28 ANCIENT MEXICANS. 



their plumage ; for the king not only delighted 

 in the sight of so many species, but was yery 

 careful of their feathers, for the sake of the 

 works in the fabrication of which they were 

 used. Among the birds most prized by the 

 Mexicans, was the Trogon resplendens, the long 

 gorgeous tail- covert plumes of which were used 

 as ornaments to head-dresses, the smaller fea- 

 thers being reserved for the embellishment of 

 mantles, and the composition of pictures and 

 mosaic images or tablets. The feathers of an- 

 other Trogon (T. curucui), according to Hernan- 

 dez, were also employed in the same works of 

 art, with which the temples were decorated. 

 Nor were the brilliant Humming-birds less at- 

 tractive, their metallic plumage being in great 

 request for the purposes already noticed. Even 

 at the present time, the Indians of Patzquara are 

 celebrated for their skill in composing figures of 

 saints, &c. with the feathers of the Humming- 

 bird ; and, according to Mr. Ward, these works 

 of art are remarkable for delicacy of execution, 

 no less than for brilliancy of colour. "We have 

 ourselves had the pleasure of inspecting several 

 groups and sprigs of artificial flowers, in the pos- 

 session of Mr. Gould, made in some of the con- 

 vents in Mexico, as we understood, all formed of 

 the feathers, and principally the metallic scale- 

 like throat feathers of various species of Hum- 

 ming-bird, the centre of the flower in many 

 cases being one of those small diamond-beetles 



