344 THE COPPER-BELLIED PUFF-LEG. 



glossed with green, the throat is deep metallic purple, and upon the up- 

 per part of the chest is placed a large crescent-shaped mark of buff. The 

 abdomen is bronze, with a gray spot in its centre, and there is a buff 

 spot on each flank. The under tail-coverts are of a greenish hue. 



The female does not possess the long tail, and her colors are golden- 

 green above and reddish buff below. The tail is very curiously marked. 

 The central feathers are entirely gold-green ; the exterior feathers are 

 rusty red at their base, black for a considerable portion of their length, 

 and tipped with white. 



Several of the Humming-birds are remarkable for a tuft of pure 

 white downy feathers which envelops each leg, and which has obtained 

 for them the popular title of Puff-legs, because the white tufts bear 

 some resemblance to a powder-puff. The Copper-bellied Puff-leg 

 is an inhabitant of Santa Fe de Bogota, and is a very common bird in 

 that locality. It may easily be found, as it is a remarkably local bird, 

 being confined to a narrow strip or belt of land which possesses the req- 

 uisite characteristics of temperature and vegetation. 



It is a very beautiful little bird, and both the sexes are nearly similar 

 in their color and general appearance, except that in the female the 

 puffs of white down are not so large or so conspicuous as in her mate. 

 In the adult male the top of the head, the sides of the neck, and the 

 back are green washed with a decided tint of bronze, except upon the 

 upper tail-coverts, where the green is very pure and of a metallic bril- 

 liancy. As is generally the case with Humming-birds, the fine and 

 sharply-cut wings are brown washed with purple. The tail is black, 

 with a purple gloss in a side light. The throat is of a beautiful shining 

 metallic green, and the general color of the breast and under portions 

 of the body is green glossed with gold, with the exception of the abdo- 

 men, where the green takes a coppery hue, from which the bird has 

 received its popular name. The " puffs " are of a snowy whiteness, and 

 look like refined swan's-down. 



The female is very similar in color, except that the hues of the throat 

 are not possessed of so metallic a brilliancy, and, as has already been 

 stated, the leg-tufts are comparatively small. 



We have in the Racket-tailed Humming-birds one of those singular 

 forms which are so often found among these strange little birds. 



The White-booted Racket-tail inhabits the Columbian Andes, 

 and is very common near Santa Fe de Bogota. It is a hill-loving bird, 

 being generally found at an elevation of five or ten thousand feet above 

 the level of the sea. It is thought to be confined within the third and 

 tenth degrees of north latitude. This bird is remarkably swift of wing, 

 its darting flight reminding the spectator of the passage of an arrow 

 through the air. At one time it will hover close to the ground, hang- 

 ing over some favorite flower and extracting the sweet contents of the 



