92 RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 



The adult male is above four inches in length ; the 

 whole of the covering of the body, except the throat, 

 is of a very dark uniform golden green, brightest on 

 tne front of the breast, and on those parts where the 

 feathers are scale-formed, on the lower part of the vent 

 it is tinged with brown. The throat is adorned with a 

 patch of very splendid ruby colour, assuming golden 

 reflections ; the wings are brownish purple, inclining 

 to green on the shoulders, and the tail, which can 

 scarcely be said to have any fork, is of a bright cin- 

 namon red, with a narrow band of black at the tip ; 

 the under coverts are of the same colour. 



The female has the upper parts of a lively green, 

 beneath fine reddish brown, shaded to grey on the 

 vent, and without any trace whatever of the splendid 

 patch on the throat ; behind the eye there is a white 

 spot, and a line of the same colour runs from the 

 opening of the mouth to the auriculars. The colour 

 of the tail is not so bright as in the male, and the 

 centre feathers are tinged with green. 



The young of the first year, according to Lesson, 

 is brown above, with a golden greenish lustre ; be- 

 neath, dull grey ; the outer tail-feathers reddish, the 

 next black, tipped with white, and the centre ones 

 greenish-brown. In the second year it resembles 

 the female, but there is a slight tinge of ruby colour 

 on the throat. And in the third year, the brownish 

 colour of the plumage still remains, but is more 

 tinged with green, the patch on the throat is defined, 

 and rich scaly feathers commence in parts to ap- 



