HUMMING-BIRD. 33 



these case are rare. About the beginning of November they pass 

 the southern boundary of the United States into Florida. 



The Humming-bird is three inches and a half in length, and 

 four and a quarter in extent; the whole back, upper part of the 

 neck, sides under the wings, tail coverts, and two middle 

 feathers of the tail, are of a rich golden green; the tail is forked, 

 and, as well as the wings, of a deep brownish purple; the bill 

 and eyes are black; the legs and feet, both of which are extreme- 

 ly small, are also black; the bill is straight, very slender, a 

 little inflated at the tip, and very incompetent to the exploit of 

 penetrating the tough sinewy side of a crow, and precipitating it 

 from the clouds to the earth, as Charlevoix would persuade his 

 readers to believe. * The nostrils are two small oblong slits, 

 situated at the base of the upper mandible, scarcely perceivable 

 when the bird is dead, though very distinguishable and promi- 

 nent when living; the sides of the belly and belly itself dusky 

 white, mixed with green; but what constitutes the chief orna- 

 ment of this little bird, is the splendour of the feathers of his 

 throat, which when placed in a proper position, glow with all 

 the brilliancy of the ruby. These feathers are of singular 

 strength and texture, lying close together like scales, and vary 

 when moved before the eye from a deep black to a fiery crim- 

 son and burning orange. The female is destitute of this orna- 

 ment; but differs little in other appearance from the male; her 

 tail is tipt with white, and the whole lower parts are of the same 

 tint. The young birds of the first season, both male and female, 

 have the tail tipt with white, and the whole lower parts nearly 

 white; in the month of September the ornamental feathers on 

 the throat of the young males begin to appear. 



On dissection the heart was found to be remarkably large, 

 nearly as big as the cranium; and the stomach, though disten- 

 ded with food, uncommonly small, not exceeding the globe of 

 the eye, and scarcely more than one-sixth part as large as the 

 heart; the fibres of the last were also exceedingly strong. The 



* Hist, de la Nov. France, III, p. 185. 



