254 Geyiera of Humming Birds. 



passing to bluish-black at tips. Tail bluish-black. Centre of 

 throat and undertail-coverts shining blue, lighter than in the 

 male. Rest of underside shining golden-green, showing 

 rufous base of feathers on throat and breast, and gray on 

 abdomen. 



Total length, 4in. Wing, 2. Tail, i|-. Culmen, g-. 



This beautiful species is very abundant in Columbia, and 

 Ecuador, much rarer in Venezuela. 



I have one male specimen from Columbia with the throat 

 brilliant metallic pale blue, and under it, a wide band of dark 

 rufous ; the breast brilliant dark green, rest of plumage as the 

 other specimens. I think that it is only an accidental variety 

 of colouration. 



I have not been able to see any difference between E. vestita, 

 and E. smaragdinipectus. My adult male specimens, collected 

 by Buckley, in Ecuador, are precisely like those from Colombia, 

 and Venezuela, others not so adult, are brilliant green, up to 

 the blue spot of throat. 



■'^360. Eriocnemis aurea, Meyer, Auk., 1890, vol. vii., p. 315. 



Golden Puff-leg. 



r Eriocncniis doré. 



Habitat. — Colombia. 



Differs from E. cupreiventris by the golden-bronze colour 

 all over, and in part of a most lively tint, even on the shorter 

 tail and wing coverts. The throat and upper breast are of a 

 lighter green than in E. cupreiventris^ and in certain lights 

 washed with bronze too, and each feather has a concealed 

 white cross band as in E dybowski. Further, the long upper 

 tail coverts are not greenish blue, but green, and the under- 

 tail-coverts are not violet, but cobalt-blue, only in certain 

 lights, they are hyacinth-blue, some margined with green. 

 The colour of the wings as well as that of the tail is not as lively 

 as in E. cupreiventris, and finally the white plumes on the 

 thighs are much shorter, and not so abundant. It cannot be 

 taken for a young cupreiventris , being much more brightly 

 coloured on the whole body than the adult of this species. 

 " Meyer loc- cit." 



