Ne

wo

 

 

 

 

 

INERODUCTION.

Y o.4
Genus CampyLoprerus, Swans.

Vol. Il. Plead

50. CAMPYLOPTERUS LAZULUS *
Ornismya falcata, Less. Hist. Nat. des Ois. Mou. pp. xliv, 126, pl. 36.
Campylopterus lazulus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil ii. p. 13. ae
H bit t. Venezuela, the hilly parts of New Granada generally, and Ecuador, from which latter country I have
Tabitat. Venezuela, \

i ‘ofessor a5 ; near Barza.
received specimens through Professor Jameson, collected nei

51. CAMPYLOPTERUS eee , 7 | , jae

Campylopterus Delattrei . : : 5 : : : ; : ; | | :

Trochilus hemileucurus, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Thier. v. Deppe & Schiede (Sept. 1830), no. 33.

Campylopterus hemileucurus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil a p: U2

—_—-— Delattrei, Montes de Oca in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1860, p. 47.

Habitat. Mexico and Guatemala.

“The large and showy tail of this Humming-Bird,” says Mr. Salvin, “ makes it one of the most conspicuous when
on the a It is common at Coban, feeding among the Salve ; it is said also to be found in the Volcan de Fuego,
but ee not met with it. The females of this species are most abundant, their ratio to the males being as five
to Be. It is not nearly so shy as its congener, C. rufus.” —TJbis, vol. ii. p. 260.

“This beautiful Humming-Bird,” says M. Montes de Oca, “is generally known in Mexico by the name of
Chupa-mirto real azul, or Royal Blue Myrtle-sucker. It arrives in the vicinity of Jalapa, Coantepec, and Orizaba
in considerable numbers during the months of October and November, and is mostly found feeding from a plant
called Masapan, between the hours of nine and one o’clock. During this time it is seldom seen to alight, and then
only for a very short time in any one place, but is constantly on the wing, flitting from flower to flower, describing
the segment of a circle in its flight, and sometimes almost touching the ground. For the remainder of the day very
few are to be seen, and I think it probable that they visit the woods for certain kinds of mosquitoes, with which I
have often found their stomachs well filled.

“The pugnacity of this species is very remarkable. It is very seldom that two males meet without an aérial
battle. The contest commences with a sharp choleric shriek, after which, with dilated throats, the feathers of the
whole of their bodies erected on end, and their tails outspread, they begin to fight with their

bills and wings, and
the least powerful soon falls to the ground or flies away.

I have never known one of these battles last longer than
about ten seconds ; and in the specimens I have had under my notice in cages, their fighting has

mostly ended in
the splitting of the tongue of one of the two, which then surely dies fr

om beimg unable to feed.”
52. CAMPYLOPTERUS ENSIPENNIS

: Vol, TL Pile 46:
Trochilus latipennis, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming-Birds, vol. i. p; 16, pl. 34.

Campylopterus latipennis, Jara. ib. p. 153.

 

ensipennis, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iii. p. 12.
Habitat. The Island of Tobago.

reference tc ran Ye Ae . 7s . . : : hi 2 ‘
On reference to my account of Campylopterus Villavicencio, it will be seen that I was inclined to believe the

C. splendens of M. Lawrence to be identical with that bird; but on reconsidering the matter

, and observing how
numerous and how closely allied are the species of the genus Campylopterus, I now
ee.

a think it probable that it is really
distinct. The throat in C. splendens is beautiful blue,

and the abdomen washed with green; while in C. }

/illavicencio,
the whole of the under-surface is pure grey. Both these birds have fine metallic-or
SD

€en crowns, which circumstance

induced me to believe that they were species, and it is possible that they may
‘ : ‘ sk y may

Opposite sexes of one and the same
yet prove to be so; but for the present I shall regard them as distinct

53. CAMPYLOPTERUS SPLENDENS, Lawr,

Vol. Il. Pl. 47 (Upper fig.).

Campylopterus splendens, Lawr.in Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. New York vol. vi. p. 262

Habitat. The forests between the upper waters of the Napo and Quito

54. CamMpyLoprerus V1 LLAVICENCIO

Vol. II. Pl. 47 (Lower fig.).

: e ei
Habitat. Forests bordering the Rio Napo in Ecuador