I first became acquainted with this species in the year 1845, when Mr. Bridges returned from his expedition into the interior of Bolivia, and published a description of it, with its admeasurements, in the “Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London” for the year following.
Since then I have received specimens from Peru, where they were procured by M. Warszewicz.
In its affinities the Adelomyia inornata is intimately allied to the A. melanogenys, but differs from that bird in the blue colouring of its throat and the darker tints of its general plumage, particularly of the under surface; there is also a more marked difference in the colouring of the sexes than occurs in that species, the female wanting the brilliant colouring of the throat.
Mr. Bridges collected his specimens at Sandillani, near the Yungas of La Paz; Bolivia and Peru may therefore be considered the native country of the species, which there represents the A. melanogenys of the more northern regions. There would seem to be no richer district in the whole of South America than these Yungas, yielding, as they have done, so many rarities both in birds and other branches of natural history, and where many others doubtless remain yet to be discovered.
The male has the whole of the upper surface bronzy green; lores rufous; stripe over the eye buff; patch under the eye black; under surface brown, with bronzy reflexions on the flanks; feathers of the throat tipped with purplish blue; wings and tail bronzy, all the feathers of the latter tipped with buff; bill black.
The female differs in having all the upper surface of a more golden hue, and the under surface buff, with speckles of brown on the throat.
The figures are the size of life. The plant is the Passifflora Tucamansis.
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
