46 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Central America, 70, 40 peculiar; Ven- 

 zeula, 55, 15 peculiar; Brazil, 50, one- 

 half peculiar; Mexico, 50, 28 pecuiiar; 

 Guiana, 36, 13 peculiar; West Indies, 18, 

 all peculiar; United States, 17; southern 

 extremity of South America about 7. 



The Hummingbirds, as a family, are 

 the smallest of birds, yet many species 

 are larger than the smallest passerine 

 birds, such as the Creepers, Kinglets, 

 Bush-tits, and the small Wrens. The 

 largest of all Hummingbirds is the Pata- 

 gonia gigas, or Giant Hummingbird. 

 This is a pla.n colored bird that inha- 

 bits the higher portion of the Andes 

 range from Chili to Equadc-r, and is 

 about eight and a half inches long. The 

 smallest Hummingbird, and consequent- 

 ly the smallest of all birds, is Princess 

 Helena's Hummingbird, the most ex- 

 quisite of all the Hummingbirds of the 

 West Indies, measuring but two and a 

 quarter inches in length. This diminu- 

 tive bird is of a rich metallic blue above, 

 white beneath, and the head and the 

 gorget a fiery metallic crimson. This 

 blue is a peculiar coloration in this 

 family. The Vervain Hummingbird of 

 Jamaica has been until recently consid- 

 ered the smallest Hummingbird, but it 

 is a trifle larger than its Cuban cc usin. 



A considerablp- vaiiation also exists 

 in the bills of the members of this fam- 

 ily necessitated by the peculiarities of 

 the flowers among which they are ac 

 customed to feed. The "Sword Bear- 

 er" has a bill fully Ave inches in length, 

 exceeding in length the combined length 

 of the head, neck, body, and tail. In 

 another species the bill is but one-quar- 

 ter of an inch in length. In other spe- 

 cies the bill is decurved; and in one in- 

 stance to such an extent as to consti- 

 tute one-third of a circle. In another 

 species the bill is recurved similar to 

 that of an Avocet. A great variation 

 also exists in the form of th« wing and 

 the tail, while the various kinds of 

 head ornaments furnish striking evi- 



dence of the variation that exists in the 

 developement of their feathering. 



In habits the Hummingbirds are both 

 arboreal and aerial. In flight they pre- 

 sent an appearance entirely peculiar to 

 themselves. They spend the greater 

 part of their lives in the air, frequently 

 hovering before a flower to procure 

 their food, which consists chiefly of 

 minute insects. When so employed 

 their body is nearly vertical, the head 

 being held at almost right angles to the 

 body, and the wings beating so rapidly 

 as to form an indistinct haze. The 

 tail is spread and the bird regulates its 

 position by quickly flirting it to and 

 fro. 



The Duke of Argyle in his 'Reign of 

 Law" positively asserts; "No bird can 

 ever fly backwards." Many naturalists 

 differ from this author. If one will but 

 closely watch a Hummingbird poised 

 before a flower he can see that the bird 

 can easily move backward or forward 

 assisted by a slight flirt of its tail, a 

 feat that no other bird can perform. In 

 his magnificent work entitled"A Mono- 

 graph of the Trochilidae," Mr. Gould, 

 the naturalist, states, "This bird (the 

 Hummingbird) preforms every kind of 

 evolution with the utmost ease, fre- 

 quently rising perpendicularly, flying 

 backward, pirouetting or dancing off, 

 as it were." 



The Hummingbird frequently perches 

 upon some prominent twig at the top 

 of the tree and there rests for several 

 minutes at a time fi'om whence it will 

 dart away like a little meteor and dis- 

 appear with the quickness of thought. 

 During the heat of the day it visits the 

 shady retreat beneath the trees, and 

 during the cool hours of the moi'ning or 

 the evening the flower pots, verandas, 

 and other exposed places are I'eaorted 

 to. While in flight the Hummingbird 

 will frequently poised in mid-air and 

 throw its body into quick and curious 

 contortions as it catches the insects 

 floating in the air. 



