ERYTHRONOTA SOPHIA. 



Sophia's Erythronote. 



Trochilus Sop/da, Bourc. Ann. Soc. Sci. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, 1846, p. 318.— lb. Rev. Zool 



1846, pp. 316, 317. 

 Polytmus Sophia, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 109, Polytmus, sp. 76. 

 Amazilius sophiae, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 78, Amazilius, sp. 12. 

 Saucerottia Sophiae, Reich. Auf. der Col., p. 8. 



sophice, Sclat. in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xxiii. p. 141. 



sophia, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 255. 



Chlorestes Sophiae, Reich. Troch. Ennm., p. 4. t. dcxcvii. figs. 4554, 4555 ? 



Trochilus ( ?) caligatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. 1848, p. 14. 



Hemithylaca Sophiae, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil iii. p. 38, note. 

 Hoffmanni, Cab. ib. p. 38. 



Before taking up my pen to give an account and description of the bird figured on the opposite Plate* 

 I have carefully examined, side by side, the type-specimen from which M. Bourcier took his description of 

 Trochilus Sophia?, the type-specimen of the bird I described as Trochilus caligatus, and, through the kindness 

 of the Director of the Royal Museum of Berlin, a veritable example of M. Cabanis' Hemithylaca Hofmanni • 

 and I find that the three birds are so precisely alike, that I am unable to detect any difference either in 

 size, markings, or colour : the date of publication must therefore determine which of the three names is to 

 be retained as a specific designation for the present species ; and as that of M. Bourcier was proposed in 

 1846, my own in 1848, and M. Cabanis' in I860, the former must be the one adopted, and the others placed 

 in the rank of synonyms. 



The Erythronota Sophies appears to be very common in Costa Rica, for I possess many specimens 

 from that country, all of which were collected in the neighbourhood of San Jose, a locality which is also 

 inscribed on the label attached to the specimen belonging to the Berlin Museum ; independently of Costa 

 Rica, the bird is also found at Panama, and in the country to the southward and eastward of that locality. 

 By some naturalists the Saucerottia typica has been considered to be identical with this bird ; but on an inspec- 

 tion of the type-specimen, which is also before me, I am inclined to think it distinct ; at the same time I 

 must admit that it is very nearly allied ; it appears to be a larger bird, to have the green of the under surface 

 less brilliant, the centre of the under tail-coverts dull olive instead of blue, and the tail-feathers inclined to 

 greenish ; the lower part of the back, too, differs in presenting no trace of the purple hue which pervades 

 the corresponding part in most of the specimens of the E. Sophice. The Saucerottia typica was brought 

 from New Granada by De Lattre, and I do not find any examples in collections from Costa Rica. 

 M, Bourcier has named this species in honour of Madame Sophie Gairal. 



Head, all the upper surface and wing-coverts dark green, inclining to purplish red on the lower part of the 

 back ; wings dull blue ; upper tail-coverts and tail very deep shining steel-blue ; under surface of the body 

 shining grass-green ; thighs thickly clothed with white feathers ; under tail-coverts blue, narrowly fringed 

 with greyish white ; on each side the flanks a tuft of white ; bill black. 



The purple hue of the lower part of the back immediately above the upper tail-coverts appears to vary 

 considerably, being much deeper in some specimens than in others. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Trichopilia coccinea. 



