62 Genera of Humming Birds. 



FAMILY IV. METALLURIDAE, 



OR Family of Thorn-bills. 



Body moderate or laj-ge. Bill straight and slender, 

 moderate or very small as in the genera, Oxypogon and Ram- 

 phomicron. Feathers projecting on the culmen, especially so 

 in Oxypogon and Ramphomicron. Throat brilliantly coloured 

 in the males, excepting in the genus Avoccttinus. In the 

 genera Chalcostigma, Eiipogonns, and Oxypogon the brilliant 

 feathers of the throat are more or less elongated, reaching 

 about the middle of the breast. In the two last genera the 

 forehead is also ornamented with long feathers forming a 

 crest. Rectrices of tail broad, slightly or greatly forked, as in 

 the genus Ramphomicron, and generally brilliantly coloured. 

 Sexes unlike. 



Type : Metnllura , Gould, P.Z.S., 1847, p. 94. 



Genus XXXI. Oreonympha, Gould, P.Z.S., 1869, p. 295. 

 Type : O. nobilis. Gould. 



Bill longer than the head, stout, and with a somewhat 

 downward curvature. Wings large and sickle-shaped. Tail 

 ample and forked. Tarsi clothed nearly to the toes, which 

 are of moderate size, the hinder toe and nail rather shorter 

 than the middle toe and nail " Gould, I.e." 



Habitat. — Peru. 



86. Oreonlympha nobills, Gould, P.Z.S., 1869, p. 295. 



Bearded Mountaineer, Gould, Mon. Troch, Suppl. 1886, 



p. 60. 



L'OrconympJie noble, Muls., Hist. Nat. Ois. Mou., 1876, 

 t. iii, p. 175. 



Habitat. — Peru. 



Male. — Forehead and centre of crown black, remaining 

 portion of top of head dark blue. Cheeks and sides of throat 

 black. Throat metallic green succeeded by a tuft of lengthened 

 metallic reddish-purple feathers. ITpper surface bronzy-brown. 

 Sides of neck and under surface gravish-wliite, mottled faintly 

 with brown on the abdomen and tlanks. Undertail-coyerts 

 bronzy-brown. Central rectrices bronze, lateral feathers white 

 at base, rest bronze ; the external one all white, excepting a 

 streak of bronze at the tip of the inner web. Bill and feet 

 black. 



Total length, 7in. Wings, 3^-. Tail, 3:\. Culmen, i. 



