Eriocnemis simplex (Greenish 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 Greenish Puffleg is a charming Andean species distinguished by its vivid green plumage and the soft white tufts of feathers—or “puffs—that cover its legs, a defining trait of the genus Eriocnemis. In Gould’s hand-colored lithograph, the bird is depicted perched among flowering stems, its iridescent body rendered with exceptional care. The metallic pigments applied by hand give the plumage a lifelike brilliance, reflecting the cool luminosity of its montane habitat. The composition, balanced and finely detailed, captures both the delicacy and quiet poise of this small mountain hummingbird.

John Gould’s Monograph of the Trochilidae stands as one of the most exquisite achievements in nineteenth-century natural history illustration. Produced over nearly forty years, it combined Gould’s rigorous scientific observation with the artistic mastery of Henry Constantine Richter and William Hart. The Greenish Puffleg plate epitomizes their shared dedication to precision and beauty—an enduring tribute to one of the most elegant and subtly iridescent members of the hummingbird family.