I794 THE PICARIAN BIRDS 



dives at him. When he moved away, the bird alighted on a dead twig, and at last, 

 when about fifty feet up the tree, she made a dart for a limb, and there at a distance 

 of ten feet from the trunk was the nest, which was secured only with difficulty. 



Two beautiful species alone represent the genus Topaza, one being 



King Humming ^ ^^ of Gu j ana) i n w hich the outer tail feathers are cinnamon; 



while the second is T.pyra, from the Rio Negro and Eastern Ecuador, 



distinguished by the purplish-black tint of the same feathers. Both species are 



GUIANAN KING HUMMING BIRD. 

 (Three-fourths natural size.) 



characterized by the tail feather on each side of the middle pair being elongated, 

 curving outward, and then crossing its fellow, as shown in the illustration. 

 Hill Stars In the hummin g birds commonly designated hill stars ( Oreotrochi- 



lus), the beak is relatively short and curved, while the toes are pro- 

 portionately large, and the tail is squared, with narrow feathers. These birds 

 are inhabitants of the higher Andes from Ecuador to Chili, each species having a 



