PINAROL^MA BUCKLEYI, Gould. 



Buckley^s Mountain Humming'-bird. 



P'marolama Buckleyi, Gould, Ann. & Mag. of Nat. Hist. ser. 5, vol. v. p. 489 (June 1880) 



A SINGLE specimen only of this species has as yet been obtained. This Is in such ragged plumage that its 

 markings can only be determined with difficulty. The specimen was moulting when it was shot ; and 

 much of the colour has faded from the old feathers. The tail and the throat, however, are pretty perfect ; 

 and these parts, together with a few new feathers, are tinted so as to indicate sufficiently clearly 

 the colour of the plumage of the perfect bird. Any Trochilidist would be instantly convinced of the 

 fact that this specimen belongs to a new species of Humming-bird in a bad state of plumage ; and it 

 rests with future travellers to discover others in perfect plumage where this individual was procured. 

 Some Trochilidists believe the specimen to be a female, others a male ; my own opinion is that it is the 

 latter; but the bird is in moult, and probably very much altered. Mr. Buckley, whose name it bears, was 

 the discoverer of this bird; he killed it at Misqui, in Bolivia, the height of the spot where it was found 

 being 10,000 feet above the sea. 



When the male of this bird is clean-mantled, I think, judging by the tail and throat and the spots of purple 

 alternating with the old brown feathers in places throughout the upper surface, it will prove to be a finer 

 bird than it now appears. 



I regret I have no information to give respecting its actions, habits, and mode of feeding ; but, from its 

 long wings and little feet, I judge that the present bird is a good flyer, and perhaps depends for its food 

 upon insects caught in the air rather than taken from flowers in the usual way. 



I regret I have nothing more to add to the little already published, which runs as follows :—" The general 

 appearance of this bird reminds me oi Lampornis; but it has an extremely long wing. In the latter respect 

 it resembles Oreotrochilus ; but it differs from that genus in its strongly curved and lengthened bill and in 

 its very broad tail-feathers, while its extremely small feet seem peculiar to the genus." So much refers to 

 form ; in what follows, colour and admeasurements are attended to. 



" Brown, with a purplish gloss on the back ; the upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers brown, glossed with 

 purple, and having a subterminal band of steel-blue ; under surface of body brown, slightly washed with 

 metallic green ; the throat lighter brown, the feathers edged with paler brown, giving a scaly appearance ; 

 vent and under tail coverts white, the latter washed with brown. 



"Total length 4-6 inches, culmen 1-05, wing 2-95, tail 1-85, tarsus 0-15. 



"Habitat. Misqui, Bolivia, 10,000 feet." 



