796 



HUMMING-BIRD. 



green ; and the middle of the belly is black. The 

 nest and the habits of the bird are entirely unknown. 

 RECUR VED-BILLED HUMMING-BIRD (T.recurvirostris). 

 This is a much more beautiful species than the former, 

 and the shape of its bill differs still more from that of 

 the majority of the family. It is longer by nearly 

 one half, being about three quarters of an inch, while 

 the entire length is only three inches and a quarter. 

 Thus the body, exclusive of the tail, is little more 

 than an inch long. The bill is strong and black, 

 slightly curved downwards in the basal half of its 

 length, but recurved upwards, beginning at about one 

 the same length as the former, only the tail is shorter, j third from the tip. From the beginning of the recur- 



a very deep golden green, but brilliant in the lustre, 

 and varying in different lights from greenish golden 

 yellow to intense blue. The scaly feathers on the 

 crest and gorget are the most brilliant. The tarsi 

 and toes of this species are remarkably small, but very 

 neatly formed. The female and the young are sup- 

 posed to be without the rich gorget, and to have the 

 under part more or less white ; but they are very im- 

 perfectly known ; and it is not improbable that some 

 of them have been described as different species. 



BLUE AND GRKEN HUMMING-BIRD (T. ci/anejis). 

 This species is also a native of Brazil, and nearly of 



and though not so handsomely formed, it is a stouter 

 bird. The bill is very nearly straight, of a bright 

 yellow colour, a little enlarged at the base, and again 

 near the tip, but with the points of the mandibles 

 very sharp. The top of the head is dull green, but 

 in particular lights it changes to the most intense 

 ultramarine blue. The throat is of varying grey 

 and blue, according as the light falls. The breast is 

 nearly the same colours as the top of the head ; the 

 upper parts are golden green, with reflections of blue 

 in some lights ; and a streak from the eye to the 

 shoulder on each side of the neck changes to golden 

 yellow in some lights. The belly is brownish green ; 

 the tail feathers blackish blue; and the wings purplish 

 grey. Nothing whatever is known of the plumage of 

 the young or the female. 



There are two or three other Brazilian species 

 which resemble, in many respects, one or another of 

 those last enumerated as inhabiting that country ; but 

 as they are known only as museum specimens, and 

 are rare as such, we cannot be certain whether they 

 are really species or merely some of the others in 

 different states of plumage. There still remain one 

 or two species, however, of this division which de- 

 serve notice, from the peculiar structure of the bill, 

 which is curved upwards at the tip, nearly in the form 

 of that of the avocets ; but what particular purpose 

 this singular form of bill serves in the economy of the 

 birds has not been ascertained. So far as is known, 

 they are found only in the Andes, and chiefly in 

 Peru. They are both rare, and not much is known 

 of their history. The two differ considerably in the 

 markings of their colours, and the contour of the head, 

 and also in the curvature of the bill ; but in size, in 

 general structure, and in the air and expression of 

 the body, they are so much alike as to warrant us in 

 concluding that there is a great similarity in their 

 manners. 



AVOCET-BILI/ED HUMMING-BIRD (T. (IVOCettO). Th'lS 



is not a large species, but it is stouter both in the 

 body and the legs than most of the humming-birds. 

 It measures about three inches and a half in length, 

 of which the bill takes up rather more than half an 

 inch. The bill is very strong for the size of the bird, 

 of a black colour, straight in the greater part, but 

 turned upwards at the tip, where both mandibles are 

 flattened, and very fine and sharp at the points ; the 

 gape extends far backwards, nearly to the eye, though 

 under it in position, and indicates that the bird is in 

 the habit of opening its bill widely for some purpose 

 or other; the crown of the head, and all the upper 

 parts generally, including the lesser coverts of the 

 wings, are golden green, passing into greyish white 

 along the sides of the neck, the shoulders, and the 

 flanks ; and backward to the under tail coverts ; the 

 chin, throat, and upper part of the breast are emerald 



vature to within a short distance of the tip, the upper 

 mandible is furnished on each side with small teeth 

 reflected backwards, evidently showing that the bill 

 is formed for seizing some solid substance, probably 

 insects of some description or other, but of what kind 

 or in what situation it is not easy to say. The whole 

 anterior and upper part of the body is brilliant 

 green, with rich metallic reflections, bluish in the tint 

 on the upper part, and bright emerald on the throat 

 and breast. The flanks are also pale golden green, 

 ending in scallops at their under edge ; and the mid- 

 dle of the belly is greyish white ; the downy feathers 

 upon the tibiae and the vent feathers are pure white ; 

 the tail is long and strong, but wedge-shaped ; they 

 are of various colours, being golden green in the 

 middle, bluish at the sides, and showing bright cop- 

 per or bronze reflections in some lights ; the tarsi and 

 toes are marked with alternate narrow rings of light 

 and dark colour ; the wings are very long, and fal- 

 chion shaped, and of a blackish purple colour. We 

 shall quote a short passage from Mr. Swainson, with 

 reference to this and the preceding species. " The 

 extraordinary formation," says Mr. S., "in the bill of 

 this beautiful little creature is without parallel in any 

 land bird yet described, and presents in miniature a 

 striking resemblance to that of the avocet. It is 

 almost impossible to conjecture rightly the use of this 

 singular formation ; but it appears to me not impro- 

 bable that the principal sustenance of the bird may 

 be drawn from the pendent bignoniaceae and other 

 similar plants, so common in South America, whose 

 corollae are long, and generally bent in their tube ; 

 the nectar, being at the bottom, could not be reached 

 either by a straight or curved bill, though very easily 

 by one corresponding to the shape of the flower. 



" Bill black, depressed along the whole length, but 

 more especially at the tip, which is rounded, thin, 

 obtuse, and recurved in both mandibles, the under of 

 which, towards the middle, has a convex swelling, 

 which gives the recurvature a stronger appearance. 

 All the upper plumage and body beneath golden 

 green; from the breast to the vent is a stripe of black 

 down the middle ; thighs white ; tail even ; the two 

 middle feathers dull greenish blue, the rest above 

 obscure coppery brown, but beneath of a rich shining 

 topaz colour." 



SUB-DIYISION II. Cynanthus. The birds of this 

 subdivision also have the bill straight, or nearly so ; 

 but they differ from the former in having the tail very 

 long and forked. They appear to range over a 

 greater extent of latitude than those of the first sub- 

 division. 



NORTHERN HUMMING-BIRD (C. colubris). This 

 species gets its common English name from being 

 found in situations much more northerly th,an any of 

 the others. It is the one which was first known in 



