HUMMING-BIRD. 



793 



are for the singular production of supplemental fea- [ 

 thers, not absolutely requisite either for clothing or 

 for flight, which grow from different parts of their 

 bodies, but chiefly from some part or parts of the 

 head or neck. Those feathers growing from the 

 sides of the head, lengthened and stiff, are sometimes 

 so long as to have the appearance of an additional 

 pair of wings, but they are, of course, without any 

 muscles, by which they can be moved to any extent ; 

 and thus they can answer no purpose, save that of a 

 parachute in breaking a fall, which, in birds of so 

 little weight, and so powerfully winged, is not very 

 necessary. These feathers are, we believe, found 

 chiefly, if not exclusively, on the males ; and the pro- 

 bability is, that in many cases, at least, they are nup- 

 tial ornaments, for we find corresponding feathers, 

 though seldom so much developed as some of these 

 appear, upon the males of many other birds about the 

 commencement of the pairing season, which drop off 

 again after that season is over. But as the humming- 

 birds, in tropical countries at least, breed more fre- 

 quently than almost any other birds, therefore with 

 them the season of love occupies a great part of 

 the year, and they in consequence wear their livery 

 in gorgets, crests, ruffs, or ear-tufts, that is, produced 

 feathers issuing from the ear-coverts ; and those fea- 

 thers, which are generally of some very brilliant co- 

 lour, are peculiar in their texture and shape, each of 

 them standing out like a thin but compact scale, 

 which is well defined in its margins, and not easily 

 ruffled. 



As we can afford only a very brief synopsis, inter- 

 spersed with one or two descriptions of such species 

 as have been observed and described with the great- 

 est care, we shall follow the sub-division into five 

 sub-genera, or sub-families, merely for the purpose of 

 breaking the enumeration into shorter portions ; for 

 the distinctions of those sub-divisions are so perfectly 

 artificial, and unconnected with any well established 

 difference of habit in the birds, that they are of no 

 use in promoting the rational knowledge of them. 



SUIJ-DIVISION I. Trochilus. These have the bill 

 very straight, with only the tips of the mandibles 

 slightly bent ; the tail of moderate length, and either 

 square or rounded at the extremity. This sub-divi- 

 sion is mostly confined to the tropical parts of Ame- 

 rica, but they occur on the islands to the eastward, 

 and also to the westward of the main land ; and one 

 at least has been met with on the Island of Juan Fer- 

 nandez, which is nearly five hundred miles distant 

 from the shore, and another species has been observed 

 as far to the northward as California. 



SUPERB HUMMING-BIRD (T. sitperbuz). This spe- 

 cies inhabits the island of Trinidad, and in all proba- 

 bility the adjacent parts of the country. It is bright 

 blue on the top of the head, brilliant purple red on 

 the throat, bordered with a white margin, from which 

 the colour gradually passes into pale grey on all the 

 under part of the body ; while the upper parts are 

 golden green, with rich metallic reflections. The 

 tail is rounded, and has the tip of the exterior fea- 

 ther on each side white. It is seen in the woods, 

 but not very common, and nothing is known of its 

 manners. 



AZURE-CROWNED HUMMING-BIRD (T. quadricolor). 

 This is a very beautiful species, and found chiefly 

 in Brazil, which may be considered as the head quar- 

 ters of the humming-birds. The total length is about 

 three inches and three-quarters ; the bill is very 



straight, rather enlarged at the base, and of a bright 

 yellow colour for the greater part of its length, but 

 black at the tip ; the upper part of the head is covered 

 with a cap of very brilliant blue, extending from the 

 bill to the neck, and passing in a straight line imme- 

 diately under the eyes ; the upper part of the body is 

 of a brilliant golden green, and the under part, includ- 

 ing the under coverts of thr> tail, pure white ; the wings 

 are purplish brown, and very long and falchion 

 shaped ; the tail feathers are greenish on their upper 

 surface, and purplish brown on their under, and they 

 are very compact and strong ; the tarsi are very 

 short, but the toes are furnished with claws of consi- 

 derable length. The young birds have the colours 

 much less pure than the adults. It does not appear 

 that the male of this species has produced feathers 

 upon any part during any season. 



WHITE-STRIPKD HUMMING-BIRD (T. mesolcucos}. 

 This is also a Brazilian species, though it may be 

 found in other parts of South America. The mark- 

 ing from which it gets its name consists of a white 

 stripe extending from the throat, along the middle of 

 the under part ; another, which is slightly crescent- 

 shaped, immediately under the eye ; and a third, 

 much less defined, on the turn of the wing. It is ra- 

 ther a large and stoutly made species, being between 

 four and live inches in length, of which the bill, which 

 is very straight, occupies between a third and a fourth ; 

 the feathers on the head are scale shaped, and of a 

 greenish colour ; the throat is purplish red, extending 

 in a point on each side toward the scapulars ; the 

 upper part and the sides are subdued golden green, 

 rather more intense on the middle of the back ; the 

 quills are purplish brown, with a slight greenish tinge ; 

 and the tail feathers, which are large, and form a 

 slight fork at the extremity, are brownish green, w ith 

 a round white spot near the extremity of each feather. 

 The female resembles the male, except, in having the 

 throat and sides of the neck greyish white. 



DUKE OF RIVOLI'S HUMMING-BIRD (T. Rivo/ii) is 

 a Mexican species, rather smaller than the last men- 

 tioned, and having the bill nearly of the same form, 

 but differing greatly in the colours. The top of the 

 head is intense blue ; the gorget on the throat eme- 

 rald green ; the general plumage deep golden jrreen, 

 remarkable for its varied tints in different lights ; the 

 gorget is separated from the cap on the head by a line 

 of the general colour which passes over the eye, but 

 terminates before it reaches the gape ; the wings are 

 very long and falchion shaped ; and the tail is very 

 broad and straight at the termination. 



CORA HUMMING-BIRD (T. Cora). A figure of 

 this species is given in No. 3 of the plate HUM- 

 MING-BIRDS, from which it will be seen that it is 

 remarkable for the length of the two middle tail 

 feathers, which are longer than the body, being three 

 inches, while that exclusive of the bill is only two ; and 

 the bill, which is very slender, is less than half an inch 

 in length. The upper parts are green, the under parts 

 whitish, the gorget brilliant purple red, and the whole 

 plumage remarkable for its lustre. This is a Peru- 

 vian species, having been observed on the west side 

 of the Andes, between the city of Lima and the shore 

 of the Pacific. 



DOUBLE-CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD (T. cornutiiK}. 

 This is, perhaps, the most brilliant species of the whole 

 race, gay as many of the others are. It is a Brazilian 

 species, found on the elevated plains to the north- 

 ward of the mountains wcstw arc! of Rio, which are so 



