r safes ictemeihineete orto iors een paint wi othe Pee ee 28 bis ie ; vt actil lekadbah ect as cisulpadyeaniaalacet ant inde sh sa 5 . Rote Tah if EOE si mer penevpann eahee a , hi) Bate reife scene Pr gab {pee wget PRES Bina Be WR ghd Nptath Sols sate. at asienumde Seinugthert - ha Someepetine Ls fas Ss rigs ‘Fa ge pe Mamtii ee ROT ats HUMMING-BIRDS. f wens oe / tA é oats AN ee & & Geme INTRODUCTION TO THE TROCHILIDA, OR FAMILY OF HUMMING-BIRDS. BY JOHN GOULD, F.R.S., &c. &c. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. 1861. [The Author reserves to himself the right of Translation. | Cambridge U On perme ep the Botany eT De ee at ee Fey ee ee ee ee le atti stone TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE CROWN PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA, PRINCESS ROYAL OF ENGLAND, THIS WORK, THE TROCHILIDA, OR FAMILY OF HUMMING-BIRDS, IS, WITH PERMISSION, DEDICATED BY HER ROYAL HIGHNESS’S MOST OBEDIENT AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, JOHN GOULD. NOTICE. As the Introduction to my “ Monograph of the Trochilidz ” involved much intricate and laborious investigation, parti- cularly with regard to the synonymy of the various species, I have been induced to have it set up in octavo for the faci- lity of correction. From this draft, as it were, it has been reprinted in large type for the folio work. Believing that in its present form it might be interesting and useful to many of my scientific friends and others, I have had a limited number of copies printed for distribution among them. It must not, however, be regarded as a complete history of the family, but merely as an introduction to, and a revision of, the genera: the history of the species must be sought for in the folio work. At the same time it contains a considerable amount of information which has been acquired since the com- mencement of the publication, together with many additions to the synonymy; these are indicated by prefixed asterisks, the synonyms not so distinguished being merely an abbre- viated reprint of those which have already appeared in the folio edition. As it is not to be expected that persons un- connected with science should be conversant with the abbre- viations of the names of the authors and the titles of the a ‘ NOTICE. works referred to, a fully detailed list of these has been added for their information. In an early page I have stated that the family consisted of nearly 400 species; but it will be found that 416 are enume- rated, 360 of which are figured. About 400 species are con- tained in my own collection, and these will be at all times accessible to men of science for the purposes of examination and comparison. London, 26 Charlotte Street, Bedford Square, W.C., Sept. 1, 1861. PREFACE. Tuar early impressions of the mind are vividly retained, while events of the day flit from our memory, must have been experienced by every one. How vivid, then, is my recollection of the first Hum- ming-Bird which met my admiring gaze! with what delight did 1 examine its tiny body and feast my eyes on its glittering plumage! This early impression, I well remember, gradually increased into an earnest desire to attain a more intimate acquaintance with the lovely group of birds to which it pertained, and was still further strengthened when an opportunity was afforded me of inspecting the, at that time, unique collection of the Trochilide formed by the late Mr. George Loddiges, of Hackney. This gentleman and myself were imbued with a kindred spirit in the love we both entertained for this family of living gems. To describe the feeling which animated us with regard to them is impossible; it can, in fact, only be realized by those who have made Natural History a study, and who pursue the investi- gation of its charming mysteries with ardour and delight. That our enthusiasm and excitement with regard to most things become lessened, if not deadened, by time, particularly when we have ac- quired what we vainly consider a complete knowledge of the subject, is, I fear, too often the case with most of us; not so, however, I believe with those who take up the study of the Family of Humming- Birds. Certainly I can affirm that such is not the case with my- self; for the pleasure which I experience on seeing a Humming-Bird is as great at the present moment as when I first saw one. During the first twenty years of my acquaintance with these wonderful works of creation, my thoughts were often directed to them in the day, and my night dreams have not unfrequently carried me to their native forests in the distant country of America. In passing through this world I have ened that when in- quirers of a strong will really set themselves to attain a definite object, they generally accomplish it ; and in my own case the time at length arrived when I was permitted to revel in the delightof seeing the Hum- ming-Birds in a state of nature, and to observe their habits in the ponds onl among the great flowering trees of the United States of America and in Canada. For some time a single Humming-Bird was my constant companion during days of toil by road and rail, and I ultimately succeeded in bringing a living pair within the confines of B il the British Islands, and a single individual to London, where it lived for two days, when, from the want of proper food or the change of climate, it died. Although