MANGO HUMMING-BIRD. 95 



the angle formed by the incident ray and the re- 

 flected one. Thus the plumes of the neck of 

 Mango appear to advantage in a room with a single 

 light, only when the beholder stands with his back 

 to the window, and has the bird before him and 

 facing him. Then the perpendicular band down 

 the throat and breast, which seems composed of 

 the richest black velvet, is bounded on each side 

 by a broad band of glov^ing crimson, mingled with 

 violet. It must be borne in mind, that some of 

 the brilliant hues of Humming-birds are permanent, 

 not changeable colours. 



I have never met with the nest of this species ; 

 but Sam informed me in June that he had ob- 

 served one near Morgan's Bridge, in Westmore- 

 land. It was on a dead tree, and was placed upon 

 a twig, but being full fifteen feet from the ground 

 he could not examine it. He, however, saw the 

 Mango Humming-bird fly out of it, and presently 

 return. A nest, presented to me by my friend 

 Mr. Hill, ticketed as that of Mango, is now before 

 me. It has evidently been constructed to stand 

 upon a horizontal twig, which the bottom has em- 

 braced. It is cylindrical externally, the botton 

 being nearly flat. Its height is 1 J inch ; its ex- 

 ternal diameter a little more ; its internal diameter 

 about 1 inch ; the hollow, which is a little over- 

 hung by the margin, is cup-shaped, about -J inch 

 deep. It is composed almost entirely of the down 

 of the gigantic silk-cotton tree, {Eriodendron anfrac- 

 tuosum) intermixed at the bottom with a little true 

 cotton. The sides are tightly banded round with 



