April i, 1 891] 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



25 



%\% pitmmmg $irï>. 



Notes on Rare Species of Humming Birds 

 and Descriptions of Several Supposed 

 New Species in Boucard's Museum. 



By A. Boucard. 

 Continued from page 17. 



Lampornis obscura, n.sp. 



Lampornis violicauda Var Boucard, P.Z.S., 1879, 



p. 178. 



Male. — Upper surface, purplish black, lighter on 

 the rump ; tail-coverts and central tail feathers, black ; 

 lateral tail feathers, metallic purple with tip and 

 external edge of each feather dark blue ; chin and 

 breast, black, with a line of lustrous purplish black 

 feathers commencing at the angle of the bill and pass- 

 ing, down the sides of the neck; abdomen, black in 

 centre, paler on sides, as in L. violicauda ; under tail- 

 coverts, purplish black ; bill and feet, black. 



Length, 4 inches, 2 lines ; bill, 9 lines ; wings, 2 

 inches, 6 ; tail, 1-5. 



Habitat, Brasilia. 



eulampis chlorol^emus, gould. 



sericotes chloroliemus reich, 1 853. 



eulampis chlorol^emus bonap, 1 854. 



Anthracothorax chlorol/emus, Reich, 1855. 



Lampornis chlorouemus, Cab & Hein, i860. 



Male. — Upper surface, dark green with a large 

 golden tinge on the rump ; upper tail-coverts, bright 

 green in the centre, with several bright blue feathers 

 on each side ; tail, bright purple blue, the two central 

 feathers of same colour with greenish reflections ; 

 throat, very dark metallic grass green ; breast, very 

 dark purple blue, extending over the belly ; abdomen, 

 black in the centre, greenish black on the sides ; 

 under tail-coverts, bright purple blue, as breast, with 

 green base ; wings, steel black ; feet and bill, black. 



Length, 4 f ; wing, 2 | ; tail, i| ; bill, £. 



Habitat, Trinidad. 



This species, which has been considered by many 

 authors as a synonym of L. holosericeus, is quite 

 distinct of that species, and easily distinguishable by 

 the colour of the throat, which is of a very distinct 

 green, and also by its blue breast in its entirety, and 

 not a patch as in C. holosericeus. I am of opinion 

 that it is a very good and valid species. 



I have several specimens of this very rare species. 



Lafresnaya cinereorufa, n.sp. 

 Sex (?). — Head, golden green ; back, grey, with 

 base of feathers black ; slight rufous reflection on 

 rump ; upper tail-coverts grey ; central tail feathers 

 pale rufous for three thirds of their length, then dark 

 grey with black tips ; wings, steel black ; under sur- 

 face rufous, with sides and abdomen greyish ; under 



tail-coverts rufous, with tips golden green ; feet, flesh 

 colour; bill, black. 



Length, 4^ ; wing, if; tail, if; bill, 1 inch. 



Habitat, Colombia. 



This species is quite distinct of Lafresnaya flavi- 

 cauda, to which it is somewhat allied. The unique 

 specimen from which the above description is taken 

 came in a large consignment of Bogota birds sent to 

 Paris in 1888. The colour of its plumage is quite 

 extraordinary. 



Petasophora corruscans, Gould, 1846. 



polytmus corruscans, gray. 



Colibri corruscans, Bp., 1850. 



Praxilla corruscans, Reich, 1855. 



Petasophora corruscans, Elliott, 1879. 



Male, — Upper surface, shining grass green ; line 

 under the eye and ear coverts, shining blue ; tail, 

 bronze green, with a sub-terminal blackish bar ; chin 

 and centre of breast, shining blue ; throat, metallic 

 pink, green at base ; abdomen and flanks, shining 

 grass green ; under tail-coverts, green, with edges and 

 base buff ; tail, shining green, with blue reflections, 

 and sub-tennhial bar steel blue ; wings, purplish 

 brown ; feet and bill, black. 



Length, 4% ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2 ; bill, \\. 



Habitat, Colombia. 



I have received two specimens of this rare bird in 

 a large collection sent from Bogota, and after a care- 

 ful examination, I have come to the conclusion, that 

 it is only our old friend, P. anais accidentally coloured. 

 I think this accidental colouring is due to a chemical 

 action produced by humidity and zinc. I am nearly 

 certain about it, because the two specimens which I 

 have were found in similar circumstances, and I 

 believe the same can be said of the other two speci- 

 mens known. They were packed with many others 

 at Bogota in tin cases, before quite dry, and the result 

 was that when they arrived to Paris one third of the 

 contents of the boxes were injured by dampness, so 

 much so, that some claims for damages were made to 

 the Maritime Company which brought them over 

 from Columbia to Paris, alleging that they had got 

 wet by sea water. I saw them at the time and 

 eventually I bought some of them. I was called by a 

 friend of mine, who asked my opinion, which I gave. 

 I said that the damage was produced by having 

 packed the skins in the cases before they were quite 

 dry, and that in consequence of being hermetically 

 shut up, the damp settled at bottom of cases and 

 destroyed entirely a good number of skins. Those 

 which were at top and centre of cases were very 

 slightly injured by moisture. On each side of the 

 cases some specimens were so firmly attached to the 

 zinc that in pulling them away they came to pieces. 

 Nearly all of these were altered in colours ; the 

 metallic green of Chlorostilbon and Panychlora was 

 darker and reddish, the metallic rubi colour of 

 Chrysolampis moschitus was darker too, and so forth 

 with others. 



At the time I thought little of these changes in 

 colours, and I did not take the trouble to keep these 

 specimens as I did not see any scientific interest in 



