Columbian Violet-Ear, John Gould by Hummingbirds

About "Columbian Violet-Ear, John Gould"

by Hummingbirds

About the artwork

Columbian Violet-Ear (Petasophora Anais), John Gould Great confusion exists with respect to the synonymy of the birds to which the term nats has been applied, and which is chiefly, if not solely, attributable to the carelessness of M. Lesson, who, not perceiving their specific differences, has published at least three species of this genus under that name,—has described another bird of a totally different form in the “Revue Zoologique” for 1838 and 1839 under the same appellation,—and has moreover added considerably to the confusion by giving incorrect habitats to the birds his figures are intended to represent; this confusion I have endeavoured to unravel, by assigning the various synonyms to the birds to which they appear respectively to belong; and by retaining the term Anais as the specific distinctive for the one so commonly sent as such in collections from Santa Fé de Bogota, and which will be more readily recognized by a reference to the accompanying Plate than by the most accurate description. This illustration has been restored to its original vibrancy by enhancing colors and removing unwanted marks. A monograph of the Trochilidæ, or family of humming-birds was published between 1849 and 1887 by English ornithologist John Gould. This monumental work depicts and describes all the known species of hummingbirds at the time - comprising 418 lithographic plates and information on 537 species."