CHLOROSTILBON ALICIiE.
Alice’s Emerald.
Trochilus Alice, Bourc. e t Muls. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 274.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds,
vol. iii., App. p. 30«, App. to p. 103.
Smaragdites Alice, Reichenb. Au£ der Col., p. 7.
Chlorostilbon alicia, Bonap. Rev. e t Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 255.
The Chlorostilbon Alicia is a pretty little species, inhabiting the Caraccas and the high lands of Columbia;
collections sent from Bogota always contain examples. It is easily distinguished from every other member
of the genus by its greenish-bronzy hue and the shortness of its tail-feathers; it is also conspicuous for the
rich glittering golden green of the crown, throat, breast, and under surface of the body; both the upper
and under surfaces of the tail, too, are bronze, with an intermingling of purple.
The sexes offer a more marked difference than usual, the female being entirely destitute of the glittering
green feathers of the under surface; besides which, she has a larger tail, the three outer feathers of which
are black in the centre, with grey tips. We have striking proofs that the bird so marked is the true female
of this species; for the young males, at a certain age, are dressed in a particoloured plumage, portions of
which are seen in both sexes. I have one young male in which the breast is grey, like that of the female,
except that it is here and there spangled with golden green; in this example the three outer tail-feathers
are tipped with grey, but the centre ones are green, and not black, as in the female; the female, too, is a
somewhat larger bird, and has a longer bill than the male.
The male has the crown of the head and breast rich shining green; all the upper surface, wing-coverts,
upper tail-coverts, abdomen, and under tail-coverts rich bronzy green; wings purplish brown ; tail, both on
the upper and the under surface, shining dark purplish green; bill black ; feet dark brown.
A young male in my collection is bronzy green above, and greyish white, speckled or spangled with rich
shining green, beneath; wings purplish brown; centre tail-feathers green; lateral feathers green at the base,
then bluish black, and tipped with white; under tail-coverts huffy grey.
The female has the upper surface bronzy green, passing into pure green on the upper tail-coverts; under
surface greyish white; central tail-feathers green; the lateral feathers green at the base, then black, and
lastly tipped with grey, which increases in extent as the feathers recede from the centre.
The Plate represents two males and a female of the size of life. The plant is the Barkeria elegans.