178 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



abundance of red blossom, which stays on the tree some 

 weeks; then it is that most of the different species of 

 humining-birds are very plentiful. The wild red sage is 

 also their favourite shrub, and they buzz like bees round 

 the blossom of the wallaba-tree. Indeed, there is scarce a 

 flower in the interior, or on the sea-coast, but what receives 

 frequent visits from one or other of the species. 



On entering the forests, on the rising land in the interior, 

 the blue and green, the smallest brown, no bigger than the 

 humblebee, with two long feathers in the tail, and the little 

 forked-tail purple-throated humming-birds, glitter before 

 you in ever-changing attitudes. One species alone never 

 shows his beauty to the sun ; and were it not for his lovely 

 shining colours, you might almost be tempted to class him 

 with the goatsuckers on account of his habits. He is the 

 largest of all the humming-birds, and is all red and changing 

 gold green, except the head, which is black. He has two 

 long feathers in the tail, which cross each other, and these 

 have gained him the name of Karabimiti, or Ara humming- 

 bird, from the Indians. You never find him on the 

 sea-coast, or where the river is salt, or in the heart of the 

 forest, unless fresh water be there. He keeps close by the 

 side of woody fresh-water rivers and dark and lonely 

 creeks. He leaves his retreat before sunrise to feed on the 

 insects over the water ; he returns to it as soon as the sun's 

 rays cause a glare of light, is sedentary all day long, and 

 comes out again for a short time after sunset. He builds 

 his nest on a twig over the water in the unfrequented 

 creeks ; it looks like tanned cow-leather. 



As you advance towards the mountains of Demerara, 

 other species of humming-birds present themselves before 

 you. It seems to be an erroneous opinion that the hum- 

 ming-bird lives entirely on honey-dew. Almost ever}' 

 flower of the tropical climate contains insects of one kind 



