辉尾蜂鸟属
Metallura smaragdinicollis
Metallura smaragdinicollis
Violet-Tail
- 中文名
- 辉尾蜂鸟属
- 学名
- Metallura smaragdinicollis
- 合集
- 古尔德蜂鸟图谱
- 绘者
- John Gould（约翰·古尔德）
- 年代
- 1852
- 图版号
- Pl. 196, Vol. III
- 原书页码
- p.196
- 授权
- CC0 1.0 Universal (Public domain)
十观
- 纵幅 1.36∶1
第一眼
搜尽奇峰打草稿。
—— 清·石涛《苦瓜和尚画语录》
走遍山川，才有资格落笔。博物画的画家也一样：先在温室与山野里看够了活的花，纸上那一朵才不虚。这一幅是竖的：眼睛从下往上走，落点在中段那只鸟身上。先别急着看羽毛，让姿态先立起来。第二步凑近一寸：看线与色的交界，色有没有压住线，线有没有断。第三步，把视线放到最深的那一小块：整幅的用色秩序，都是从那里排开的。
名与实
学名 Metallura smaragdinicollis：前一词是属，管它归在哪一类；后一词是种加词，管它在这一类里凭什么与众不同。名字是通行证，也是懒办法——记住两个词，就抓住了一整个物种。中文名“辉尾蜂鸟属”是后人据学名回译的通行叫法，与古书里的旧名未必对得上——名与物之间，总隔着一层翻译。
形与色
翼小而振频极高，能悬停、能倒飞；羽色非颜料所致，是羽枝结构折射的光，随角度而变。此幅未作色相归档，只能就形制论。看羽：先看覆羽的层次，再看飞羽的排列，最后才看颜色——颜色是最后才被注意到的部分。
构图与呼吸
画幅高而窄，鸟栖在枝的中段，上下留白多——十九世纪鸟谱的标准版式，留给它飞走的余地。全幅只画一只，不作解剖附图——这类图更近于“观赏”，而非“鉴定”。试着用拇指遮住空白处——画面立刻变闷；放开，它才重新“喘上气”。留白，是给主体让出的气口。
一刀一色
十九世纪后半叶，石版与彩色石印渐成主流：颜色可以直接印出，不再依赖手工，线条反倒退居其次。图像的“准确”提高了，手性却淡了。还有一种证据在纸背：铜版压进纸里的那道痕、上色处微微凸起的颜料、再版时磨浅的线。扫描件里也能看出七分。想动笔临它的人记住一句：先铺大块的形与色，干后再收细部；石印的柔和层次来自薄涂与网点，水彩分两三遍淡铺即可逼近。
诗境
夫列子御风而行，泠然善也，旬有五日而后反。
—— 《庄子·逍遥游》
蜂鸟悬停于空，不落不飞，最近于“御风”。庄子说的是一种自由的姿态，蜂鸟把它做成了生理事实。把这一句放回画面：画面就是诗句的落点——诗先写气，画后写形，两者在此处接上了。
花语
阿兹特克以蜂鸟为战神与太阳的化身；欧洲维多利亚时代则以蜂鸟为收藏与装饰的极致，百万只羽毛被做成胸饰。中国旧籍无此鸟，故无象征——这空白本身，就是一部博物学交流史。象征会随世道改口：同一只鸟，在一个世纪里可以说完全相反的话。
时与地
热带美洲几乎全年可见，花期即其季节。仅产美洲，自阿拉斯加南部至火地岛，以安第斯山最为繁盛。中土无蜂鸟，汉籍不载，晚清海外游记始见其名。图上所记的 1852 年是刊行之年，不是采到那只鸟的年份；真正的观察记录通常比出版早一两年。图上的产地常是“据说来自”，图上的花期常是“盛开那十日”——两处都要打个折扣读。
书与人
《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》只署了约翰·古尔德一个人的名字。版画是集体工程：绘图、刻版、上色各有其人，真正决定这幅图好不好看的，常是没留下名字的刻工与上色师。
带走一双眼睛
如果只能记一句，就记郭熙那八个字：远望取其势，近看取其质。看图、看花、看人，都一样。二百年后，这只鸟的后代或许仍在某处活着；而纸上这一只，永远停在 1852 年的那个季节。
关于本图版
这幅图版出自《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》（Gould's Hummingbirds），由约翰·古尔德绘制，1849—1887 年间出版。图中描绘的是辉尾蜂鸟，学名 Metallura smaragdinicollis，归入蜂鸟科（Trochilidae）。
全编共收录 421 幅图版，本图是其中一幅，原书将其列为 Pl. 196, Vol. III，见第 196 页，版式为纵幅。图像由公有领域原件扫描修复而来，细节在放大视图中仍清晰可辨。
原书文字（英文 / 法文）
Peru and Bolivia
At a first glance this species has a close resemblance to the M. tyrianthina; but on a further examination it is found to be more beautiful, and it certainly is very much more rare in the collections of Europe; the two species are in fact representatives of each other on either side of the equator, the present bird being found solely in Peru and Bolivia, while the M. tyrianthina is as exclusively an inhabitant of the high ranges north of the line.
The beautiful violaceous tail of the present spécies will at all times distinguish it from its northern representative, this feature occurs in both sexes; in other respects their colouring is very similar. The discovery of this fine bird is due to the researches of M. D’Orbigny, who has published the following short note respecting its habitat, habits, &c.:—
This species inhabits the woody and rather warm mountains of the eastern dip of the Cordilleras, from the 17th to the 18th degree of south latitude, principally in the environs of the hamlet of Cajapi, near Yanacaché, in the province of the Yungas, and in Palea, in the province d’Ayupaya in Bolivia. At no part is it common. Like most of the species inhabiting these regions, it lives more on the larve and the nymphalides of the small species of Hemiptera, than on the pollen of flowers.
The Metallura smaragdinicollis is one of the species procured by Mr. Bridges during his sojourn in Bolivia; it was also obtained by M. Warszewicz in Peru; from both these gentlemen I received examples.
The male has the head, all the upper surface and wing-coverts dark green; behind the eye a small spot of greyish white; down the centre of the throat an oblong mark of luminous green; wings purplish brown; tail reddish violet with green reflexions above, and reddish violet beneath; under surface of the body bronzy green; bill black.
The female is golden or bronzy green above, and buff, glossed with green, beneath; wings purplish brown; tail violet-purple, the lateral feathers tipped, and the centre ones slightly fringed at the end with greyish white; a small spot of greyish white behind the eye, and no trace of the gorget.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Dictyanthus Pavoni.
References
- Orthorhynchus smaragdinicollis, D’Orb. et Lafr. Syn., p. 31. No. 23.—D’Orb. Voy. dans l’Amér. Mérid., tom. iv. p. 375. atlas, Ois., pl. 59. fig. 2.
- Mellisuga smaragdinicollis, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 112, Mellisuga, sp. 42.
- Metallura smaragdinicollis, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 75, Metallura, sp. 3.—Reich. Auf. der Col., p. 8.—Bonap. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 253.
