BIRDS OF THE AIR. 259 



mon Pewee. It seems likewise to have the same cheer- 

 ful manners. The minor notes of the two Peweea serve, 

 more than any others equally simple, to harmonize the 

 anthem of Nature. 



THE HUMMING-BIRD. 



The Humming-Birds, of which it is said there are more 

 than four hundred species, are among the most exquisite 

 of all animated beings. They unite the beauty and deli- 

 cacy of a beautiful insect with the organization and 

 intelligence of a creature of flesh and blood. Of all 

 the feathered tribe, none will compare with them in 

 the minuteness of their size. The splendor, variety, and 

 chane-eableness of their hues are no less admirable than 

 their diminutiveness. The colors of the rainbow do not 

 surpass those of many of the species either in beauty or 

 variety. A brilliant metallic lustre greatly enhances all 

 this splendor. The variability of their hues, which is also 

 observed in many other birds, is in the Humming-Birds 

 almost unaccountable. Says Dr. Brewer : " The sides of 

 the fibres of each feather are of a different color from the 

 surface, and change as seen in a front or an oblique dii 

 tion ; and, while living, these birds by their movements 

 can cause their feathers to change very suddenly to 

 different hues. Thus the SelaspJiorvs rvfus can change in 

 a twinkling the vivid fire color of its expanded throat to 

 alight green; and the species known as the Mexican 

 Star, changes from a light crimson to an equally brilliant 

 blue." 



Yet with all their beauty of color, what is most attr - 

 tive about them is their flight. When a Humming-Bird 

 is Hying, so rapid are the motions of its wings that it 

 seems like the body of a bird suspended in a circle "t 

 radiating sunbeams, or like one in the midst of a gl< 



