MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 33 



gin, and the swamp, and hunt around the woods for 

 those insects of crepuscular habits, on which they 

 subsist ; while the beautiful Sun-birds of the Old 

 World, amidst the glare of day, seek the flowers from 

 which to sip the nectar ; and the Humming-birds 

 of the New World, glittering with dazzling bril- 

 liancy, poise themselves around the blossoms, to 

 pluck from them the insects which there lie hid. In 

 Australia, the Honey-eaters, more retired, creep 

 among the foliage, and find their food in the flowers 

 of the Eucalypti and other plants. In all parts of the 

 world the Creepers are seen climbing the trunks and 

 branches of trees, in search of the minute creatures 

 which conceal themselves in the fissures of the bark ; 

 while the Fly-catchers enjoy a like extended range, 

 charming the woods with their song, or enlivening 

 them by their activity ; and among the trees which 

 border streams their short and fitful flight may 

 often be seen, as they dart forth to seize some pass- 

 ing insect. Pasture lands are the resort of the Star- 

 lings and the noisy Crows; the sterile expanse and 

 sandy deserts of Africa and Asia furnish subsistence 

 and a home for the Sand-grouse ; the Plovers fre- 

 quent the moorland and the plain ; the sly and 

 timid Rails seek their food and screen themselves 

 from observation amidst the long rank grass and 

 sedge which grow in the marsh ; along the swamps, 

 the sandy margin of the stream, or the sea-shore, in 

 all parts of the world, may be heard the whistle of 

 the Curlew, the Sandpiper, and the Snipe, some re- 

 presentative being every where found; while the 



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