254. 



THE GILT-CRESTED nu:\OIING-BIRD. 



and there is a line of black down the centre of the abdomen. The head and throat are of 

 the brightest and most resplendent blue, with the exception of an emerald-gi-een patch in 

 the centre of the throat. This patch is triangular in shape, and has one of the angles 

 pointing upwards. Round the neck runs a broad collar of deep velvety black, abruptly 

 dividing the brilliant hue of the head and throat from the plain black and white of the 

 chest aiul al>domen, and giving the bird an appearance as if the head and throat of some 



brightly coloured bird had been 

 joined to the neck and body of a 

 plainly clad individual of another 

 species. The two central feathers 

 of the tail are nearly of the same 

 hue as that of the back, the two 

 exterior feathers are white for the 

 iirst third of their length, and 

 greenish-black for the remaining 

 two-thirds, while the other feathers 

 are white, edged \vith greenish- 

 black. 



The female is a very soberly 

 clad bird, being olive-green upon 

 the head, white spotted with green 

 upon the throat, and the remainder 

 of the body olive-green, wliite, and 

 brownish black. 



There are several species of 

 Hill-stars, among which the Pi- 

 CHiNCHiAN HiLL-STAE is the most 

 remarkable. 



This bird is Very local, in- 

 habitintr the volcanic mountain 

 of Pichinca, in the republic of 

 Ecuador, and being only found in 

 a zone of five or six hundred 

 feet in width, at an elevation of 

 about eleven hvindred feet above 

 the level of the sea. It is a very 

 remarkable fact, that althougli 

 both these species inhabit vol- 

 canic mountains within thirty 

 miles of each other, and are found 

 at nearly the same elevation, the 

 Pichinchian Hill-star is never seen 

 upon Chimborazo, nor the Chim- 

 borazian llill-star upon Pichinca. 

 This species is very like the pre- 

 ceding, but may be easily dis- 

 tinguished by the absence of the 

 triangular green spot upon the 

 throat. 



Upon the engraving on page 223, and in the upper left-hand corner, the reader will 

 observe a very elegantly shaped little bird, sitting close to its nest. This is the GiLT- 

 C'RESTED Humming-bird {Orthorhynchus exilis), an inhabitant of Martinique and other 

 West Indian islands, where it is always fountl upon the low-lying grounds. 



In colour it is very pretty, the general hue of its body being green with bronze reflec- 

 tions, and its crest glowing with golden-green and emerald ; the emerald hue being most 



CH I M BOR AZ I A N HI LL-STAR. —Orcotroch Has CMmborCilo. 



