408 



BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



Genus AVOCETTULA Reiclienb. 



Arocefiula Keichenbach, Av. S^'st. pi. 39, 1849. T^^pe A. recurvirostra 

 (Swains.). 



This genus is distinouished chiefly by the recurved bill and the 

 short and rounded tail. 



Avocettula recurvirostris. 

 Fig. 81. — To illustrate the recm-ved bill and the rounded tail. 



277. Avocettula recurvirostris. 



Swainson's Humming-bird. 



Trochihis recurvirostris S\vain.s. Zool. Illustr. ii. pi. 105, 1821 (Cayenne). 

 Avocettula recurvirostris Salvin. 11ns, 1885, p. 433 (Bartica Grove) ; 



id. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 101, 1892; Brabourne & Chubb, 



B. S. Amer. i. p. 123, no. 1193, 1912. 



Adult male. General colour above and below dark green with 

 a bronzy tinge on the top of the head and hind-neck and bright 

 glittering green on the throat and fore-neck ; tlie middle of the 

 abdomen is more or less black, the inner webs of the outer tail- 

 feathers rufous-brown on the upper surface and bright metallic 

 copper on the lower aspect. 



Total length 95 mm., culmen 18, wing 58, tail 2^. 



The male described is in the British Museum and was collected 

 in British Guiana — Balston collection. 



Adult female. Differs from the adult male in having a dusky 

 brown central line down the throat and middle of the breast, 

 bordered on each side with a broad white line ; outer tail- 

 leathers steel-blue tipped with white. AVing 54 mm. 



