350 THE HUMMING-BIRD. 



it to depart ; when off it darts, bright as a refulgent meteor through 

 the sky. Let me here remark that the humming-bird never perches 

 when in the act of feeding; but invariably takes its nutriment whilst 

 fluttering on the wing before a flower. 



With a trifling variation, which may be called a flattening of the 

 shafts in the primary wing-feathers of a few species, the form of the 

 wings in the entire family is precisely the same. Hence every 

 individual, great and small, will produce the same humming noise ; 

 with this difference, that it will sound stronger in the larger tribes, 

 and weaker in the smaller ones. 



Although the flight of these birds is rapid beyond conception, yet 

 the individual which exercises it is never seen in an altitude much 

 higher than the tops of the trees, nor so low as to sweep along, close 

 to the ground, or to the surface of the water, as our swallows are 

 wont to do. The course of humming-birds seems always directed 

 to the locality where they can meet with food, either in the cups of 

 flowers, or at a column of gnats, clustering in the void, at a moderate 

 distance from the ground. 



When the parasite plants of Guiana have come into full bloom, 

 then is the proper time to find certain humming-birds, which you 

 never fall in with when these parasites are only in leaf. I have 

 sought for them whole months without success, until the blooming 

 of the parasite plant informed me that I need labour in vain no 

 longer. Once I had an odd adventure near a parasite bunch of 

 flowers in the forest. I had been sitting about four hours on the 

 ground, not much at my ease, for the sun was blazing in full splen- 

 dour, when I heard a gentle rustling amongst the fallen leaves ; and 

 presently I saw a fine martin of the foumart family making slowly 

 up to the place which I was occupying. On getting sight of me, it 

 gave a kind of scream, as though it would have said, " Hallo, sir, I 

 did not expect to find you here ! " and then it instantly turned about, 

 and took to the trees, I following it, and shouting at the top of my 

 voice. This terrified it and increased its speed ; and whilst it was 

 in the act of vaulting from a branch, I fired at it, without raising the 

 gun to my shoulder. Wonderful to relate! down dropped the flying 

 martin dead as Julius Caesar. This is the first and last quadruped 

 I ever shot in mid-air. 



