Genera of Hutnniing Birds. 265 



Male. — -Forehead metallic fiery-red on the sides of crown. 

 Centre of crown brilliant metallic blue with purplish reflections. 

 Lower part of head and rest of upperside bronzy-green, 

 appearing nearly black, on head and upper part of back. 

 Uppertail andundertail-coverts,and tail chestnut-red, margined 

 with bronze at tips. Underside brilliant shining green with 

 the throat of the most brilliant gold, under which is a spot of 

 metallic lilac. Wings-coverts bronzy-green, secondaries 

 chestnut-red with the tips margined with purplish-brown, 

 primaries chestnut-red on outer shafts, inner ones purplish- 

 brown. Bill black. 



Total length, 5fin. Wing, 3I. Tail, 2f. Culmen, i|. 



Female ? — Head fiery-red with a blue streak in the middle. 

 Underside glittering golden-green washed with grayish-buff. 

 Rest like the male. 



Total length, 5|in. Wing, 3. Tail, 2\. Culmen, \\. 



All my specimens of this extremely rare and fine species 

 were collected in Uppei Amazon, by Buckley. 



I should not be surprised that D. iris and liesperiis, should 

 turn out to be the same species, all the adult male specimens 

 being those with the upper and underside green, and all the 

 others with chestnut on back and abdomen, female or young. 



Genus CIV. Helianthea, Gould, Int. Troch., 1861, p. 130. 



Type ; T. violifera, Gould. 



Bill long, straight, and cylindrical, much longer than the 

 head. Wings moderately long and powerful, reaching the 

 •end of tail. Tail long and slightly forked. Rectrices broad, 

 median long, and shortest, the two next, very slightly and 

 gradually longer, the last lateral, and the outermost one very 

 slightly longer, and of the same length. Tarsi short and 

 clothed. Feet very small, hind toe the shortest. Sexes 

 unlike. 



Habitat. — Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia. 



377. Helianthea violifera, Gould, P.Z.S., 1846, p. 87. 



Mellisuga violifera, Gray, Gen. Birds, vol. i., p. 112. 



Helianthea violifer, Bon. Consp., Gen. Av., 1850, p. 75. 



Calligenia violifera, Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois. Mou., 1876, t. ii., 

 P- 313-' 



