CALLIPHLOX MITCHELLI. 



Mitchell's Amethyst. 



TrocMlus MitcJielli, Bourc. in Proc. of ZooL Soc, part xv. p. 47. — lb. Rev. ZooL 1847, p. 259 

 Mellisuga MitcJielli, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 113, Mellisuga, sp. 74. 

 CalotJiorax MitcJielli, Reichenb. Auf. der Col., p. 13. 

 Tryplmna mitcJielli, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de ZooL 1854, p. 257. 



When M. Bourcier was in England in 1847, he solicited the privilege of minutely examining the collection 

 of Humming-Birds formed by the late Mr. George Loddiges of Hackney; not only was this privilege 

 granted him, but he was also permitted to describe any of the novelties contained therein. In selecting the 

 specific appellations for these, M. Bourcier embraced the opportunity of dedicating the new species (ten 

 or twelve in number) to the more prominent living naturalists of our country ; several of those, whose 

 names have thus been handed down to posterity, associated with the beautiful gems of Nature I have 

 attempted to illustrate, have since paid the debt of nature, and departed from among us. Spence, Yarrell, 

 Doubleday, and Mitchell are all names familiar to every British naturalist ; the last especially so, for his 

 great zeal in the promotion of natural history, and by whose premature death both science and art have 

 lost one of their truest votaries. His personal friends cannot but cast a mournful look upon the many 

 evidences which remain of his intellectual tastes and acquirements. 



As far as is yet known, only two specimens of the Calliphlooo Mttchelli have been procured ; of these (both 

 of which are males), one is contained in the Loddigesian, the other in my own collection. The locality 

 given for Mr. Loddiges' specimen is Zimapan ; my own was collected in the neighbourhood of Popayan. 



This rare bird is allied in the character of its colouring to the CalUphlow Amethystina, and in that of its 

 tail to Calothoraw FannicB. 



Head, all the upper surface, wing- and tail-coverts, flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts dark oil-green ; 

 throat, sides of the neck, and breast deep violet, below which is a broad crescentic mark of dull grey ; tail 

 dark purplish brown ; on the sides of the flanks, near the back, an oblong patch of buff*; bill black ; feet 

 dark brown. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Lmanthus acutangulus. 



