The AMETHYST HUMMING BIRD (_Calliphlox amethystina_) is numerously met
with in the interior of Brazil. This resplendent little bird is of a dark
metallic green, shaded with pale gold on the back; the neck, cheeks, and
throat glow with the brilliant hue of the amethyst, and are divided from
the under side by a line of pure white; the breast and belly are blackish
grey, shaded with copper-red, the lower tail-covers are light grey,
bordered with white, and the quills greyish brown, tinted with violet. The
centre tail-feathers are of a metallic green, and those at the exterior
greyish brown. The female has a white throat, and her tail edged with
reddish yellow; the young resemble their mother. This species is three
inches and one-third long and about the same in breadth; the wing measures
one inch and a half, the tail of the male one inch and a quarter, while
that of the female does not exceed two-thirds of an inch.
[Illustration: _Plate 23. Cassell's Book of Birds_