Zoological Society. 154 
as having feet formed for walking, but the Paradise Bird shuns the 
bottom of the cage, as if afraid of soiling its delicate plumage ; for 
I must observe, that it is always as clean and wemless as it is gay 
and splendid. The Creator, who has poured so much beauty upon 
it, has also endowed it with an instinct to delight in these charms, 
and with wisdom to preserve them in their fullest integrity. In the 
wild state it is not unlikely that they catch their prey upon the wing, 
either by taking it in flight, like the swallow, or by darting upon it, 
like the Drongo Shrike, as it passes by the seat of its pursuer. 
_ “The form and disposition of the pennons afford it the power of 
floating gracefully upon the breeze, not of cutting the air in rapid 
flight. The ease with which it glides upon the aure must be in- 
creased by the hypochondrial feathers, which are lifted up and dis- 
played in the act of flying. The hypochondrial feathers are yellow 
at the base, whitening towards the end, with brown shafts. The 
shortness of the vanes makes them resemble the teeth of a saw near 
the end. ‘The tail-coverts with long toothed shafts. The feet and 
legs are of a dark leaden blue. They are strong, and grasp the perch 
with great ease and firmness.” 
Mr. Fraser pointed out the characters of several new species of 
Humming-birds, which had been placed in his hands by the Earl of 
Derby for that purpose, and that they might be exhibited at one of 
the Society’s scientific meetings. These birds were obtained at S® 
Fé de Bogota, and the collection contained eighteen species, a great 
portion of which being undescribed, were thus characterized :— 
Trocuitus Exortis. T. rostro quam caput paululim longiore ; 
caudd nigrescente, latissimd, subfurcatd ; colore viridi; pectore 
ceruleo enitente; maculd frontali splendide viridi ; lacinid gulari 
purpurascenti-rubrd nitore ceruleo ; menti plumis ceruleis ; crisso 
albo. 
Long. tot. 4 unc.; rostri, 3; ale, 24; caude, 23. 
Hab. Guaduas, Columbia. 
This species is of moderate size ; the general colour of its plumage 
is deep rich green, with bronze reflections; the wings are dusky, 
with the upper and under coverts of the same green tint as the body : 
the two central tail-feathers are tinted with bronze, both above and 
beneath ; the remaining tail-feathers, which are broad, are black, but 
in certain lights a very obscure purplish-green hue is observable ; 
the feathers on the forehead are more compact than the remaining 
feathers of the head; in some lights they appear to be of a black 
colour, edged with green; in others they exhibit a most brilliant 
green lustre. 7 
TROCHILUS CUPREO-VENTRIS. T. rostro quam caput paululim lon- 
giore ; caudd brevi, subfurcatd : femoribus albis ; colore splendid 
viridi, aureo et cupreo enitente ; crisso purpurascenti-ceruleo ; pri- 
mariis nigrescentibus ; caudd nigrd, purpureo tinctd. 
Long. tot. 42 unc. ; rostri, 1; ale, 23; caude, 1. 
_ This species is remarkable for the richness of its colouring; in 
