Eutoxeres Condaminei

Eastern Ecuador

For the discovery of a second species of Sickle-Bill, the merit is due to M. Bourcier, who procured a single specimen during his late journey in the Republic of Ecuador; and who has, in the kindest manner, sent this unique specimen from Paris to London, to enable me to give a figure of it in the present work: the notes accompanying it inform me that it inhabits the woods in the environs of Archidona; that its flight is not very rapid; that it obtains its food from the flowers of the Orchidacæ; that, according to the Indians, it is a very rare bird; and that the altitude of its habitat is about 10,000 feet. M. Bourcier has named it after M. de la Condamine, one of the three Academicians sent on a scientific expedition to Ecuador by the French Government in 1742.

Crown of the head dark brown; wing-coverts and back deep bronze; above and below the eye a streak of buff; at the back of the neck, a crescent of dark glossy green; wings purplish brown; upper tail-coverts bronzy green edged with deep buff; two centre tail-feathers dark bronzy green, slightly tipped with white; the next tail-feather on each side brownish black, tipped with white; the three outer feathers on each side deep buff, shading into white at the tip; cheeks and under surface striated with buff and brownish black, the buff predominating on the centre of the abdomen; upper mandible blackish brown; basal half of the under mandible yellow, apical half blackish brown; feet yellow, with dark brown scutellæ.

The figures are of the size of life.

References

• Trochilus Condamini, Bourc. Compt. Rend. de l’Acad. des Sci. de Paris, tom. xxxu. p. 186.—Ib. Rev. Zool. 1851, p. 96.