HUMMING-BIRD. 



807 



mocking-bird is obliged to yield to his pursuit ; he 

 continually darts around, and striking his bill at the 

 eyes of the intruder, obliges him to fly." This is 

 rather a stoutly made bird ; and though it is not so 

 brilliant as some of the others, it is still a beautiful 

 bird, and one of compact and graceful form, and very 

 powerful wing. There are considerable differences 

 between the plumage of the young and the mature 

 birds ; and as the progress from the one to the other 

 is gradual, the young show considerable differences 

 from each other. In the full-grown male, the upper 

 part is golden green ; and the gorget on the throat 

 and fore neck tine emerald green, and composed of 

 very handsome scale-shaped feathers, which are very 

 changeable in different lights, and even black, when 

 no portion of refracted light from them reaches the 

 eye. Immediately under the gorget there is a patch 

 of dull purplish black on the breast, gradually passing 

 into the green colour of the upper part, and back- 

 wards, and on the flanks passes into brown, while the 

 vent feathers are white. The tail is large and strong, 

 rounded at the extremity, and black at the tip ; but 

 the feathers are purplish brown for more than two- 

 thirds of their length. In the young, the upper part 

 of the body is golden green, as in the mature birds ; 

 but the green gorget on the neck is wanting ; and the 

 whole of that part, as well as the middle of the under 

 part generally, is dull black. This black is more or 

 less broken at the sides, as is also the green on the 

 upper part, and the space between is of a dull whitish 

 colour, with blotches of red brown and green blended 

 together. The middle tail feathers at this age are 

 deep oil-green, and the remaining ones, with the 

 exception of a white spot on the extremity of each, 

 are very like the same feathers on the mature bird. 



GREEN HUMMING-BIRD (L. viridix). This species 

 occurs in some of the West-India islands. It is not 

 so striking in .its plumage, but still it is a very pretty 

 little bird. The whole colour of the plumage is an 

 emerald green, with very little metallic reflections 

 except on the upper tail coverts. The tail is bluish 

 black, with a narrow white margin on the outside of 

 each of the exterior feathers. It is rather a rare 

 species, and few specimens have been brought to 

 Europe. 



BUFFON'S HUMMING-BIRD (Z-. Ruffonn). This is 

 a handsome species, though very little is known re- 

 specting it, not even what country it inhabits ; but it 

 is supposed to be Brazil. That country, however, 

 becomes a sort of Siberia to all humming-birds of 

 which the localities are imperfectly known ; for just 

 as it has been the custom with the describers of mi- 

 grant birds of the eastern continent to send to Siberia 

 every bird for which they could find no resting place, 

 so it has been very much the custom with those who 

 have attempted to describe the appearances and loca- 

 lities of humming birds, to refer to Brazil every one of 

 whose native country they wore ignorant. This bird 

 has the whole clothing feathers, with the exception of 

 those on the vent, between the shoulders, and in the 

 middle of the belly, of the scaly character. The 

 general colour is golden green, passing into brownish 

 green in some parts, and into emerald green in others, 

 while on the under part the tint is more inclined to 

 blue ; and the edges of the feathers are relieved by 

 greyish margins. The under covert of the tail and 

 vent feathers are white, the tail feathers themselves 

 are blackish blue, and the quills are purplish black. 

 The bird is stoutly made, and between five and six 



nches in length ; and altogether of a more robust 

 appearance than very many of the genus. 



PURPLE HUMMING-BIRD (L. Calignd). In its size 

 and form this species bears a considerable resemblance 

 to the last-mentioned ; but the form of the bill is 

 different, being almost entirely straight, while that of 

 he others is slightly bent. The only specimens which 

 lave been examined are understood to have been na- 

 tives of Mexico, or at all events to have been pro- 

 cured from that country. They have, however, been 

 few in number, and the bird is consequently very 

 rare ; because if it were even moderately abundant, 

 its beauty, and the peculiar tint of its plumage, in 

 which it differs from every other known species, 

 would make it sought after with avidity. Rare as it 

 s, however, there is no good reason for supposing 

 ;hat the specimens which have been obtained are co- 

 loured varieties of any other better known species, 

 For the general air and character of the bird are as 

 distinct as the tints of its colour. The general plu- 

 mage is purple, varying on the upper part from pure 

 violet to a very intense and brilliant red, according 

 to the light in which it is seen ; and subdued on the 

 under part with a mixture of a very delicate grey, 

 which is really more beautiful than many of the co- 

 lours that are gayer and more decided in the tint. 

 The colour on the upper part passes from the purple 

 gradually to golden green on the lower part of the 

 back, the rump, and the upper coverts of the tail, 

 with the exception of the last coverts, on which again 

 the purple is predominant. All the feathers on the 

 upper part, from the'base of the bill to the tail coverts, 

 are of the scaly character ; and they increase in size 

 toward the tail. They have metallic reflections of 

 rich lustre throughout the whole extent, but those re- 

 flections rather increase in brilliance as the feathers 

 become larger ; and some of those toward the hinder 

 part show golden yellow and golden green on the 

 margins, and purple on the centre ; the gorget is 

 formed of delicate grey feathers, darker in the centre ; 

 the colour of the whole under part is particularly soft 

 and pleasant, and passes nearly into white on the 

 vent feathers ; the tail feathers are strong and broad, 

 and shortest in the middle, making a slight fork, or 

 rather two lobes with curved extremities ; they are 

 of the same purplish colour as the upper part, and so 

 also are the quills of the wings, but they are without 

 the brilliant reflections; the larger coverts of the 

 wings are of the same purple mixed with green, and 

 the green increases in those which are nearest the 

 body. Altogether, however, there is much less green 

 in this bird than in almost any other of the family. 



BLACK HUMMING-BIRD (L. niger). is another spe- 

 cies, remarkable for the peculiarity of its colour. 

 The prevailing tint is deep black, dashed with a tinge 

 of blue on the head, and of green on the upper part 

 of the back, and the scapulars. The vent and tail 

 feathers are white, but the latter have a band of black 

 across the tips. The female has the general colour 

 much less intense, and inclining to brown ; and the 

 tail is black, with the exception of the outer web of 

 each of the exterior feathers. This is a Brazilian 

 species, but it is not very common. 



There are various other species of this, as well as 

 of the other sub-divisions, which are met with in ex- 

 tensive collections of these singular birds ; and there 

 is no doubt that in proportion as the tropical parts of 

 America are more explored and the exploring of 

 them has now become practicable, and is for other 



