BED-THROATED HUMMING BIRD. 265 



Description Habits. 



RED-TI1RO4TED HUMMING BIRD. 



THE length of this diminutive creature is a 

 little more than three inches, of which its bill 

 occupies three quarters of an inch. The male is 

 green gold on the upper part with a changeable 

 copper gloss : the under parts grey. The throat 

 and forepart of the neck are of a ruby colour; in 

 some lights as bright as fire. When viewed 

 sideways, the feathers appear mixed with gold, 

 and beneath of a dull garnet colour. The two 

 middle feathers of the tail are the same as the 

 upper plumage, and the rest are brown. The 

 female, instead of the bright ruby throat, has 

 only a few obscure small brown spots; and all 

 the outer tail-feathers, which in the male are 

 plain, are in the female tipped with while. The 

 bill and legs are black in both sexes. 



This beautiful little creature is as admirable 

 for its vast swiftness in the air, and its manner of 

 feeding, as for the elegance and brilliancy of its 

 colours. The motions of its wings is so rapid, as to 

 render it imperceptible to the nicest observer, and 

 it never feeds but upon the wing, suspended over 

 the flower which it extracts nourishment from. 

 It admires most those flowers that have the deep- 

 est tubes; and in the countries which these birds 

 inhabit, whoever sets plants of this description 

 before his windows is sure to be visited by mul- 

 titudes of them. It is very entertaining to see 

 VOL. in. NO. xxi. 2 L 



