CALYPTE HELENA. 



Helena's Calypte. 



OrtJiorhyncJmis Helenm, Lembeye, Aves de Tlsle de Cuba, p. 70. pi. x. fig. 2 

 Boothi, Gundlach, MS. 



I HAVE always considered this diminutive but truly beautiful Humming Bird to be one of the gems of my 

 collection, which contains an example of each sex, both of which bear the appearance of being fully adult. 

 The species is a native of the Island of Cuba ; and, strange to say, while I can readily obtain examples of 

 many species from the remote forests of the interior of Bolivia and Peru, I have entirely failed in my 

 attempts to procure specimens of the present bird from an island comparatively near to us, and the natural 

 productions of which are so much better known. Besides the two examples possessed by myself, I believe 

 that another has been sent to Bremen by Dr. Gundlach, for I find among my papers a drawing of the male, 

 kindly sent to me a few years since by Dr. Hartlaub : in this drawing the tail-feathers are narrowly tipped 

 with black,— a character I do not find in my birds ; but as the latter are slightly imperfect, it is just possible 

 my illustration may not be quite correct in this point; at the same time I would remark, that the black 

 mark above mentioned may be nothing more than the deep shade which appears at the tip of the tail-feathers 

 when the bird is viewed in one position. 



For the first discovery of this little gem we are certainly indebted to Senor Don Juan Gundlach, Professor 

 of Philosophy at Cardenos in the island of Cuba, who in his MSS. assigned to it the specific name of Boothi, 

 which name he would wish to be retained, — ^the term Heknce, by which it is known to ornithologists from 

 the figure and description in Lembeye's "Aves de I'lsle de Cuba," having been previously given to another 

 member of the family; as, however, the two Helenas belong to two very distinct genera, I have considered 

 it best to follow all previous writers and keep the name assigned to it by Lembeye, that being the one first 

 published. 



All that we know of the habits and economy of this little vara avis mhmthshna of the Island of Cuba is 

 contained in the following passage, literally translated from the work of Lembeye above referred to : — 



"I have had the pleasure of seeing and killing this bird, in the company of Dr. Gundlach, who, on our 

 return from this agreeable expedition, related to me the observations he had made about it. The Zunzumtto, 

 he says, unites to its beauty a varied song — well-sustained, and rather powerful considering its diminutive 

 body — somewhat resembling that of the Cabrero {SpindaUs pretrii). It enjoys this faculty before it attains 

 the brilliant plumage of the adult. Its flight resembles that of the Colibri {Trochilus colubris), and as both 

 these species have a very short tail, they cannot execute such rapid evolutions as the T. RiccordL Sometimes 

 I have seen them fight, rising perpendicularly to a considerable height, and then returning to the point of 

 departure to commence their song anew. They may be distinguished when they fly by the complete silence 

 they keep — only the monotonous humming of their wings being heard; while the Riccordt^ under the same 

 circumstances, emits a shrill cry, and the coluhrts a sweet and weak voice resembling the syllables crlc eric.'' 



I cannot close this paper without recording, as I do with much pleasure, my obligations to Frederick 

 Taylor, Esq., of Liverpool, who, with the greatest liberality, presented to me the only two examples of this 

 species I have yet seen : I consider myself the more indebted to this gentleman, as although himself a 

 collector of the Trochilidae, he most readily parted with them to still further enrich a collection finer than 

 his own. 



The male has the head, ear-coverts, throat, and pendent plumes on the sides of the neck, of the richest 

 metallic crimson ; all the upper surface and wing-coverts greenish blue ; wdngs purplish brown ; under 

 surface white, with the exception of the flanks, which are greenish blue ; tail deep rich greenish blue, 

 becoming darker at the tip. 



The female has the head, upper part of the back and wing-coverts green ; lower part of the back bluish 

 green ; wings purplish brown ; central tail-feathers dark blue, the lateral feathers blue at the base, then deep 

 black and tipped with white ; under surface white, except the flanks which are washed with green. 



The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. The plant is the Ceanothus Lobhiarms, 



