEPHALA.
Green-headed Sapphire.
Hylocharis chlorocephala, Bourc. in Rev. e t Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 457.
--------------- chlorocephalm, Bonap. Rev. e t Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 255.
Agyrtria chlorocephala, Reich. Troch. Enum., p. 7.
Lepidopyga chlorocephala, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil iii. p. 4 0 , note.
T his sp e c ie s h a s som e ch a ra c te rs in common with th e o n e I have ca lled Eucephalas maragdo-cceridea, but it
differs from th a t b ird in seve ral p a rtic u la rs o f sufficient im p o rtan c e to w a rra n t its b ein g re g a rd e d as d i s tin c t:
in th e firs t p lac e, th e r e is no b lu e w h a te v e r on th e ch in a n d u p p e r p a r t o f th e b re a s t, th o s e p a r ts being
c le a r g re e n lik e th e rem a in d e r o f th e u n d e r s u r f a c e ; in th e n e x t, th e u n d e r tail-cove rts a r e white with a
sta in o f olive-brown in th e c e n tre o f ea ch fe a th e r, while th e sam e fe a th e rs in th e E . smaragdo-ccerulea a re
g re e n ; a n d lastly , th e u p p e r tail-co v e rts a re bronzy brown in th e p re s e n t b ird , an d b rig h t g re en , even
b r ig h te r th a n th a t o f th e back, in th e o th e r.
The Eucephala chlorocephala is a very rare bird, and its native country is I believe at present unknown;
for although M. Bourcier states that it flies in the environs of Guaranda in Ecuador, I think that gentleman
must have been misinformed on this point, and that in all probability the bird inhabits Brazil; but of this I
am of course uncertain.
Of its habits and economy nothing has been recorded; nor is it even known whether any difference
occurs in the outward appearance of the two sexes.
Crown of the head bluish grass-green; all the upper surface and wing-coverts bronzy green; wings
purplish brown; upper tail-coverts rich coppery bronze; tail uniform dark steel-blue; chin, throat, and
abdomen shining grass-green; thighs white; under tail-coverts dark olive broadly margined with white;
bill black ; base of the under mandible fleshy.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Sciodacalyx JVarszewiczii.