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HUMMING-BIRD. (Trochilm.) The 

 birds included in the family of Trochilidte, 

 or Humming-birds, are at once the most 

 diminutive and the most brilliantly coloured 

 of the whole feathered race. Their vivacity, 

 swiftness, and singular appearance, unite in 

 rendering them the admiration of mankind j 

 while their colours are so radiant that we 

 can only compare their peculiar splendour 

 with the brilliancy of polished metals and 

 1 the superior lustre of the ruby, the sapphire, 

 or the emerald. This is their general cha- 

 racter ; but there are some species whose 

 plumage is comparatively obscure, exhibit- 

 ing only a golden-green tinge, diffused over 

 the brown or purplish colour of the back 

 and wings. In size they vary from that of 

 a wren to a humble-bee ; the muscles of 

 their wings are very strong, and their plu- 

 mage dense and compact : they are almost 

 ever in motion; and the velocity with which 

 they dart through the air, and the rapidly- 

 vibrating motion of their wings, are quite 

 inconceivable. These lovely gems of ani- 

 mated nature are peculiar to America, and 

 almost exclusively tropical : some species, 

 however, migrate into the temperate regions 

 on either side of the equator during the 

 warm season ; and stragglers have occasion- 

 ally been met with even in cold situations. 

 They are characterized by a long and ex- 

 tremely slender bill, inclosing an extensile 

 and retractile tongue, which is divided into 

 two filaments from the middle to the tip, by 

 which they extract the nectar and the small 

 insects which may lurk in the recesses of 

 flowers. Their feet are very small, their 

 wings long and narrow ; the mechanism of 

 their whole form being, in fact, like that of 

 the Swift, formed for rapid and powerful 

 flight. When hovering before a flower, they 

 seem suspended in the air, rather than sus- 

 tained by the vigorous movement of their 

 pinions ; and it is to the constant murmur 

 or buzzing sound, caused by the rapid vibra- 

 tion of them, that these beautiful little crea- 

 tures derive their name. How greatly they 

 must add to the richness of a Transatlantic 

 landscape, when fluttering from flower to 

 flower in the morning sunbeams J 



" Wherever a creeping vine opens its fra- 

 grant clusters, or wherever a tree- flower 

 blooms, may these little things be seen. In 

 the garden or in the woods, over the water, 

 every where they are darting about ; of all 

 sizes, from one that might easily be mistaken 

 for a diiferent variety of bird, to the tiny 

 Hermit (T. rttfigaster), whose body is not 

 half the size of the bees buzzing about the 

 same sweets. Sometimes they are seen 

 chasing each other in sport with a rapidity 

 of flight and intricacy of path the eye is 

 puzzled to follow. Again circling round 

 and round, they rise high in mid air, then 

 dart off like light to some distant attraction. 

 Perched upon a little limb, they smooth their 

 plumes and seem to delight in their dazzling 

 hues i then starting off leisurely, they skim 

 along, stopping capriciously to kiss the co- 

 quetting flowerets. Often two meet in mid 

 air and furiously fight, their crests and the 

 feathers upon their throats all erected and 

 blazing, and altogether pictures of the most 



violent rage. Several times we saw them 

 battling with large black bees, who frequent 

 the same flowers, and may be supposed often 

 to interfere provokingly. Like lightning 

 our little heroes would come down, but the 

 coat of shining mail would ward their 

 furious strokes. Again and again would 

 they renew the attack, until their anger had 

 expended itself by its own fury, or until 

 the apathetic bee, once roused, had put 

 forth powers that drove the invader from 

 the field." Edwarda's Voyage up the 

 Amnson. 



The Humming-birds are generally divided 

 into two classes those with curved bills, 

 and those whose bills are straight. We 

 shall endeavour to give a description of the 

 most remarkable species ; reserving some of 

 them for insertion under the article Trochi- 

 lidce. Their nests are very beautifully con- 

 structed, being usually composed of vegeta- 

 ble down, such as that of the cotton-plant 

 or silk-cotton tree ; and being covered on 

 the outside with bits of lichen, leaves, moss, 

 &c. Sometimes they arc suspended from 

 the extremities of twigs of the orange, the 

 pomegranate, or the citron-tree ; and some- 

 times from a house, provided they can find 

 convenient twigs for the purpose : for it is 

 to be observed, that although these birds are 

 most numerous in the dense forests, where 

 the wild blossoms almost vie with themselves 

 in splendour, they are also seen in the gar- 

 dens of cultivated districts, and do not 

 appear at all disinclined to the society of 

 Man, though it is very difficult to keep them 

 in a state of domestication. The Humming- 

 bird is very irascible, two males scarcely 

 ever meeting without a contest ensuing : 

 they will also attack birds of a much larger 

 size, as wrens or king-birds, and they some- 

 times even have contests for a flower with the 

 humble-bee. 



TOPAZ-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. (TVo- 

 I'liilim pella.) Both in size and colours this 

 species is decidedly superior to any others of 

 the curve-billed kind. Its body is as large 

 as that of a wren ; and from the tip of the 

 bill to the end of the two long-tailed fea- 

 thers, it measures from eight to ten inches. 

 The upper part of the head and neck are of 

 a glossy black, the back and smaller wing- 

 coverts being of a fine deep orange-purple 

 colour ; the throat and part of the neck is 

 of the most splendid topaz yellow, changing 

 from the lustre of polished gold to deep 

 emerald green, according to the situations 

 in which it is viewed : the topaz-coloured 

 plumage is separated from the breast and 

 sides of the neck by a black line, beneath 

 which the whole breast and sides are of a 

 deep but shining purple rose-colour : the 

 wings are of a purplish brown ; the rump of 

 a bright gross-green ; and the tail orange- 

 purple, except the two middle feathers, which 

 are purple-brown, of a narrow shape, and 

 pointed at the tips, and exceed the rest in 

 length by about four inches. The bill is 

 moderately long, curved, and black ; the 

 legs are also black. The female is far less 

 brilliant than the male, being of a dark 

 coppery-green colour, with dusky wings, and 



