174 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



the chimneys of the village against these beneficent birds whose only- 

 offense is to make a little noise by starting too early in the morning in 

 pursuit of our enemies. 



Suborder TROCHILI 



Family THOCHILIDAB 



Hummingbirds 



Bill long and slender; palate schizognathous ; the sternum deeply 

 keeled, not notched; no manubrium; ambiens, semitendinosus and its 

 accessory are wanting; femoro-caudal present; the oil gland bare; tail with 

 10 rectrices; primaries 10; secondaries only 6 and very short; feet very 

 small, the hallux incumbent; radius arched; carpus very much elongated; 

 tongue protrusible like that of woodpeckers; the left carotid artery only 

 is developed; nostrils linear. 



This family averages the smallest in size of all the aves. The 

 coloration is usually brilliant with metallic iridescence. The sexes are 

 unlike. Voices harsh or insectlike. Disposition pugnacious. The 

 nest is usually a model of skill, very neatly constructed of fibers or 

 downy substances and usually ornamented, at least in our native species, 

 with various lichens or mosses which render it inconspicuous. The eggs 

 in this family are 2 in number as is the case with goatsuckers, but they are 

 pure white in color and almost elliptical in shape. The young are helpless 

 when hatched, nearly bare, and are fed for some time in the nest by the 

 process of regurgitation, the parent bird forcing the bill well down the 

 youngster's throat and discharging the contents of her crop into the 

 youngster's stomach. The family is evidently of neotropical origin, the 

 565 species being confined to America, only one inhabiting the eastern 

 United States. 



Hummers do not subsist entirely upon nectar or the honey of flowers, 

 as many believe, but are really insectivorous birds, devouring a considerable 

 number of small spiders, ants and various kinds of insects that are attracted 

 to the flowers which they visit. In this way they render a considerable 

 service to the agriculturist and are also valuable servants in cross-pol- 

 linating many species of flowers, sharing this important office with the 



