PHAETHORNIS STRIIGULARIS, Gould. 



Stripe-throated Hermit. 



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PhaetJiornis striigularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. p. 



In a large collection of bird-skins sent to this country from Bogota in 1852, I discovered three specimens 

 of this new and well-marked species of Phaethorms ; these are all I have ever seen, and as I have not been 

 able to obtain any information respecting the bird from collectors, we may reasonably infer that some 

 new district had been visited by the Indians, who procure and skin birds for sale in Bogota, and that by this 

 means we have been made acquainted with a species, the history of which we have yet to learn. 



In size the Stripe-throated Hermit exceeds the P. griseigularis, and is at once distinguished from that and 

 all the other small species of the genus by its striated grey throat, and by the breadth of the tips of the 

 middle tail-feathers. 



I have but little doubt that of the three specimens from Bogota, two are males, as, although similar in 

 colour, they somewhat exceed the third in size ; the latter is probably a female. 



The beautiful plant figured with the birds was sent to me by Professor Jameson of Quito, who states 

 that it is "a species of Thibaudia, or some nearly allied genus, which grows wild on the Avestern declivity of 

 the Andes, at an elevation of between 5000 and 7000 feet. The flowers of this beautiful shrub attract 

 several species of the Trochilidce , particularly the Phaethorniy 



Upper surface dark bronzy brown, becoming darker brown on the head, and reddish brown on the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts ; wings purple-brown ; tail-feathers greenish bronze, the two central ones fading into 

 greyish white ; the next on each side fringed on the tip of the outer web with greyish white, the re- 

 mainder fringed at the extremity of the outer web with buff, and white at the tip ; above and behind the eye 

 a streak of buff; throat and chest grey, the former striated with obscure markings of brownish black down 

 the centre; ear-coverts black; abdomen reddish buff; under tail-coverts grey tinged with buff; upper 

 mandible and apical half of the lower mandible black ; basal half of the latter yellow. 



The figures are of the natural size. 



