182 NA T U RE-STUD Y RE VIE W [13 :5— May, 1917 



passes the winter. Yec it is true and the hummingbird has a much 

 longer migration than most of our common birds, and its winter 

 companions instead of being the squirrels, chick-a-dees, and war- 

 blers we know are parrots, canagers, howling monkeys and jaguars. 

 In North, Central and South America there are over five hundred 

 different kinds of hummingbirds, and there are none in any other 

 part of the world. Only the Sunbirds of Africa and che Birds of 

 Paradise compare with them in the glory of their colors. Yet to 

 show these colors hummingbirds must be seen in only a certain 

 way for their glow "goes out" like a light turned off when the bird 

 changes from one angle of light to another. 



In the brilliant forests of South America or high in the Andes 

 above the growth of trees, a dark dull moth-like little thing, bob- 

 bing from flower to flower or shrub to shrub will suddenly catch 

 the right light and burst into gorgeous green, yellow, red, blue or 

 purple flame for an instanc, only to "go out" again with the next 

 dash or poise. Most of their brilliant colors are on the head, throat 

 and breast but many have enormously long tails of fiery red, green, 

 or blue, and all but one must be seen from in front to show their 

 brilliancy. There is one, however, all rust-red except for the back 

 between the wings and tail, where the feathers are intensely 

 glittering, light green above, passing chrough pink to gleaming 

 lilac. I have often wondered why this one kind should go against 

 the rule of all the others, and show his brightness only from behind ! 

 But he does. 



Many questions come up when we think about these lovely little 

 things : why did only two kinds out of over five hundred get into 

 the way of migrating — leaving the warm tropics and flying far, far 

 north to build their nests and raise their babies? How, indeed, 

 did chese two kinds get started in their habit ? 



The biggest hummingbird of all is a dull, ruscy brown bird as 

 big as a chimney swift. The smallest is. an inch long without the 

 bill — about the size of a bumble-bee. Indeed, his Latin name is 

 Bombus, which means bumble-bee. 



Hummers are brave little mites, as the one I told of at first has 

 shown. They do not hesitate to angrily attack a crow or hawk, 

 and usually drive them quickly away when they come near their 

 nests. Many kinds are especially beautifully fitted for their parti- 

 cular lives. One kind has a bill four inches long, for feeding in 

 deep trumpet flowers; others have short needle-sharp bills to 



