110 PASSERES. TROCHILID^E. 



nest only with its feet, on tiptoe, as it were, and 

 vibrate its wings as if hovering in flight, for minutes 

 together. At length it fairly took its flight out 

 at the window. Both these were females. 



The young male, when ready to leave the nest, 

 has the throat and breast metallic-green as above, 

 the belly-feathers blackish, with large tips of green ; 

 the tail black with green reflections, untipped. 

 A male which I obtained in May, and which I 

 take to be the young of the preceding winter, 

 has the green on the head, mingled with black, 

 the disks of the feathers being green with a black 

 border. The emerald green of the breast is partial 

 in its extent, reaching to the belly only in isolated 

 feathers, separated by large spaces of brownish- 

 drab ; while on the throat and breast, the feathers 

 have merely large round disks of the emerald-colour, 

 with narrow edges of brown. 



The tongue of this species, (and doubtless others 

 have a similar conformation,) presents, when recent, 

 the appearance of two tubes laid side by side, 

 united for half their length, -but separate for the 

 remainder. Their substance is transparent in the 

 same degree as a good quill, which they much 

 resemble : each tube is formed by a lamina rolled 

 up, yet not so as to bring the edges into actual 

 contact, for there is a longitudinal fissure on the 

 outer side, running up considerably higher than 

 the junction of the tubes ; into this fissure the 

 point of a pin may be inserted and moved up and 

 down the length. Near the tip the outer edge of 

 each lamina ceases to be convoluted, but is spread 



