Eriocnemis Squamata (Hoary puffleg).

From A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds, 6 vols., large folio. Published in London, 1849–1887. Printed by Hullmandel and Walter from drawings by J. Gould, H. C. Richter, and William Hart, lithographed by the artists.

The Hoary Puffleg is a distinctive Andean species, named for the dense white feather tufts—or “leg puffs—that adorn its thighs. In Gould’s lithograph, the bird’s metallic green plumage contrasts beautifully with its snowy leg feathers and soft gray underparts. Shown perched amid flowering plants native to its mountain habitat, the image highlights both the bird’s delicate form and the shimmering quality of its plumage. Each print was meticulously hand-colored, with touches of metallic pigment used to recreate the iridescent sheen for which hummingbirds are renowned.

John Gould’s Monograph of the Trochilidae represents one of the great triumphs of nineteenth-century ornithological illustration. Spanning nearly forty years, the series brought together Gould’s expertise as a naturalist and the artistic mastery of Henry Constantine Richter and William Hart. The Hoary Puffleg plate exemplifies their shared commitment to accuracy and beauty—uniting scientific study with the refined aesthetic sensibilities of the Victorian age.