452 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



and when fresh have a reddish tinge from the thinness of the shells. The general 

 color of the plumage is green, from a dark shade to lustrous emerald. 



Topaza contains two gorgeously colored large species with peculiarly formed tails, 

 which are rounded, the feathers on either side of central pair narrow and elongated 

 far beyond the rest, and crossing each other. T. 2>ella, an inhabitant of Cayenne, 

 Trinidad, and Brazil, is something of a recluse, dwelling in the heart of the forest 

 near to rivers or lonely and dark creeks. He comes out of his retreat before sunrise, 

 but returns as soon as the bright rays have lit up the landscape, coming out again just 

 after sunset. The nest is deep, of a cup-shape, formed of a kind of fungus resembling 

 tinder, and united by cobwebs or similar material. The male is very beautiful, having 

 the back shining red changing to orange-red 011 the rump ; the throat metallic green- 

 ish-yellow with a topaz hue in the centre ; the rest of lower parts are shining crimson ; 

 upper tail-coverts light bronze-green ; the under coverts golden-green ; middle rec- 

 trices bronze-green, next two dark purple, remainder reddish-buff ; the head, bill, 

 lores, and line encircling the throat, black. The genus Eusteplianus contains three 

 species, from Chili and the islands of Juan Fernandez and Masafuera. They are large 

 birds, the metallic hues of their plumage being confined to the top of the heads. In 

 two species the females possess an entirely different dress, and from the fact that their 

 crowns were also metallic, for a long time it was supposed they represented distinct 

 species. 



Jlemistephania, jBourcieria, ITelianthea, and Diplilogcena, all contain beautiful 

 species, some of them being among the most brilliantly colored of the Trochilidre. 

 They are almost all large birds, with long lance-like bills, and for the most part 

 dressed in shining hues of lustrous metallic colors. JBourcieria inca from Peru and 

 Bolivia may be selected as representing one type of beauty. This lovely species has a 

 jet-black head, with a luminous metallic emerald-green spot in the forehead, which 

 shines like a brilliant star in the midst of its sombre surroundings. A broad band of 

 deep buff crosses the breast and covers the sides of the neck ; rest of plumage glittering 

 metallic grass-green, and bronzy-green, most brilliant in certain lights. The lateral 

 rectrices are white, tipped with bronzy-green. This bird is found on the eastern slope 

 of the Andes, at an elevation of 10,000 feet, and resorts to a shrub bearing red wax- 

 like flowers. It visits every flower in succession, never passing by a single one, is 

 very conspicuous on the wing, and has a very rapid flight. Beautiful, however, as is 

 the bird just described, it is far surpassed in the splendor of its decoration by the 

 Diphlogcena iris and D. hesperus from Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. These mar- 

 vellous creatures have the forehead metallic scolden-oreen, chan<nn to a metallic 



^j O ' O <j 



orange-scarlet on the sides of the crown, with the centre of the latter metallic-blue ; 

 occiput velvety-black ; throat and breast glittering grass-green, with a spot of purplish- 

 blue in the centre. The rest of tiie plumage is chestnut red. It is almost impossible 

 to conceive a more exquisitely beautiful bird than are these species. They live at 

 high altitudes 7000 to 9000 feet, not very rare in certain localities, and visit chiefly a 

 certain kind of orange flowers or the purple blossoms of lochroma. Sometimes they 

 will take up a position upon some dry branch, and launch themselves forth at inter- 

 vals and catch insects upon the wing. The single species of Docimastes, D. ensif- 

 erus, is remarkable for the length of the bill, which exceeds that of the entire bird. 

 The necessity for this is at once understood when the lengthened tubular flowers of 

 the Brugmansice, are seen, from the bottom of which the species procures its food, and 

 which could never be reached by a short-billed bird. When flying it presents a 



