CHLOROSTILBON POORTMANL

Poortman’s Emerald.
Ornismya Poortmani, Boure. in Rey. Zool. 1843 De

Hylocharis Portmanni. Grav : ite te i i 5
y | , Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p- 115, Hylocharis, sp. 48.—
Sclat. in Proce. of Zool. Soe.. part xxi. p. 141.
jortmani, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av 7 }
i ; ap. Sp. Gen. Av., p. 74, Hylocharis, go, J!
Chlorestes Poortmanni, Reichenb. Auf. der Cols 0.

Chlorostilbon poortmani, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 255.

 

Ir the term insignificant should ever be applied to this bird, it certainly cannot be employed when speaking
of the lovely plant figured on the accompanying Plate. Now it may be asked, if the bird and the plant are
ever in such close juxtaposition as I have represented them; to which I reply, that in all probability they
are, though I have no actual evidence that such is the case; I know that the Humming-Birds examine in-
dividually most of the plants in the regions they frequent, whether in the woods or savannahs, and the
chances are, therefore, that the Victoria regia is not unvisited by this bird during its peregrinations.

No one member of this little group of Humming-Birds is so diminutive as the present species, whose

short tail, composed of ten narrow feathers, will at all times serve to distinguish it from its allies, the

nearest of which is the Chlorostilbon Alicie. Both species inhabit the same part of America,—that is,
Columbia and the country immediately to the eastward. We often receive examples from Bogota; indeed
it may be said that all, or nearly all, the specimens sent to this country and to France are from thence.
The ene difference occurs in the colouring of the sexes of both species; the females having the under
surface grey, instead of glittering green. The young males are all intermediate in their style of colouring,

but have larger tails than the female.

Head golden orange; all the upper surface, wing- and tail-coverts reddish bronzy ee a ee
brown; tail dark bronzy green, both on the upper and under surface; all the under surface, including the
| ereen; bill black; feet dark brown. >
coloured to that of the male, but far less brilliant ; the under
reen; the remainder green at the base,

under tail-coverts, dull bronzy
The female has the upper surface similarly oe
the centre tail-feathers g

surface grey ; the wing's purplish brown ; i : poe a eee Ta
— 7 ond tipped with greyish ; under tail-coverts greyish brown.
passing into black near the extremity, an¢ tippec hh grey eas sy Scepien een
ie voone male is similar to the female, but has the under surface spangled with g 2
» young male Is § é :
- ‘omale of the natural size.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural s

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