468 



REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



Among the most formidable enemies of the Trochilidce may be 

 reckoned the Monster Spider (Mygale avicularia), which spins its web 

 round their nests, and devours eggs or young ; even the old birds 

 are sometimes its victims. Humming-birds are scattered over the 

 greater part of South and North America, even as far north as 

 Canada ; but in Brazil and Guiana they are most abundant. At least 

 500 species are known. Cuvier included them in his genus Colibri. 

 Mr. Gould has described 300, of which he has actual specimens ; 



Fig. 1 88. Common Tree Creepers 



these he divides into fifty-two genera. Among the more remarkable 

 species we may note the Topaz-throated Trochilus (T. pella], a 

 native of Brazil; the Sickle-winged Humming-bird (7! falcatus] the 

 Double-crested Humming-bird (T. cornutus} ; Gould's Humming-bird 

 (Ornismya Gouldii] ; Cora Humming-bird (O mis my a cora} ; the 

 Giant Humming-bird, which attains the size of the Swallow; the 

 Dwarf Humming-bird, whose size does not exceed that of a bee ; the 

 bar-tailed Humming-bird or Sappho Comet (Cometes sparganurus, 

 Fig. 187), a native of Eastern Peru; and the Racket-tailed Humming- 

 bird, so named from the shape of its tail, which spreads out at the 

 extremity in the form of a racket. 



Climbers such as the Tree Creepers are characterised by an 



