498 Mr. G. E, Lodge on some 



which was evidently the begianing of a nest. But it was never 

 finished. In a week's time the twig was found to be quite 

 bare, without a vestige of cotton about it^ much less a Long- 

 tailed Humming-bird's nest: greatly to my disappointment, 

 as I had fully expected to have found the nest finished, and 

 had intended to have annexed it forthwith. 



The note of this bird is rather loud — a clear piping cry, 

 repeated at short intervals. The flight is very rapid : when 

 extended for any great distance a very perceptible dipping is 

 noticed ; and from the pace the birds go the long tail-feathers 

 (the second from the outside) stream nearly straight behind 

 them. I think these were the tamest Humming-birds I 

 met with. They will sit motionless on a twig and allow 

 themselves to be scrutinized and sketched from a distance of 

 only a few feet, now and then dashing off' with a loud whir 

 and inspecting one blossom after another — hovering in all 

 sorts of positions, sometimes above the flower, with their head 

 and bill pointing straight downwards ; at other times seeming 

 to be suspended by the bill directly underneath the flower ; 

 and again they will cling to a leaf or twig with their tiny 

 feet, the better to reach their prey, while the wings are all 

 the time vibrating as rapidly as ever ; perhaps, after the 

 inspection of a dozen or so of blossoms, returning to the 

 very twig from which they started. When at rest they sit 

 almost always in a very bunched-up position — back and breast 

 feathers pufl'ed out, wings drooping beneath the tail, the two 

 long feathers of which are always crossed, except when blown 

 about by the wind, the head drawn short in to the shoulders, 

 and the beak pointing rather upwards towards the sky. 

 When thus at rest they have a habit, in common with other 

 species of Humming-birds, of incessantly and rapidly pro- 

 truding the tongue. To see the full beauty of the male 

 Long-tail the rays of light must be directly opposite to the 

 almost flat surface of the feathers. Hold him by the beak 

 with your back to the window in a nearly vertical position, but 

 with his tail rather nearer to you than the head, and the 

 breast is nothing but dull black; just slightly tilt him 

 forward, so that his head is nearer than his tail, and his 



