LONG-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Ill 



out, and split at the margin into irregular fimbriae, 

 which point backward, somewhat like the vane of a 

 feather; these are not barbs, however, but simply 

 soft and flexible points, such as might be pro- 

 duced by snipping diagonally the edge of a strip 

 of paper. I conjecture that the nectar of flowers 

 is pumped up the tubes, and that minute insects 

 are caught, when in flowers, in these spoon-like 

 tips, their minute limbs being perhaps entangled 

 in the fimbriae, when the tongue is retracted into 

 the beak, and the insects swallowed by the or- 

 dinary process, as doubtless those are which are 

 captured with the beak in flight. I do not thorough- 

 ly understand the mode by which liquids are taken 

 up by a Humming-bird's tongue, though I have 

 carefully watched the process. If syrup be pre- 

 sented to one in a quill, the tongue is protruded 

 for about half an inch into the liquor, the beak 

 resting in the pen, as it is held horizontal: there 

 is a slight but rapid and constant projection and 

 retraction of the tubes, and the liquor disappears 

 very fast, perhaps by capillary attraction, perhaps 

 by a sort of pumping, certainly not by licking. 



All the Humming-birds have more or less the 

 habit when in flight of pausing in the air, and 

 throwing the body and tail into rapid and odd 

 contortions ; this seems to be most the case with 

 Mango, but perhaps is more observable in Polytmus 

 from the eflfect that such motions have on the beau- 

 tiful long feathers of the tail. That the object of 

 these quick turns is the capture of insects 1 am 

 sure, having watched one thus engaged pretty close to 



