PASSERINiE. 319 



in air with nearly as much facility as certain Flies, and it is thus 

 that they hum about flowers and fly with more proportionate ra- 

 pidity than any other bird. Their gizzard is very small, and they 

 have no caecum, an additional mark of their affinity with the Wood- 

 peckers. They live singly, defend their nests with courage, and 

 fight desperately with each other. 



The name of Trochilus, Lac, is especially reserved for such as 

 have the beak arcuated; some of them are distinguished by the pro- 

 longation of the intermediate quills of their tail. We will mention 

 but one of the largest and most beautiful. 



Troch. pellcv, Colibri Topaze, Enl. 596. Purple-maronne; head, 

 blackj throat of the most brilliant topaz-yellow, changing into 

 green, surrounded by black. (l) 



The lateral quills of the tail are very long in others,'(2) several 

 have tails moderately forked;(3) in the greater number it is round 

 or square.(4) We call, 



OrthorhynchuSj Lacep. 



Such as have a straight beakj some of them have tufted heads. (5) 



Others have tufts or elongated feathers on the sides of the head,(6) 



and among them are found some with a pointed and very long tail. (7) 



(1) Add TV. superciliosiis, Enl. 600, 3; Vieill. 17, 18, 19; TV. leuainis, Enl. 

 600, 3; T^r. squalidus, Natterer, Col. 120, f. \;Tr. brasiliensis. Lath. Col. 120, 

 f. 2. 



(2) Tr. forficatus, Edw. :i3, Vieill. SO^polithmus, Edw. 34, Vieill. 67, and 

 particularly the magnificent Peruvian species, with the refulgent gold tail, TV. 

 chrysurus, Cuv. 



(3) Tr. e/co-ans, Vieill. 14. 



(4) Tr. mango, L.; Enl. I, 680, 2 and 3, Vieill. 7; TV. naevius, Dumont, Col. 

 120, f. 3; Tr. gutturalis, Enl. 671; Tr. taumantias, Enl. 600, 1; T: violaceus, Enl. 

 600,2; Tr. cinereus, Vieill. 5; Tr. melanognsfer, Vieill. 75; Tr. jugularis, Sh. 

 Edw. 266, 1; Vieill. 4; Tr. holosericeus, Sh., Vieill. 6 and 65; Tr. pimdatus, Sh., 

 Vieill. 8; Tr.pedoralis, Sh. 9 and 70; Tr. aurulentus, Sh. Vieill. 12; Tr. aureo- 

 viridis, Sli., Vieill. 15; Tr. Mrsutus, Gm. or brasiliensis, Sh. Vieill. 20; Tr. albus, 

 Vieill. II; TV. viridis, Vieill. 15; Tr. margaritaceus, Enl. 680, 1, Vieill. 16; Tr. 

 multicolor, Gm. or Harlequin Hummingbird, Lath. Supp. pi. cxi, Vieill. 79; Tr. 

 lazulus, Vieill., GjJ. 179. 



(5) Tr. cristatus, Edw. 37; Enl. 227, 1; Vieill. 47, 48; Tr. pileatus (puniceus, 

 Gm.) Vieill. 63; Tr. Lalandii, Vieill. 18, f. 1 and 2; Orthor. sfephanioides. Less. 

 and Garn. Voy. de la Coquille, pi. xxxi, No. 2. 



(6) Tr. ornatus, Enl. 640, 3, Vieill. 49, 50; Tr. chalybeus, Vieill. 66, f. 2; 

 Tr. petasopliorus, P. Max. Col. 203, 3; Tr. scuiatus, Natter., Col. 299, 3; Tr. 

 magnificus, Ulig. Col. 299, %Tr. mesoleucos, Temm. Col. 317. 



(7) Tr. bilophus, Temm. 



N.B. M. Swainson has named those of our Hummingbirds, the middle quills of 

 whose tail are elongated, Ph^bItornis; those with a round or square tail, Lampor- 



