THE HUMMING BIRDS 



1797 



aerial dance is shared by two young males only, but sometimes several take part in 

 it, and the note of the female bird is almost always to be heard in the vicinity. 

 Sometimes one of the young males hung below a thin branch while another one 

 manoeuvred above him, spreading his tail and "snapping." Suddenly in a flash 

 the positions are reversed, and the suspended bird takes the place of the dancer. 

 The old males perform curious antics with the tail, and sometimes actually bring 

 the two rackets close to the crown. Stolzmann has also observed the bird drinking 

 water at a little cascade, of which there are plenty in the country inhabited by the 



TUFTED COQUETTE. 

 (Two-thirds natural size.) 



Loddigesia; this being doubtless the only way in which the bird can appease its 

 thirst. The cry of the young male and of the female is a tsi-tsi-tsi, rapidly repeated 

 while the bird is visiting flowers or executing the manoeuvres described above; when 

 seated they are silent, and the voice of the male has not yet been heard. 



This beautiful little species (Heliadin cornuta} is distinguished by 

 the S litterin S tllfts over the e y es and wedge-shaped tail, the feathers 

 of wnich are "arrowed at the end into a blunt point. The color is a 

 shining grass green, metallic greenish blue on the crown, and inclin- 

 ing to golden on the back; the tufts at the side of the head being metallic purple, 



Bird 



