430 



PASSERINE BIRDS. 



and fui-nislied with stiff sharp quills, serving to assist them in climb- 

 ing trees; their tongue is sharp, and adapted for piercing insects, 

 upon which they feed. 



The Humming-birds {Trochilus) are celebrated for the metallic 

 lustre of their plumage, as well as for their tiny dimensions. They 

 inhabit America and the adjacent islands. Their beak is very long, 

 sometimes straight and sometimes bent, tubular, and very slender. 

 Theu- tongue is long, extensible, and divided into two filaments. 

 Their wings are proportionately very long, and their j^lumage some 

 times ornamented with feathers as brilliant as precious stones. 



Fig. 35S.- 



They feed on the nectar of flowers, about which they may be seen 

 buzzing and balancing themselves in the air. They sometimes eat 

 small flies and diminutive insects, found in the flower-bells. They 

 live in pairs, and defend their nest most courageously. 



