H U M M I N G - B I R U. 



795 



and .-ides of the neck, are scale-shaped, and remark- 

 able for the countless number of tints which they dis- 

 play. The top of the head and neck are well defined 

 in their contrast with the adjoining- plumage ; but it 

 is difficult to say what is the real colour ; when the 

 light is simply reflected, the colour is dull reddish 

 brown ; when it falls a little slantingly, so as to pro- 

 duce refraction, the lustre becomes metallic ; and 

 when the light falls so obliquely as to bring out the 

 full reflection, the colour is rich ruby red, and the 

 lustre not inferior to that of the gem. The scaly 

 feathers on the throat and breast are dull greenish 

 brown by simple reflection ; but different retractions 

 bring them up through every tint of golden green to 

 a fine topaz yellow. The remaining parts are rich 

 brown, except the vent feathers, which are white. 

 The wings are purplish brown with faint reflections 

 of green ; and the tail, which i? very large and 

 strong, and capable of very extended and rapid 

 motion, is delicate reddish brown, with a dark cres- 

 cent-shaped border on the extremity of each feather. 

 This species is very generally distributed, being found 

 in almost all the West-India islands, and also gene- 

 rally over the continental part of tropical America. 

 It builds a very neat nest, constructed of small bits of 

 lichen externally, and neatly lined with vegetable 

 down. The female differs considerably from the male. 

 It is small, and bright golden green above, with the 

 two middle feathers of the tail bronze green, and a 

 bar of the same on the other feathers near their basis, 

 while the tips, which in the male are darker than the 

 rest of the feathers, are white in the female. The 

 female also wants the rich scaly feathers, and is grey- 

 ish brown on the under part. 



MAGNIFICENT HUMMING-BIRD (T. magnificus). The 

 application of superlative names either to birds or to 

 flowers is generally rather an unfortunate matter ; for 

 it very frequently happens that after the finest name 

 that can be thought of has been given to one species, 

 another species of far greater beauty is discovered, 

 to which only a common name can be app'ied. This 

 is the case with the present species of humming-bird, 

 which is much inferior, both in form and in plumage, 

 to many of the others. It is golden green above, the 

 same colour but much less bright on the under part, 

 emerald green on the throat, and gorget, and the 

 crown in the male, which is chestnut for part of its 

 length, and then white with black tips to the feathers. 

 The female is without the crest, and has the gorget 

 chestnut colour. It is a Brazilian species. 



RED-NECKED HUMMING-BIRD (T. rufus). This 

 species is not so brilliant in its general plumage as 

 some of the others ; but the colours are finely con- 

 trasted, and the shape of the bird is handsome. The 

 cap, which reaches only to the top of the head, and 

 the feathers on the turn of the wings, are green. The 

 general plumage of the body is salmon colour, fading 

 into greyish white on the breast. The gorget of 

 scale-shaped feathers, which extends on each side, of 

 a brilliant cinnamon red, which varies in different 

 lights. The female is greenish in the general plu- 

 mage, except a few spots of cinnamon colour on the 

 breast. 



GOULD'S HUMMING-BIRD (T. Gouldii). This is a 

 singularly formed and very handsome species, found 

 somewhere in tropical America, but the particular 

 locality is not known. In the form of its body and 

 its ornamental feathers, it resembles the tufted necked 

 species, which we have already described ; but it is 



very different in the colours of its plumage. The 

 forehead is green, the crest bright red, of a chestnut 

 tinge, the scaly feathers on the breast very bright, 

 green, the wings and external feathers of the tail 

 greyish purple, the back and middle tail feathers 

 golden green, and the under part dark brownish 

 green ; the tufts which spring from the sides of the 

 neck are, however, the most singular parts of the 

 plumage. They are large, shaped something like the 

 wings of a butterfly, of a pure white, with the excep- 

 tion of the tips, which terminate in perfectly circular 

 spots of brilliant green. These spots form a border 

 round the under edges of the tufts ; and there are a 

 few feathers in front, which are much shorter than 

 those that give shape to the tuft, and unequal in their 

 lengths, so that they form detached green spots upon 

 the white ground of the tuft. This species, as is 

 indeed the case with the greater number, is known 

 only as a museum specimen ; but it is presumed to 

 inhabit the same countries as the tufted-necked one, 

 which it resembles in so many respects. 



DUCHESS OF RIVOLI'S HUMMING-BIRD (T. Anna). 

 This species is an inhabitant of California, and has 

 only been known for a few years, while its habits are 

 still" unknown to us. It is not quite three inches and 

 a half in length, of which the bill and tail make up 

 nearly one half, so that the body is small. It is a 

 compact little bird, however, and powerfully winged. 

 The most characteristic marking is the cap on the 

 head, which is united to the gorget, with the excep- 

 tion of a black streak extending from the eye forward 

 to the gape. This cap descends toward the nape, 

 is produced in a large lobe on each side of the neck, 

 and scalloped in the lower margin of the throat. It is 

 composed of scale-shaped feathers, small at the base 

 of the bill, but gradually increasing in size to the ter- 

 mination, where each feather forms a scallop. The 

 colour is very rich purple red, changing into vari- 

 ous tints in different lights. The upper parts, includ- 

 ing the rump and the lesser coverts of the wings, are 

 bright golden green ; the wings are purplish brown ; 

 and the tail, which is slightly forked, is brown, with 

 the exception of the two middle feathers, which are 

 bronzed green, with bright metallic reflections. The 

 under part is yellowish white immediately below the 

 gorget, passing into greenish grey on the belly, and 

 into whitish on the under tail coverts. Enough of 

 the manners of the bird are not known for enabling 

 us to determine whether it is resident in California 

 all the year round, or only a summer visitant, as the 

 northern humming-bird is in the United States, and 

 the other species, which appear farther north on the 

 west coast of North America, are understood to be. 



GOLDEN-GREEN HUMMING-BIRD (T.prasina). This 

 is a very small species, but it is remarkable for the 

 intensity of its colour, and the energy of its expres- 

 sion. The body and tail are about two inches in 

 length, and the bill is nearly two-thirds of an inch ;. 

 the wings are long ; the tail is stout, and strongly 

 supported by coverts; the crown of the head and the 

 throat and breast are covered with scale-shaped fea- 

 thers ; and there are produced feathers on the sides 

 of the neck, consisting of a pointed row downwards 

 from the eye, and a row of scale feathers from the 

 base of the bill, passing immediately in front of the 

 former; then a series of three or four enlarged scale- 

 shaped feathers turned backward from the gorget as 

 far as the scapulars. With the exception of the vent 

 feathers, which are whitish, the whole plumr.ge is of 



