190 Mr. T. (Jrisdalc on the 



8. Orthorhynchus exilis. Emcrald-crcst Humming- 

 bird. 



This brilliant little feathered gem is to be found every- 

 where in ]\Iontserrat^ save towards the summits of the higher 

 peaks ; but nowhere did I see it in such profusion as among 

 the gay tropical flowers which adorned the garden of the Cot. 



There^ in company with its larger green kinsman, EuUimpis 

 holosericeus , and a wonderful variety of " Sparrows/"* butter- 

 flies, and bees, it was to be seen whenever the sun was shi- 

 ning (and that during my stay in Montserrat was nearly 

 always fi'om sunrise to sunset), sometimes darting from flower 

 to flower with the most extraordinary vivacity, sometimes 

 contending in the air with others of its species in the most 

 warlike fashion, and sometimes poised over the tubular flowers 

 of the Hibiscus or the Alamanda, its crest erect and its wings 

 quivering with inconceivable rapidity, a perfect image of life 

 and enjoyment. 



If the variations in the colour of the crest of this bird be 

 a sufiicient reason for classifying it under two or three dis- 

 tinct species, there can be no doubt that the Montserrat 

 bird is 0. exilis, its crest being entirely of the emerald tint, 

 with scarcely a suspicion of blue in the tip. 



On one occasion I took home with me to the Cot from a 

 neighbouring slope among the lime -plantations an enormous 

 side spike of the American Agave, covered with yellow 

 bloom. 



On my way the Emerald-crests buzzed around me like 

 hornets, making an occasional dash at the bloom I carried in 

 my hand ; and they continued their operations for the re- 

 mainder of the day on the balcony of the Cot, where the spike 

 was placed in water. 



9. Ceryle alcyon. Kingfisher. 



I saw this bird frequently flitting along the streams which 

 run along the bottoms of the ravines ; but I was never able to 

 obtain a specimen myself. The one I brought home with me 

 was shot by Dr. Pilkington, then one of the medical ofiicers 

 of.the island, and who took an interest in its ornithology. 



