26 ORIGIN OF NAME. 



and " Frou-frous" given to them by the Creoles 

 of the Antilles and Cayenne. 



To this bee-like, or insect-like mode of flight, 

 to this hovering, and sudden darting away, the 

 French term Oiseaux-mouches (Fly-birds), evi- 

 dently alludes; but the meaning of the term 

 Colibri is not very certain. Its derivation is 

 not given in the Dictionnaire Universel. Buffon 

 supposes it to be a Caraib word, while Lesson 

 considers it to be a corruption of Col brillant, 

 an epithet expressive of the everchanging metal- 

 lic tints of the gorget or throat-feathers; but 

 according to Sonnini, Courberi is the name given 

 to these birds by the Garipous of Guiana ; and 

 as this word differs but little from Colibri or 

 Colubri, we incline to Buffon's opinion. "We 

 cannot suppose it a derivative from the Latin 

 Coluber (an appellative of uncertain etymology), 

 although it is so close to this word in sound and 

 letters. 



According to Hernandez, the ancient Mexi- 

 can name for these birds was Hoitzitziltototl 

 (avis varia) or Hoitsitzilin, to which various spe- 

 cific prefixes were added. Ximines writes the 

 word Huitzitzil, while Gomara gives it as Pici- 

 cilin. John de Laet states, that the Peruvian 

 name is Quenti, and that the Spanish appellation 

 was Tomineios. " Ourissia is the name recorded 

 by Nieremberg, and Guianumbi, according to 

 Marcgrave and others, is the Brazilian designa- 

 tion. These and other native terms are said to 



