CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 2. TASSERES. 



103 



VAEIOUS SPECIES OF HUMMING-BIRDS. 



length, "which, however, they use with admirable dexterity ; others have tails three times the 

 length of tlieir bodies, and the tails of others suddenly expand at the end like a paddle or a 

 spoon. They all live on small insects, which they catch in flowers, and on the honey of flowers, 

 which also constitutes their only drink. The tongue is the chief weapon for capturing their prey 

 and sucking up their nectar, and consists of a long double tube, formed like a double-barreled 

 gun ; at the tip it is flattened, and sometimes barbed. It is darted out with great dexterity, and 

 is thus a very efficient instrument. 



The metallic brilliancy of these birds has caused them often to be called "flying gems." Their 

 plumage indeed defies description. The changeableness of the colors with the movements of these 

 birds, is truly wonderful. Several of the species have an emerald-colored cravat ; this is noticed to 

 give out all the hues of green, and then the brightest and most golden tints, down to intense vel- 

 vet-black. So the cravat of our Ruby-Throat gives out pencils of light, passing from reddish - 

 orange to a crimson-black. These dazzling changes are infinitely diversified. A large space 

 on the throat, the top of the head, and the under parts of the body, are usually the most bril- 

 Hantly colored ; the upper parts are plain. All these birds are not equally brilliant ; some, in- 

 deed, are covered over with the most gorgeous colors; others are more modestly attired; in 

 general the females have more somber plumage than the males. The ancient Mexicans appear 

 to have appreciated the beauty of the humming-birds as Avell as that of the trogons. The radi- 

 ant mantles worn by the natives in the time of Montezuma glittered with the spoils of these 

 diminutive birds ; these were also ingeniously employed by the native artists in executing the 

 embroidered pictures which so much excited the admiration of Cortez. 



The nests of these tiny birds are usually made of cotton, thistle-down, delicate fibers, fungus- 

 like substances, and other soft materials; these are woven into a compact yet flexible cup-shaped 

 cradle, which is placed on some branch of a tree, seldom more than fifteen feet from the ground. 

 The exterior is covered with lichens, the right side always out, and in such a manner as to make 

 the whole structure appear like a natural excrescence. The eggs are white, and almost invari- 

 ably two in number. 



The region which may be considered as the central home of the humming-birds is that portion 