so enthusiastically attached to the subject, I should not have formed a collection of the Trochilide, or attempted an account of their history, had not my late friend Mr. George Loddiges (whose many excellences are too universally known to need any comment from me) been prematurely removed from among us. Prior to his lamented death, whatever species I procured from my various cor- respondents were freely placed at his disposal; and his collection was then unrivalled, and the pride of the owner as well as of his country, so far as a private collection could be considered of national importance. It was not until after Mr. Loddiges’ decease that I determined upon forming the collection I myself possess, which now far surpasses every other, both in the number of species and exam- ples. Ten years ago this collection was exhibited for a short time in the Gardens of the Zoological Society in the Regent’s Park, and, I believe, afforded unmixed delight to the many thousands who visited those Gardens in the memorable year 1851. Many favourable notices of it appeared in the periodicals of the day ; and my friend Mr. Martin published a small popular work in express reference to it. During the period which has since elapsed I have been unceasing in my en- deavours to obtain every species which has been discovered by the enterprising travellers of this country, of Germany, of France, and of America. It would be invidious were I to extol the exertions of one more than those of another, nor could I do so without committing injustice; for the travellers of all these countries have shown equal intrepidity in their endeavours to bring to light the hidden treasures of the great primeeval forests of the New World. Some of them, such as Azara, Spix, Bullock, De Lattre, Floresi, Dyson, Hoffmann, and Matthews (the discoverer of the wonderful Loddigesia mirabilis), are no longer among us: of those living who have paid especial attention to the Humming-Birds I may mention the names of Prince Maximilian of Wied, Waterton, Gosse, Warszewicz, Linden, Bridges, Jameson, Wallace, Bates, Darwin, Reeves, Hauxwell, Skinner, Bourcier, Sallé, Salvin, Fraser, Gundlach, Bryant, Montes de Oca, &c. It is to these men, living and dead, that science is indebted for a knowledge of so many of these “gems of creation ;” and it is by their exertions that such collections as Mr. Loddiges’ and my own have been formed. I regret exceedingly that I have not seen so much of this lovely group of birds in a state of nature as I could have wished: the traveller and ili the historian seldom go together ; and in this instance it would have been impossible. The constant personal attention and care necessary for the production of such a work as ‘A Monograph of the Tro- chilidae’ could only be given in a metropolis; for in no other place could such a publication be accomplished without a greatly increased expenditure both of time and money: it is only in capitals like London and Paris, that undertakings of this nature can be carried out successfully ; for nowhere else are the requisite talents and ma- terials to be obtained. I feel that I am greatly indebted to those who have honoured this work with their support for their kindness and the patience with which they have continued with me to its completion—the more espe- cially as, owing to the discovery of so many new species since its com- mencement, it has extended far beyond its expected limits. I am also especially indebted to those persons connected with its production, by whose assistance I have been enabled to bring so great an under- taking to a satisfactory close. To my artist Mr. Richter, to Mr. Prince, and to Mr. Bayfield (all names connected with my former works), I owe many thanks. To the projectors and publisher of ‘ Curtis’s Botanical Magazine’ I am indebted also for many hints and for permission to copy parts of some of their plates of the flowering plants of those districts of South America which are frequented by Humming-Birds. In case the merits of this work should be unknown to some of my subscribers, it is generally acknowledged that its production reflects equal credit upon its Editors Sir William Jackson Hooker and Mr. Smith, to the artist Mr. Fitch, and to its publisher Mr. Lovell Reeve. Numerous attempts had been made at various times to give some- thing like a representation of the glittering hues with which this group of birds are adorned, but all had ended m disappointment ; and the subject seemed so fraught with difficulty that I at first despaired of its accomplishment. I determined, however, to make the trial, and, after a series of lengthened, troublesome, and costly experiments, I have, I trust, partially, if not completely succeeded. Similar attempts were simultaneously carried on in America by W. M. L. Baily, Esq., who with the utmost kindness and liberality explained his process to me; and although I have not adopted it, I must in fairness admit that it is fully as successful as my own. I shall always entertain a lively remembrance of the pleasant day I spent with this gentleman in Philadelphia. It was in his company that I first saw a living Humming-Bird in a garden which has become classic ground to all true Americans, from the pleasing associations B 2 iv connected with its former possessor, the great and good Bartram, and from its having been one of the haunts of