HUMMING-BIRDS. 8i 



female is bronzed green. " This species never shows his beauty to the sun. 

 Residing close by the densely-wooded sides of rivers and dark and lonely 

 creeks, he leaves his retreat before sunrise to feed upon insects near the water ; 

 but returns to its shelter as soon as the sun's rays become powerful, and only 

 comes out again for a short time after sunset. The nest is built on a twig 

 over the water in unfrequented places, of a material that looks like tanned 

 cow-leather. This nest is of a deep cup-like form, with very thin walls, com- 

 posed, apparently, of a sort of fungus resembling German tinder, held together 

 by coljwebs." 



The Eagle Humming-Bird {Eutoxcres aquild). The type of this sub- 

 family affords a beautiful example of the adaptation of the shape of its bill to 

 that of the flowers from which it obtains its food. " One day," says Dr. King 

 Merritt, " I was startled by the swift approach of a small object which darted 

 past me like a rifle-bullet, with a loud hum and buzzing of wings. The bird 

 (for such it was) continued its flight but a short distance beyond the spot where 

 I stood, when it suddenly stopped in front of a flower, and, after poising itself 

 for a moment, darted upon the flower in a peculiar manner. Instead of insert- 

 ing its beak into the calyx by advancing in a direct line, it performed a cur- 

 vilinear movement while it introduced its bill, and then, when the point of the 

 beak had apparently reached the desired locality, its body suddenly dropped 

 downwards, so that the bird seemed suspended from the flower by its beak. 

 That this was not actually the case, however, the continued rapid movement 

 of its wings demonstrated beyond a doubt. In this position it remained the 

 ordinary length of time, and then, by performing the same movements in the 

 reverse order and direction, it freed itself from the flower, which was of a pecu- 

 liar form, somewhat resembling a Roman helmet inverted, and attached, as it 

 were, by the point of the crest to the stalk, while the cavity of the calyx extends 

 in a tortuous manner downwards." 



Sub-Family III. 



THE STRAIGHT-BILLED HUMMING-BIRDS. MELLISUGIN^.* 



General Characteristics.— Bill more or less lengthened, slender, and straight, the 

 lateral margins more or less dilated over the lower mandible ; the nostrils basal, 

 with the opening sometimes concealed by the projecting plumes ; wings long and 

 pointed ; tail of various length and forms ; tarsi very short ; toes more or less long, 

 the outer toe united at its base, and the hind toe long, and armed usually with a 

 long claw. 



The Humming-Birds belonging to this division frequent tubular 

 flowers, before which they suspend themselves on the wing so 

 steadily that their wings become invisible, or appear only like a 

 mist. When one of these birds is thus poised, even the pupil of 

 his eye is plainly distinguishable, looking round with great quick- 

 ness and circumspection. When he alights, he always prefers the 



* Mel, honey ; sugere, to suck. 



