Several years have now elapsed since I received both drawings and specimens of this new Humming-bird from M. Warszewicz, the celebrated South American traveller and botanist. The specimens referred to were collected near the voleano of Chiriqui in Veragua; subsequently I received examples from Costa Rica, and more recently still from the vicinity of David, transmitted by Mr. Bridges: nothing can be more certain, therefore, than that the countries immediately to the northward of the Isthmus of Panama are the native habitat of this bird. As a species, the Lampornis Veraguensis is as well marked as any member of the genus; it possesses a combination of characters which ally it to the L. gramineus and L. Prevost; it differs, however, from the former in its much smaller size, and in the brilliant green of the throat being continued over the chest to the abdomen; and from the L. Prevosti, which it about equals in size, by the total absence of black on the throat. I am so fortunate as to possess males, females and young males of this fine species, which may be thus described.
The male has all the upper surface, wing-coverts and flanks golden green; throat glittering green, inclined to blue in the centre, and becoming of a deeper blue on the chest and centre of the abdomen; wings purplish brown; tail purple, each feather narrowly edged and tipped with darker purple, the two centre feathers tinged with bronze; tuft on each flank white.
The young male is similar on the upper surface; has the throat-mark less brilliant and bordered with white; the centre tail-feathers bronzy green; the lateral feathers purple at the base, crossed near the tip with steel-blue and tipped with white.
The female is of a more golden hue above and on the flanks; has a mark of blackish green bordered with white down the throat and the lateral tail-feathers as in the young male.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Pitcairnia macrocalyx.
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
