APHANTOCHROA GULARIS, Qouid. 



Puce-thioated Humming'-Bird. 



AphantocJiroal gularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xxviii. p. 310. 



If this bird had not a small patch of luminous colour on the throat, white under tail-coverts, and a some- 

 what more lengthened bill, it would so closely resemble the Aphantochroa cirrhochloris that one might almost 

 be induced to believe it to be identical with that species. There can be no doubt, however, that the two 

 birds are specifically distinct; indeed, I have for a long time entertained a belief that the bird here repre- 

 sented should not only be generically separated from that species, but from every other known Humming- 

 Bird. The single individual which graces my own collection is the only one that has ever come under my 

 notice ; it was procured in the neighbourhood of the river Napo ; and when the vast forests bordering that 

 river have been more minutely explored, other specimens will doubtless be discovered, and we shall then 

 be in possession of materials which will enable us to come to a more just conclusion respecting it than we 

 can with that we at present possess. 



The luminous mark on the throat reminds us of a similar feature in Phaiolahna rubinoides and P. AEqua- 

 torialis\ but the tails of those species are very diflferent from that of the subject of the present memoir, both 

 in size and colouring. 



Crown shining grass-green ; back of the neck, shoulders, back, upper tail-coverts, and two centre tail- 

 feathers deep grass-green ; under surface of the body grass-green, with the exception of a glittering patch 

 of lilac on the throat and centre of the abdomen, and the thighs and under tall-coverts, which are white ; 

 primaries purplish brown ; four outer tail-feathers on each side purplish green ; bill slightly curved and 

 black, with the exception of the base of the under mandible, which appears to have been flesh-colour. 



The accompanying Plate gives a very correct representation of this rare species, of the size of life. The 

 plant {Leucotho'e pulchrd) is from the same country; but I am not sure that the bird and the plant are ever 

 in such close juxtaposition as I have represented them. 



