METALLURA CUPREICAUDA, Gould. 



Coppery-Tail. 



Trochilm (— ?) cupricauda, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 87. 



Mellisuga cupreocauda, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 113, Mellisucja, sp. 43 



Metallura cupreicaudus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 75, Metallura, sp. 1. 



cupreicauda, Reich. Auf. der Col., p. 8. 



Aglaactis cupreicauda, Bonap. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 253. 



This large and extremely fine bird is distinguished from all the other members of its genus by its greater 

 size, the dark colouring of its breast, and the lustrous coppery hue of the under surface of its tail. Mr. 

 Bridges is almost the only person who has brought specimens of this bird to Europe. With one exception, 

 all the examples in my collection were procured by him. These were part of the acquisitions he secured 

 dunng an expedition into Bolivia, which, although not, perhaps, remunerative in a commercial point of 

 view, increased his reputation as the discoverer of the many new and interesting objects, both in zoology 

 and botany, he brought with him on his return to Europe. Mr. Bridges states that he found this fine bird 

 engaged in extracting its insect food from the flowers of a graceful species of the genus Loranthus. 



But few species of the Trochilidae are so scarce in our collections as the present bird ; and it would 

 doubtless well repay any naturalist who would devote a series of years to the exploration of the rich 

 country of Bolivia for the acquisition of fine examples of this and the many other interesting birds which 

 there abound. Mr. Bridges mentions that he found this species in the Valley of Palea, near Tacna. It is, 

 I believe, strictly a mountainous species, but is never found so high as the line of perpetual congelation. 



Not possessing any examples of the female of this species, I am unable to give a description of that sex. 



Throat lustrous bluish green ; behind the eye a small spot of greyish white; crown of the head, neck, 

 back, and all the upper surface dark lustrous purplish brown ; wings the same, but lighter ; under surface 

 of the tail rich fiery and very luminous copper colour ; its upper surface, in one light, rich purplish copper 

 colour, and in another greenish ; bill black. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Cntasetum naso, var. 



