I have adopted the term aurulentus for this fine species because we know positively that it has been applied to the male bird figured on the accompanying Plate, while there is a degree of uncertainty whether margaritaceus has reference to this or some other species.
In adopting this name I am following in the steps of Vieillot, Bonaparte, and many modern authors. The old name of dominicus would perhaps be the most correct and appropriate one, but that term is considered by more recent writers to be referable to the L. gramineus; with the synonymy of the present species, in fact, as with that of L. gramineus, the utmost confusion prevails; it will be better, therefore, to retain the name of aurulentus. The native country of this species is St. Domingo: as to Porto Rico, which it is also said to inhabit, I leave it to future Trochilidists to say if it be found there or not; in all probability it may inhabit both those contiguous islands, but I have no positive evidence that such is the case.
Unlike the females of most of the other species of Lampornis, which bear a general resemblance to each other, the female of this species is very dissimilar, having the whole of her under surface grey, in lieu of the striped and variegated style of markings which prevail in the females of L. Mango, L. gramineus, L. Prevosti, &c.; this grey colouring of the under surface is, however, the only point of difference, the tail being marked very similarly.
The male has the head, all the upper surface, wing- and tail-coverts dark yellowish green; throat dull golden green; all the under surface dull black; a tuft of white on each flank; wings purplish brown; two central tail-feathers dark bronzy purple; lateral feathers violaceous purple, bordered with dark purple.
The female has all the upper surface and two central tail-feathers bronzy green; all the under surface grey; lateral tail-feathers purplish chestnut, with a broad band of dull black near the tip, which is white.
The Plate represents both sexes of the size of life. The plant is the Passiflora penduliflora.
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
