THE CAYENNE FAIRY. 181 



is a dark olive-brown. The female has none of the ruby patches on the head, but retains a 

 little of the topaz on the throat. 



A VERT striking and remarkable bird, whose long forked tail extends to an astonish- 

 ing length, is the BLUE-TAILED SYLPH (Cynanthus cyanurus). It is one of the most beau- 

 tiful of the birds which are called by the name of Sylphs, in allusion to their beautiful form 

 and graceful movements. 



This beautiful bird is found in the temperate regions of the Andes, its range extending as 

 far as Panama. It also inhabits the sides of the Cordilleras, at an elevation of five or ten 

 thousand feet above the level of the sea, as the vegetation of those regions is most luxuriant 

 in spite of the coldness of the climate, and affords plentiful nourishment for the Humming- 

 birds. The flower on which it usually feeds is the Sedum quitense, and its flight is extremely 

 rapid as it darts from one flower to another. 



In the male bird the crown of the head is of a metallic golden-green, and the general color 

 of the body is a bronze-green, becoming browner on the under parts. Upon the throat is a 

 gorget of the most intense purple-blue, and the wings are purple-brown. The two central 

 feathers of the magnificent tail are shining metallic-green, the two next are black at their base 

 and rich blue towards their extremities, and tipped and edged with bright metallic-green, 

 "shot" with blue. The outer feathers are black for the first half of their length, and the 

 remaining portion is metallic steely-blue. Some white feathers are scattered across the end of 

 the abdomen, the under tail-coverts are green, and there is a little white dab above the eye 

 and another behind it. 



The female is something like the male, but not so bright in coloring. The throat is grayish- 

 white covered with green spots, and the abdomen is rusty-red, changing into bronze-green 

 upon the flanks. The young male is duller in color than the adult, the tail is shorter, 

 and there is no blue part upon the throat. Like many other of the Humming-birds, this 

 species is extremely variable in its coloring, especially among the young males. The 

 length of this species is about seven inches. It is not, however, so remarkable for the 

 length of its tail as the TRAIN-BEARER (Lesbia amaryllis], a native of Quito. This bird, 

 although a small creature, possesses a long and very straight tail, something like that of 

 the Polytmus or the Sappho, but much larger in proportion, the length of the elongated 

 feathers being nearly six inches. 



ONE of the most striking forms among the Humming-birds is that which is exhibited by 

 DE LALANDE'S PLOVER-CREST. 



This singular bird is remarkable from the fact that the elevated plume which is placed 

 upon the head is terminated by a single feather, instead of being double, as is usually the case 

 with crested birds. This species inhabits the southern parts of Brazil. The nest which it 

 builds is very pretty, and is ingeniously woven into a tuft of leaves or twigs at the extremity 

 of some very slender branch, so that the whole structure droops downwards, and may be 

 reckoned among the pensile nests. Its form is much elongated, and the materials of which it 

 is composed are delicate pieces of roots, mosses and lichens, and spiders' webs. 



The male bird is the sole possessor of the beautiful crest, the female being without 

 that decoration. The crest and the top of the head are bright green, with the exception 

 of the long single feather, which is jetty black. The upper surface is green washed with 

 bronze, and the breast and abdomen are of an intense shining violet. Behind the eye there 

 is a small white streak. 



A HUMMING-BIRD, which in the accompanying illustration is represented with outspread 

 wings and a rather curiously formed tail, is the CAYENNE FAIRY (Heliothrix auritus), an 

 inhabitant of Guiana, Cayenne, and the forests near the mouth of the Amazon. 



In the male, the general hue of the upper surface is glossy golden-green, very light on 

 the forehead. The four middle feathers of the tail are blue-black, and the three exterior 

 'eathers are white. A jettv black line is drawn across each side of the face, including the 



