PHAETHORNIS AMAURA. 



Amaura Hermit. 



Pygmornis Amaura^ Bourc. in Rev. Zool. 1856, p. 552. 



Ph(Bthornis atrimentaUs, Lawr. in Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. vi. p. 260. 



My collection contains several examples of this species, all of which were obtained from the upper part of 

 the Rio Negro. On submitting them to the inspection of M. Bourcier, that gentleman immediately recog- 

 nized them as being the same as his Pygmornis Amaura. More recently Mr. Lawrence of New York has 

 favoured me with the loan of the type specimen of his Pha'ethorms atrimentalis, the sight of which enables 

 me to state that it is precisely identical with my own specimens, consequently the name of atrhnentalis must 

 give place to that of Amaura, In its affinities, this species is more closely allied to the bird I have figured 

 under the name of P. Longuemareus than to any other; from this, however, it differs in its smaller size, and 

 in the black at the throat being streaked and clouded instead of forming a distinct spot. The two birds 

 are evidently representatives of each other in the respective districts they inhabit ; the older-known species 

 frequenting the east, while the newly-discovered one is equally confined to the west. 



Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wing and tail-coverts dark bronzy green, the tail-coverts mar- 

 gined with deep rufous ; wings purplish brown ; tail-feathers bronzy green, passing into brownish green 

 towards the end, and tipped with huffy white ; ear-coverts black, bounded above and below with a line of 

 huffy white ; chin clouded or streaked with black ; under surface rufous, washed with grey on the breast, 

 and becoming much paler on the under tail-coverts ; upper mandible and apical half of the lower mandible 

 black, the basal half of the latter being yellow ; irides black ; feet yellowish white. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Leucothoe pulchra. 



