THAUMASTURA ENICURA. 



Slender Shear-tail. 



Trochilus enicurus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., 2nde Edit,, torn, xxiii. p. 429. — lb. Ency, 

 M^th. Orn., part ii. p. 560.— Temm. PL CoL m, fig. 3.-^ard. Nat. Lib. Hum- 

 ming-Birds, vol. i. p. 145. pi. 27. 



Ornismya heteropygia, Less. Hist. Nat. des Ois. Mou., p. 72. pi. 15. 



Trochilus Swainsonii^ Less. Les Troeh., p. 167. pi. 66, female. 



Caloihorax enicurus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 85, Calotliorax, sp. 7. 



Although Lesson and other authors have stated Brazil to be the native country of this elegant species, it 

 is quite certain that Central America is its true and natural habitat, most of the specimens forwarded to 

 Europe having been sent from Guatemala. I have no evidence that it is found to the south of the Isthmus 

 of Panama, and that it does not extend beyond the eighteenth degree northwards is almost certain ; my own 

 opinion is that its range is confined to the warmer and temperate region of Guatemala and Yucatan, where 

 in all probability it is stationary or non-migratory, its diminutive wing being ill-adapted for the performance 

 of extensive journeys. 



The form of this species is as delicate and symmetrical as its colours are chaste and harmoniously 

 blended ; and this remark is equally applicable to both sexes, which, however, are so remarkably different 

 in colouring, that their belonging to the same species might justly be doubted, if we had not positive 

 evidence that such is the case. Don Constancia has kindly sent me a male and a stuffed female, sitting on 

 her tiny nest, and gives me his positive authority upon the foregoing point. 



In its deeply forked and singularly formed tail, this species differs from all its congeners. The Prince of 

 Canino considers the Trochilm Swainsonn of Lesson to be the female of this bird ; and in the absence of 

 any proof to the contrary, I coincide in the Prince's view. 



Upper surface deep shining green, tinged with brown on the head, and with a rich bronzy lustre on the 

 back and wing-coverts ; wings purplish brown ; tail purplish black, the inner webs of the two outer feathers 

 sometimes narrowly margined with brown ; chin black, glossed with green ; throat deep rich metallic purple, 

 below which is a very broad crescentic mark of buff; under surface bronzy green with a spot of buff on the 

 flanks ; across the lower part of the abdomen an irregular band of white ; centre of the abdomen dark 

 grey ; under tail-coverts greenish ; bill and feet blackish brown. 



The female has the whole of the head, upper surface, wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts, and four middle 

 tail-feathers bronzy green ; wings purple-brown ; on each side of the back a patch of white ; under surface 

 rufous fading into a paler tint on the chin ; two outer tail-feathers on each side rufous at the base, to 

 which succeeds a broad band of black, the tip being white ; the third feather on each side rufous at the 

 base, and largely tipped with black. 



The Plate represents two males and a female, on a branch of one of the fine Orchids of Guatemala. 



