150 SUN-BIRDS. 



given to them, the scramble, though they could not have been very hungry, and the subse- 

 quent struggle for possession, was maintained with a pertinacity that was truly surprising. 

 Two might be seen tugging with might and main at the same morsel, till wearied with 

 repeated efforts they would give over for awhile, still retaining, however, their hold, to 

 resume the contest after an interval of rest ; and it was not unusual on such occasions for 

 a third individual, generally a smaller and weaker bird, to quietly watch the issue of the con- 

 test, when it would endeavor to deprive the victor of its prize. Certainly, I never saw birds 

 struggle so vigorously before, nor pull with such determined force and energy, tumbling over 

 not unfrequently from the violence of their efforts." 



SUN-BIRDS. 



THE beautiful and glittering SUN -BIRDS evidently represent in the Old World the humming- 

 birds of the New. In their dimensions, color, general form, and habits, they are very similar 

 to their brilliant representatives in the western hemisphere, although not quite so gorgeous in 

 plumage, nor so powerful and enduring of wing. They are termed Sun-birds, because the 

 hues with which their feathers are so lavishly embellished gleam out with peculiar brilliancy 

 in the sunlight. The common sun-beetles, that run about the ground in the hot weather, their 

 glittering surface flashing rainbow-tinted light in every direction, have earned their popular 

 and expressive name in a similar manner. 



These exquisite little birds feed on the juice of flowers and the minute insects that are 

 found in their interior, but are not in the habit of feeding while on the wing, hovering over a 

 flower and sweeping up its nectar with the tongue, as is the case among the humming-birds. 

 The Sun-birds generally, if not always, perch before they attempt to feed, and flit restlessly 

 from flower to flower, picking the blossoms in rapid succession, and uttering continually a 

 sharp, eager cry, that indicates the earnestness of their occupation. In accordance with their 

 peculiar habits, the feet and legs are very much stronger than those of the humming-birds ; 

 their wings are shorter, rounder, and less powerful, and their plumage is not so closely set. 

 Moreover, the feathers, although bedecked with the most brilliant of hues, lack, except in 

 certain spots, such as the crown of the head and the throat, the scintillating radiance of the 

 humming-bird, and do not possess in an equal degree the property of changing their hues 

 with every movement. 



The brilliant colors of the Sun-birds belong, as a general rule, only to the male sex, the 

 female being comparatively sober in her plumage, possessing neither the beauty of form nor 

 color which is so conspicuous in the other sex. Even in the male bird, the gorgeous plumage 

 has Taut a temporary existence, becoming developed at the commencement of the breeding season, 

 and being lost at the moult which always follows the rearing of the young. At all other 

 seasons of the year, the male birds are nearly as simply clothed as their mates, and even the 

 glittering, scaly feathers of the head and throat are replaced by a dull brown plumage, hardly 

 distinguishable, except by difference of structure, from the surrounding feathers of the neck. 

 The change of color and form is so great in these birds, that many zoologists have described 

 the immature male, the adult male, and the female as three distinct species, and have conse- 

 quently wrought great confusion among their ranks. 



The young male birds are not unlike the female, but may be known by one or two feather 

 structures, which will be presently mentioned ; and it is a rather curious fact that the adult male 

 always returns after the breeding season to the plumage of immaturity. Some writers have 

 questioned the truth of this statement, but without sufficient reason. As soon as the time 

 arrives when the birds begin to choose their mates, and the brilliant feathers have fully 

 developed themselves, the male Sun-bird becomes very animated, and makes the most of 

 his gorgeous plumage, puffing up the feathers of the neck and head, so as to make them flash 