the celebrated Wilson, than whom no one has written more pleasingly on the species of this family which inhabits that part of North America, the Trochilus colubris. It now becomes my pleasing duty to place on record the very valuable assistance in the production of this work with which I have been favoured by the Directors of Public Museums and private individuals. Of these the foremost on the list must be the names of M. Jules Bourcier, of Paris, and Thomas Reeves, Esq., of Rio de Janeiro. Both these gentlemen have made extensive collections of specimens, and have had numerous drawings prepared for the express purpose of publishing works on the subject, which with the utmost liberality have been placed at my disposal. To M. Bourcier, than whom no one possesses a more intimate acquaintance with this group of birds, I am likewise indebted for much valuable information which has been at all times rendered with the utmost willingness and promptitude. My thanks are also due to the Trustees and the Keepers of the Zoological Department of the British Museum ; to the Director of the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes at Paris; to Dr. Peters, Director of the Royal Zoological Museum of Berlin ; to George Ure Skinner, Esq., long resident in Guatemala; to that intrepid traveller M. Warszewicz, now Director of the Botanic Garden at Cracow, who, during his travels in South America, brought to light more new species of Humming-Birds than any other explorer; to my friends Sir William Jardine, Bart.; W.C. L. Martin, Esq.; T.C. Eyton, Esq.; Dr. Sclater; Alfred Newton, Esq.; M. Edouard Ver- reaux, of Paris; G. N. Lawrence, Esq., of New York ; and Dr. Baird, of Washington ; to Edward Wilson, Esq., to Sigismund Rucker, Esq., F. Taylor, Esq., of Liverpool ; William Tucker, Esq., of Trinidad ; and to T. F. Erskine, Esq., for the readiness with which they have at all times favoured me with both information and the loan of spe- cimens. To Miss Loddiges and her brother Mr. Conrad Loddiges, I am under considerable obligations for the facility of access they have always afforded me to the very valuable collection formed by their lamented father. Nor must the name of another valuable friend —the late Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte —be omitted from the list of those who took great interest in the present work, he having at all times rendered me that scientific assistance which his vast and varied talents so well enabled him to afford. September 1, 1861. INTRODUCTION. THE question has often been asked, whence the term Humming- Bird has been derived, why the bird is so called. I may state in reply that, owing to the rapid movement of the wings of most of the members of this group, but especially of the smaller species, a vibratory or humming sound is produced while the bird is in the air, which may be heard at the distance of several yards, and that it is from this circumstance that the trivial name by which these birds are known in England has arisen. In France they are recognized by the terms Oiseau-Mouche and Colibri ; in Germany their common appellation is Kolibri ; by the Dutch they are called Kolibrieve ; by the Spaniards Pica flores and Tomino; by the Portuguese Tomeneco and Beija-flor ; in the neighbourhood of Xalapa they are known by the names of Chupa-rosa and Chupa-myrta, Rose-sucker and Myrtle- sucker ; by the Creoles of the Antilles and Guiana they are known by the names of Murmures, Bourdons, and Frou-frous. From the Mexi- cans, Peruvians, and other nations of South America they have re- ceived various appellations, such as Ourissia, huitziteil, tzitztototl, guanumbi, quinti or quintiut, quindé, visicilin, pigda, and courbiri ; all terms of a metaphorical character, signifying “ rays of the sun,” «tresses of the day-star,” ‘‘ murmuring birds,” &c. Linneeus applied to the whole of the species known to him the generic appellation of Z’rochilus, a name given to some fabulous little bird by the ancients, and whence is derived the family designation of TrocHitipx. By Brisson, a contemporary of Linneus, the terms Polytmus and Mellisuga were proposed ; but with respect to some of the thirty-six species described by him, as well as by the older writers, such as Seba, Marcgrave, Willoughby, Ray, &c., it is extremely diffi- cult, if not impossible, to determine what they really were. We may, however, fairly commence our investigations with a greater chance of accuracy from the date when the great Swedish naturalist commenced his labours. By him twenty-two species were enumerated in the twelfth edition of his ‘Systema Nature.’ In Gmelin’s, or the thirteenth edition, the list is increased to sixty-seven. Of these I have deter- mined about two-thirds; the remainder must for ever continue involved in mystery, and their names be erased from our scientific works—the descriptions being extremely meagre, and the synonyms occasionally referring to figures of very different species. In some instances, even, the species are attributed to countries where Humming-Birds are never found ; while in others, such as that of the Harlequin Humming-Bird, the characters are taken from a plate which must have been drawn from imagination and not from any real specimen, These are a few of the difficulties which a naturalist has to encounter when access to 2 the types cannot be obtained. I think it necessary to make this statement as a reason for not quoting all the names given by the older authors. Wherever they could be with certainty determined, they have been quoted under the species to which they are believed to refer. The numerous divisions which more modern writers have deemed it necessary to propose will be given in the proper place. Latham, who added little or nothing to the previously recorded notices of this group of birds, enumerated sixty-five species in his ‘Index Ornithologicus,’ published in 1790, and ninety-five in the third volume of his ‘ General History of Birds,’ which appeared in 1822. Of these about two-thirds are real species, the remainder cannot be determined, as they are so indefinitely described that it is im- possible to ascertain whether they are species or not. In 1802 the ‘ Oiseaux dorés,’ the great French work of Audebert and Vieillot, was given to the world. In it, besides figures of all the Jacamars and Promerops then known, were included seventy plates of Humming-Birds. These plates represent species which, though then rare, are now extremely common, and which, although not so numerous as those contained in the later work of Latham, had the advantage of being illustrated in a manner which was intended to convey some idea of their brilliancy. In most instances the species may be recognized; in others they are doubtful. Independently of the illustrations above-mentioned these authors attempted to explain the laws which produce the splendid colouring of certain parts of these beautiful birds, and have given a plate illustrative of their views on the subject. In 1823 appeared the second part of the ornithological portion of the ‘Tableau Encyclopédique et Méthodique des Trois Régnes de la Nature,’ by Bonnaterre and Vieillot, with an enumeration of ninety- four species of Humming-Birds, but no additional information as to their habits and manners. A few years later (between 1829 and 1833) appeared M. Lesson’s well-known works, the ‘ Histoire Na- turelle des Oiseaux-Mouches,’ ‘ Histoire Naturelle des Colibris,’ and ‘Les Trochilidées,’—publications which added considerably to our previous knowledge of the group, although they enumerate no more than 110 species. How little progress, then, had been made towards an intimate acquaintance with these lovely birds between the date of the twelfth edition of the ‘Systema Naturze’ and that of the last- named publications, a period of more than seventy years ! If the illustrious Humboldt paid no very marked attention to the Trockihde, he must have noticed many of the fine species lately brought to light; and it is therefore somewhat surprising that he should have been so remarkably silent respecting them when writing the ‘Personal Narrative’ of his travels in the new world. It is to him and to his associate Bonpland, however, that I consider we are indebted for our acquaintance with many of them; for the perusal of the interesting account of their enterprising travels has doubtless created a desire in others to follow in their footsteps. Thus suc- ceeding travellers, who have not been slow to perceive how wonder- fully different are the productions of the great Andean ranges from 3 those of the other parts of South America have ever been active in forming and transmitting to Europe collections in nearly every depart- ment of science, and no objects have been more assiduously sought for than the flying gems which constantly greeted them at every turn and must have been always before their eyes. Among the most eminent travellers who have succeeded Humboldt are D’Orbigny, Schom- burgk, Tschudi, Castelnau, Burmeister, and others, who, with more recent but less known explorers, have added so largely to our knowledge of the Trochilida. Both Frenchmen and Belgians have proceeded to South America to procure supplies of these birds; and dealers from those countries have established themselves in some of the cities of that part of the world for the like purpose. From Sta. Fé de Bogota alone many thousands of skins are annually sent to London and Paris, and sold as ornaments for the drawing-room and for scientific purposes. The Indians readily learn the art of skinning and preserving, and, as a certain amount of emolument attends the collecting of these objects, they often traverse great distances to pro- cure them; districts more than a hundred miles on either side of Bo- gota are strictly searched ; and hence it is that from these places alone we receive not less than seventy species of this family of birds. In like manner the residents of many parts of Brazil employ their slaves in collecting, skinning, and preserving them for the European mar- ket; and many thousands are annually sent from Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco. They also supply the inmates of the con- vents with many of the more richly coloured species for the manu- facture of artificial-feather flowers. How numerous, then, must these birds be in their native wilds, and how wonderfully must they keep in check the peculiar kind of insect life upon which they principally feed! which is, doubtless, one of the objects for which they were designed. After these few cursory remarks I proceed to give a general history of the group, the range and distribution of the species, and such additional information as I have acquired during the course of my labours. “