96 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



THE KING FISHEE- 



THE COMMON HUMMING-BIRD. 



Trochilus coluhris. — LiNiV.eus. 



Description. — The whole upper plu- 

 mage shining' golden green ; wings glossed 

 brownisli black ; tail broad, dusky, outer 

 feathers tipped with white, or rusty 

 white; throat and breast of the male with 

 chantreable ruby-colored, greenish and or- 

 ange reflections; bill black and a little 

 arched ; legs and feet dusky black ; nails 

 very sharp and hooked. Female and 

 young yellowish white beneath. Length 

 3J inches, spread of the wings 4.j inches; 

 lengtii of the bill along the gape 1 inch, 

 nearly. 



History. — Of American Humming- 

 Birds there are said to be upwards of ]U0 

 species, but of the very few species wliicii 

 venture beyond the tropics, this is the 

 only one which visits V^;rinont. It ar- 

 rives in May, and during the summer is 

 seen in all parts of the state collecting its 

 food, which consists of insects and nectar 

 from the various flowers. While many 

 of them e.xtcnd their migrations still fur- 

 ther north, and rear their young on the 

 very confines of the arctic circle, consider- 

 able nujubers of them stop by the way, 

 and not a few of them breed in this state. 

 The puny nest, constructed of lichens and 

 down, cemented together with saliva, is 

 placed upon a large branch of an orchard 

 or forest tree, at heights varying from 4 

 to 40 feet from the ground. The eggs, 2 

 in number, are white, and the period of 

 incubation 10 days. Wliile rearing its 

 young the Huinining-Bird bravely attacks 

 the King Bird and the .Martin, and drives 

 them from the neighborhood of its nest. 



HALCYONS. 



In this order the bill is lonff, sharp- 

 pointed, almost quadrangular and straight, 

 or slightly curved ; feet very short ; tlie 

 tarsus articulated ; the middle toe united 

 with the outer, commonly to the second 

 joint, and with the inner toe to the first 

 articulation. The female and 3'oung dif- 

 fer but little in color from the adult male. 



Genus Alcedo. — LinruBus. 

 Generic Characters. — Bill long, straight, 

 quadrangular, compressed, and sometimes curved 

 at the [)oinl ; nostril basal, lateral, oblique, and 

 nearly closed by a naked membrane ; tongue short 

 and fleshy ; legs and feet short ; tarsus shorter 

 th.m the middle toe; hind nail smallest; wings 

 rather short. 



THE BELTED KING FISHER. 



..'llcedo alcijon. — Linn^us. 



Description. — General color bluish 

 slate ; the primaries, the central parts of 

 the secondaries and of the feathers form- 

 ing the crest, and the shafts generally of 

 the dorsal plumage, pitch black ; a small 

 spot before and another under the eye, 

 spots on the wing and tail feathers and 

 tiieir tips, and all the under plumage, 

 white, except the band around the neck, 

 which is bluish slate; bill straight; claws 

 brownish black ; legs small and short. 

 Length 12 inches; spread 20 inches. Fe- 

 male shorter, with some parts ferruginous 

 and more white on the wings. 



History. — The King Fisher is found 

 along the borders of streams and ponds, 

 in all parts of the United States, and ia 

 quite common in all parts of this state. 

 It feeds principally upon small fishes, 

 which it takes by darting upon them as 

 they are gliding near the surface of the 

 water. The note of the King Fisher is a 

 rough grating crackle. Its nest is formed 

 by ])erforating horizontally the side of a 

 steep bank, in the manner of the Bank 

 Swallow. These perforations sometimes 

 extend 5 or 6 feet into the bank, with an 

 enlargement at the extremity for the re- 

 ception of the nest, which consists only 

 of a few twigs, grass and feathers. The 

 eggs are while, and usually 6 in number. 

 Tiieir period of incubation is IG days. 



THE SWALLOW TRIBE. 



The birds belonging to this order have 

 a very sliort bill, which is iducIi depressed 

 and very wide at the base ; upper mandi- 

 ble curved at the point ; legs short ; three 



