THALURANIA REFULGENS, Gotdd. 



Refulg'ent Wood-Nymph. 



Thalurania refulgens^ Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xx. p. 9. — Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de 



Zool. 1854, p. 254.— Reich. Auf. der CoL, p. 7. 

 Coeligena refulgenSy Reich. Troch. Enum., p. 3. 



The bird figured in the accompanying Plate, to which I have given the name of Thalurania refulgens^ is distin- 

 guished from most of the other members of the genus by its large size, its extreme beauty and strongly 

 contrasted markings. In its general style of colouring, as well as in the form and disposition of its gular 

 patch, it is perhaps more nearly allied to the T.furcata than to any other species ; but independently of its 

 larger size, it is distinguished from that bird by the jet-black colour of its forehead, crown and nape, and 

 its deep steel-black under tail-coverts. It so far exceeds in all its admeasurements the thousands of 

 specimens of 7T furcata I have seen and examined, that there is no doubt in my mind of its being speci- 

 fically distinct ; while the form of its green throat-mark, which is square or truncate below, separates it at 

 once from the bird I have called nigrofasciata ; besides which it is of larger size even than that species. 



My collection contains two examples of this fine bird, one of which was presented to me byT. F. Erskine, 

 Esq., a gentleman enthusiastically attached to the Trochilidae, and whose knowledge of the species of this 

 family is perhaps scarcely surpassed by any devotee of this lovely group of birds. 



Up to the present time no example of the female has, so far as I am aware, been collected ; neither is it in 

 my power to direct the attention of collectors to the native locahties of the species, whereby this desideratum 

 might be supplied; in all probability the interior of Demerara and the neighbouring country of the Caraccas 



is its true habitat'. 



It will be seen that I have united with this bird one of the most delicate and beautiful flowering plants 

 which America has yet given us ; the drawing was made by Mr. Richter from a freshly expanded blossom 

 which flowered in the stove at Berry Hill, near Taplow in Buckinghamshire ; and it gives me great pleasure 

 to offer thus publicly my thanks to Mr. Noble, for his kindness in directing this beautiful specimen of the 

 Dipladenia splendens to be placed at my disposal for the purpose of figuring; thereby adding another to the 

 many acts of liberality proflTered by this gentleman for the furtherance of art and science. 



Crown of the head velvety black ; throat rich metallic green ; breast and shoulders beautiful purplish blue ; 

 wings purplish brown ; tail black; under tail-coverts steel-black. 

 Total length, 5 inches ; bill, 1 ; wing, 2i ; tail, 2i. 

 The figures are of the natural size. 



