PHAETHORNIS SUPERCILIOSUS. 



Cayenne Hermit. 



Trochilus superciliosns, Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 189. — lb. Gmel. Edit., torn. i. p. 485. — 



Sliaw, Gen. ZooL, vol. viii. p. 284. — Vieill. Ency. Metli. Orn., part ii. p. 549. 



pi. 129. fig. 2. — Dumont, Diet. Sei. Nat., torn. x. p. 46. — Drapiez, Diet. Class. 



d'Hist. Nat., torn. iv. p. 317.— Less. Hist. Nat. des Col., p. 35. pi. 6.— lb. Ind. 



Gen. et Syn. des Ois. du Gen. Trochilus, p. xiv. — lb. Traite d'Orn., p. 288. — 



Jard. Nat. Lib., Humming-birds, vol. ii. p. 119. pis. 26, 27. — Stepli. Cont. of 



Shave's Gen. ZooL, vol. xiv. p. 241. — Prince Max. Beit, zvir Naturg. von Bras., 



p. 116. 

 Polytmiis Caye7i7i€nsis longicaudus, Briss. Orn., tom. iii. p. 686. pi. xxxv. fig. 5. 

 Le Brin hlanc, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois., tom. vi. p. 46. — Vieill. Ois. Dor., pp. 37, 38, 39. 



pis. 17, 18, 19. 

 Colibri a longue queue de Cayenne, Buff. PL Enl. 600. fig. 3. 

 Phmtoimis superciliosus, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p, 104, Phcefornis, sp. 1. — Bonap. 



Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 249. 

 Fhaetornis superciliosus, Bonap. Consjo. Gen. Av., p. 67, Phaetornis, sp. 1. 

 Phaethornis super ciliosus, Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 14. 

 Supercilious Humming-hird, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 747. — Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. 



p. 234.— Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 293. 



Lesson has given a tolerably good figure of this speeies in the fourth plate of his " Histoire Naturelle des 

 Colibris," while the figure in the next plate, which he states to be the female, has reference not only to 

 another species, but to one pertaining to a distinct form, to which the generic appellation of Glands has been 

 given : it represents, in fact, either the young of G. hirsutns or G. Mazeppa, as is shown by the concentric 

 marks on the back, and the pointed white tips of the tail-feathers. It is surprising that Lesson should 

 have thus erred, for had he studied the members of the genus Phaethornis even but superficially, he must 

 have observed that no difference occurs in the colouring of the sexes, and that the young assume the livery 

 and the same form of tail as the adults from the earliest age. 



The Phaethornis superciliosus appears to have been known to Linnaeus and most of the older writers. It 

 is one of the commonest species of the genus, examples having been sent to Europe for at least the last 

 hundred years. Its native countries are Guiana, Cayenne, and Surinam; its range is known to extend 

 towards Brazil as far as the confluence of the Amazon, but, I believe, does not advance farther south than 

 Bahia, which Mr. Reeves informs me is one of the provinces in which it is found. It is believed that the 

 sexes dififer httle in colour, but that in size the female is a trifle smaller than her mate. 



The term superciliosus applied to this species is by no means an appropriate or distinctive appellation, all 

 the species of the genus being similarly marked; but a name once applied cannot be changed. 



Head, upper surface and wing-coverts bronzy brown, darkest on the head; lores and ear-coverts blackish 

 brown, bounded above and below by stripes of buff; wings dark purplish brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 barred with bronze and brown ; lateral tail-feathers bronzy green at the base, the apical portion blackish 

 brown, with an arrow-head-shaped mark of buff at the tip ; two centre tail-feathers bronzy green at the base, 

 blackish brown for the second third of their length, the prolonged or apical third white, gradually blending 

 witb the dark hue of the middle portion ; under surface dusky fawn-colour, clouded with dark brown 

 approaching to black on the throat; under tail-coverts buff; upper mandible black; the basal three-fourths 

 of the under mandible fleshy red, the tip black. 



The fio-ures are of the size of life. The plant is the Astrocaryum rostratimu 



