1790 THE PIC ART AN BIRDS 



the other was freshly laid. The nest was placed on a hanging twig of a black 

 mangrove tree, the twig passing perpendicularly through the side, and out at the 

 bottom. It is mainly composed of silk cotton very closely pressed, mixed with the 

 still more glossy cotton asclepias, particularly round the edge, the seed remaining 

 attached to some of the filaments. ' ' 



Two species of the curious genus Microchera are known to science ; 

 Crowned tne one confined to the mountains of Western Panama, and the other 

 Humming (M. parvirostris) taking its place in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Both 

 Bird are remarkable for their snow-white crowns and tiny dimensions, be- 



ing only about two and one-half inches in length. According to its describer, Mr. 

 Merrill, the latter is not so persistent in its flight as most of the humming birds, 

 and rests more frequently, this habit being probably induced by the shortness of its 

 wings. The first specimen seen was perched on a twig preening its feathers, and, 

 for a few moments, the observer was doubtful whether such a tiny creature could 

 really be a bird. Another he noticed bathing, and watched its movements for 

 some time before shooting it. "The little creature," he says, "would poise itself 

 about three feet or so above the surface of the water, and then, as quick as thought, 

 would dart downward, so as to dip its head in the placid pool, then up again to its 

 original position, quite as quickly as it had descended. These movements of dart- 

 ing up and down, it would repeat in rapid succession, which produced more than a 

 moderate disturbance on the surface of the water, for such a diminutive creature. 

 After a considerable number of dippings, it alighted on a twig near at hand and 

 commenced pluming its feathers. ' ' 



The forty -eight genera included under this section are characterized 

 Intermediate by haying the s h e ath of the upper mandible of the bill very feebly 

 serrated toward the end of the cutting edge. As with the previous 

 section, all kinds of forms are included within its limits, from the lovely hill stars 

 (Diplogena) to the duller-colored amazilia. The hill stars, which inhabit the Andes 

 from Equador to Bolivia, are remarkable for their brilliant crown spots, and are 

 among the largest members of the family, extracting the nectar from flowers in a 

 leisurely manner. Stolzmann indeed relates that he has even seen them perched on 

 the dead branch of a tree, flying out into the air, after the manner of a flycatcher. 

 In this division are likewise included the lovely comets (Sappho}, with their long 

 coppery or red tails and green throats, these birds extending from the interior of 

 Argentina to Chili, Bolivia, and Central Peru. 



Forming a genus known as Lesbia, these elegant birds are found in 



Fork-Tailed ^ And from Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia; and are dark 

 Humming 

 Birds green in color, with a short bill, very nearly straight, while they are 



specially distinguished by their very long, forked tails, in which the 

 feathers are even narrower than in the comets (Sappho). Mr. Stolzmann found one 

 of :he species (L. gracilis) at the height of from seven thousand five hundred to 

 ten thousand feet on the Andes of Peru, where it was apparently migratory, as he 

 noticed it to be common at Tambillo in December and January, whereas in June not 

 one was to be seen. The same naturalist is the rediscoverer of the wonderful Loddi- 

 gesia (mentioned below); and he noticed that the fork-tailed species had a great 



