RECURVED-BILLED HUMMING-BIRD. 
125 
dorsal surface of the upper mandible is straight, and 
becomes at once curved. The upper part of the body, 
from the forehead to the tail-coverts, is of a bluish 
green, with metallic reflections ; the throat, forepart, 
and sides of the neck, extending to the upper part of 
the breast, are of a brilliant emerald green ; a grayish- 
brown line crosses the middle of the belly, reaching to 
the crissum, which is white. The flanks and under 
tail-coverts are golden green, and the plumes covering 
the thighs are whitish. The tail is composed of 
feathers of unequal length, the outer ones being gra- 
dually shorter than those in the middle. They are 
golden green in the centre, bluish at the sides, and 
above present a bronzed reddish tinge. The wings 
are blackish purple, and reach to the extremity of the 
tail. 
A comparison of the above description by Lesson, 
and of what follows from Swainson’s Illustrations, 
with that of the former plate, will point out the dis- 
tinctions between T. avocetta and T. recurvirostris. 
Mr Swainson observes as follows : — 
“ The extraordinary formation in the bill of this 
beautiful little creature, is without parallel in any 
land bird yet described, and presents in miniature 
a striking resemblance to that of the avoset. It is 
almost impossible to conjecture rightly the use of this 
singular formation j but it appears to me not impro- 
bable, that the principal sustenance of the bird may 
be drawn from the pendant bignonacese, and other 
similar plants, so common in South America, whose 
