THALURANIA VENUSTA, Gould. 



Verag-uan Wood-Nymph. 



Trochilm [Thalurania) venusta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. p. 163. 



( )puella, Gould MSS. 1853. 



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



1854, p. 254. — ^Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 7. 

 puella, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 254. — Reiehenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 7. 



The discovery of this new species by the celebrated traveller Warszewicz near the volcano of Chiriqui 

 in Veragua is of twofold interest ; first, as adding an additional species to the well-defined genus Thalu- 

 rania, and, secondly, as afifording still further evidence that most of the forms at one time considered to 

 be peculiar to the continent of South America proper, have their representatives in the countries lying to 

 the northward at the Isthmus of Panama, generally known as Central America. Besides the specimens 

 procured by M. Warszewicz, I have received others from the same district through M. Verreaux ; these 

 latter, although sufficiently perfect for the purpose of figuring, were not in very good condition. M. Wars- 

 zewicz describes the living bird to be an object of the greatest beauty, and one can readily believe the 

 truth of his assertion, as, unlike every other member of the genus, not only is the crown, but the greater 

 part of the back of the neck, the entire mantle and the shoulders are clothed in a rich livery of purplish 

 blue ; in size it is about the same as T. furcata, but its rich bluish-black tail is still more deeply forked. 

 No one member of the genus is more scarce in our collections than the T mnusta\ it is to be hoped there- 

 fore that explorers will at no distant date procure us a further supply of this lovely species. 



By some accident the name oi pueJla, which I originally intended to apply to this species, but for which I 

 substituted that of venusta, has found its way into Dr. Reichenbach's and other lists of the Trochilidae, which 

 I regret, as it tends to produce confusion ; I therefore take this opportunity of saying that the two names 

 are synonymous, and that the one here retained — venusta — is the one to be adopted. 



The entire crown, back of the neck and upper part of the back, shoulders, abdomen and under tail- 

 coverts beautiful shining ultramarine blue ; throat and fore part of the neck rich metallic green ; wings 

 purplish black ; tail blackish blue ; bill black. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Odontogiossum hastilabrum. 



