LOPHORNIS GOULDI. 



Gould's Coquette. 



Ornismya Gouldii, Less. Hist. Nat. des Trocli., p. 103, pi. 36. 



Trochilus Gouldii, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming Birds, vol. ii. p. 75. pi. 12. 



Lophornis Gouldii, Less., Jard. Gen. et Syn. des Ois. du Genre Trochilus, p. xli. 



Mellisuga Gouldi, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 113, MelUmga, sp. 87. 



Lophornis gouldi, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 83, Lophornis, sp. 5.— lb. Rev. et Mag. de Zool 



1854, p. 257. 

 Bellatrioc Gouldii, Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 12. 



If, in the course of my ornithological labours, I have seldom named new birds after individuals, it is not 

 that I think there are not many living naturalists worthy of such an honour, but because I consider the 

 practice an objectionable one; my opinion being that specific appellations should always express some 

 peculiarity pertaining to the species to which they are applied: entertaining then this view of the subject, 

 I must say, that, although fully sensible of the compliment paid me by M. Lesson, in naming the present 

 bird after myself, I should have been better pleased if some more appropriate appellation had been given to 

 such a beautiful species ; a species, moreover, which is so rare in the collections of Europe, that few of them 

 contain examples. The first specimen known, — that from which M. Lesson took his description,^ — forms part 

 of Mr. Leadbeater's collection ; another single example, gracing that of Mr. Loddiges, was brought to this 

 country by the celebrated traveller Burchell. Those in my own collection were obtained by the indefatigable 

 collector, Mr. Hauxwell, who shot four or five males and two females near the city of Para ; these, with 

 two or three more from the Upper Amazon, deposited in other collections, are nearly if not all that are 

 known. It is evidently a continental species, — that is, it is never found, like its near ally the L. ornatus, 

 in Trinidad or any other of the West Indian Islands. North Brazil and the banks of the Amazon, from the 

 embouchure of that mighty river to its upper ramifications in Peru, are, I believe, its true habitat ; and its 

 rarity with us is doubtless due to the infrequency with which those remote districts are visited by travellers 

 and collectors, for there seems to be no reason for supposing that in its own particular province it is less 

 numerous than its congeners. In size and structure it very closely assimilates to L. ornatus, but the neck- 

 plumes, which in that species are light chestnut-red, are always pure white, and have the terminal spangles 

 broader and rounder ; it is also more delicate in form, a feature observable in both sexes. Of its habits 

 and manners nothing is known. 



The male has the head and crest rich chestnut-red; upper surface and wing-coverts bronzy green ; wings 

 dark purplish brown ; across the lower part of the back a band of white ; rump chestnut-brown ; upper 

 tail-coverts bronzy green ; tail dark chestnut-red, the two central feathers bronzy green on their apical half, 

 and the lateral ones broadly edged with brownish black ; forehead and throat luminous g-reen : on each side 

 of the neck a series of graduated white plumes, with a large spangle of luminous green at the tip of each ; 

 under surface bronzy green ; bill fleshy red, becoming dark brown at the tip. 



The female has the head and upper surface golden green ; a narrow band of white across the lower part 

 of the back ; upper tail-coverts tipped with dark bronzy brown ; tail bronzy green at the base, crossed by 

 a broad dusky band, and tipped with buff; lores and throat rust-red ; under surface bronzy green. 



The figures are of the natural size, and represent the males engaged in one of the numerous aerial 

 combats which so frequently occur among the species of the present genus. 



