GOULD'S COQUETTE. 221 



som to blossom, not in a regular manner, but at 

 random, and as by caprice. 



Sometimes two Humming-Birds come to the 

 same flower. Then they quarrel violently, and 

 mount upwards, doing fierce battle with each 

 other. But the storm soon passes over, and the 

 birds dart off again in search of insects. Their 

 movements are so rapid that the eye cannot 

 catch the brilliant colours that adorn them. Nor 

 can one species be distinguished from another, 

 unless there happens to be a conspicuous patch of 

 white, mixed with the lovely tints of their 

 plumage. 



I should tell you that the female Humming- 

 Bird does not wear the brilliant colours of her 

 mate. She is dressed in a more sober costume, 

 and is therefore not so much prized. 



