PHAETHORNIS GRISEOGULARIS.

Grey-throated Hermit.

Phaéthornis griseogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., March 25, 1851.

 

TuEre is every reason to believe that this species is spread over all the temperate regions of Columbia and
Ecuador: I have frequently seen it in collections from Bogota, and I have had it sent direct from Quito by
Professor Jameson, who gives 6000 feet as the altitude at which his specimen was procured; it is a
beautiful representative in those regions of the P. eremita and P. pygmea of Brazil: it differs from them
in its larger size, in the total absence of any crescentic black mark on the chest, and in having the throat
clouded with dark grey instead of buff; the two central tail-feathers are also tipped with grevish white
instead of buff, and the shafts of eremeta and pygmea are buff, while in the present species they are black.
My own collection contains numerous examples, as well as the two nests figured on the accompanying Plate :
although these nests are alike in form, the materials of which they are constructed are somewhat dis-
similar ; one being made of a species of green moss laced together with cobwebs, while the other is com-

posed of a pale brown silky substance, here and there studded with pieces of green moss.

Head, upper surface, and wing-coverts bronzy brown; upper tail-coverts rufous; ear-coverts blackish
brown; wings purple-brown ; base of tail dark brown, the apical third of the two central feathers dark grey
tipped with white; the apical third of the next feather on each side grey on the inner web, buff on the
outer web and tipped with white ; the three lateral feathers on each side tipped with buff; under surface
sandy buff, with a wash of dull grey down the chin and a crescent of black across the breast ; upper mandible
black; basal two-thirds of the under mandible yellow, apical third blackish brown ; feet yellow.

The figures are of the natural size.