AVOCETTINUS EURYPTERUS. 



Purple-tailed Avocet. 



Trochihis eurypterus, Lodd. in Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc, part ii. p. 7. 



Polytmus euryptera, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 109, Polytmus, sp. 88. 



Trochihis Georginoi, Bourc. in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 48. 



Polytmus Georginoi, Gray and Mitcli. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 109, Polytmus, sp. 89. 



Belattria georgina, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 253. 



Avocettinus eurypterus, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 256. 



Avocettula euryptera, Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 6.— lb. Troch. enumer., p.l. pi. dclxxix 



figs. 4485, 4486. 

 Georginae, Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 6.— lb. Troch. enumer., p. 3. 



It has for a long time been a question with me, whether the Trochilus Georgina of M. Bourcier, and the 

 T. eurypterus of Loddiges, were not really one and the same species. To clear up this doubt, I obtained 

 the loan of M. Bourcier's typical specimen in order to compare it with that of Mr. Loddiges, and I find that 

 they do not differ suificiently to warrant their being considered as distinct. Loddiges' bird is a trifle larger 

 than M. Bourcier's, has the spots on the breast a little stronger, and the middle tail-feathers somewhat 

 broader, and that is all ; I am consequently obliged to sink the name of Georgince into the rank of a 

 synonym. Loddiges' specimen, which was from Popayan, formed part of a small collection I received 

 direct from that country in 1831, and which, together with other novelties, I had the pleasure of presenting 

 to my late friend, from whose pen a description of it will be found in the " Proceedings of the Committee 

 of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London" for 1832. The collection being 

 unaccompanied by notes of any kind, no account could then be given of the species ; nor in the interval of 

 twenty-five years, Avhich has since elapsed, have we been able to obtain any positive information respecting 

 its habits and economy, and but little as to its natural habitat. The bird still continues extremely rare. All 

 the specimens known so closely resemble each other in size and colour, that no marked difference can be 

 perceived. Their style of plumage favours the idea of their being immature, but I believe the contrary to be 

 the case, and that the species is one of those in which but little difference occurs in the outward appearance 

 of the sexes, and in which the young are clothed in a plumage similar to that of the adults from a very 

 early period of their existence. 



I consider that Prince Charles Bonaparte had good grounds for separating this bird generically from the 

 more common Awcettula recurvirostris, there being in my opinion but little affinity between them. 



As I have already said, we are totally unacquainted with the habits and economy of this species ; and 

 respecting the bird itself, we only know that the first specimen was received from Popayan, and that the 

 others have been found from time to time in collections sent from Santa Fe de Bogota. In all probability 

 the bird is a native of the high lands of the Andes, and obtains its insect food from the flowers of the smaller 

 alpine plants, the extreme shortness and feebleness of its bill, when compared with the size of the body, 

 leading to such an inference. 



Head deep bronze, passing into the golden green of the back and wing-coverts ; lower part of the back 

 and upper tail-coverts brighter green ; wings purplish brown ; two centre tail-feathers bronzy green ; the 

 remainder purplish black glossed with bronze, and the lateral feathers tipped with grey; centre of the throat 

 and abdomen grey, with a spot of greenish brown at the tip of each feather ; sides of the neck and flanks 

 golden green ; vent and under tail-coverts rusty red ; bill blackish brown, except at the base of the under 

 mandible, which appears to be flesh-colour ; feet, which are very large, purplish flesh-colour. 



The figures are the size of life. The plant is the Ipotncea Platensis. 



