Humboldt’s Humming-bird (Chrysuronia Humboldti), John Gould In the eyes of the naturalist the diminutive Humming-bird and the gigantic Eagle, the smallest animalcule and the largest Whale, are of equal interest; otherwise it could not have been deemed complimentary to name such a minute bird after so great a man as the illustrious Humboldt, whose merits are so varied, that, in whatever light they may be estimated, it may be truly said that few brighter stars have ever graced the roll of fame: in the death of Baron Humboldt, the devotee of the higher walks of science, as well as the more humble zoologist, has to mourn the departure of one whose genius shed a lustre not only over his own nation, but over every other where science is cultivated. 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."