l()4 VERTEBRATA. 



of till' loiiiiiii'iil of America wlii.h lies l.ftweon tlie iiortliern boundary of Mexico and the south- 

 .Tii limit of linizil and rem. They are particularly al.im.l.int in Mexico, Central America, and 

 the West Indies. Their apjiearanee in these tropical countries is thus described by Edwards in 

 his " Voyage up the Amazon :" 



" Wherever a ereejiini; vine opens its frajjrant clusters, or wherever a tree or flower blooms, 

 may these little birds be seen. In the garden or in the woods, over the water, everywhere, they 

 are darting about, of all sizes, from one that might easily be mistaken for a different variety of 

 bird, to the tinv Hermit, whose body is not half the size of the bees buzzing about the same 

 sweets. Sometimes they are seen chasing eacli other in sport with a rapidity of fliglit and intri- 

 eaev of path the eve is puzzled to follow. Again, circling round and round, they rise liigh in 

 mid-air, then dart off like light to some distant attraction. I'erclied upon a little limb, they 

 smooth their plumes, and seem to delight in their dazzling hues; then darting off leisurely, they 

 skim along, stopping capriciously to kiss the coquetting flowerets. Often two meet in mid-air and 

 tiLrht furiously, tlicir crests and the feathers on their throats erected and blazing, and altogether 

 pictures of the most violent rage. Several times we saw them battling with large, black bees, 

 who frequent the same flowers, and may be supposed to interfere, often provokiugly. Like light- 

 nin"- our little lieroes would come down, but the coat of shining mail would ward off their furious 

 strokes. Again and again would they renew the attack, until their anger had expended itself by 

 its own furv, or until the apathetic bee, once roused, had put forth powers that drove the invader 



from the field." 



Genus TROCHILUS : TrocMlus, includes the Ruby-tiiroated Humming-Bird, T. cobibris, 

 common in summer from Hudson's Bay to Mexico, and breeding throughout this wide space. 

 Wilson's description of it is substantially as follows: "It is three inches and a half in length 

 and four and a quarter in extent ; the whole back, upper part of the neck, sides under the wings, 

 tail-coverts, and two middle feathers of the tail, arc of a rich golden-green ; the tail is forked, 

 and, as well as the wings, of a deep brownish-purple ; the bill and eyes are black ; the legs and 

 feet, both of which are extremely small, are also black; the bill is straight and very slender. The 

 sides of the belly and belly itself are dusky white, mixed with green ; but what constitutes the 

 chief ornament of this little bird is the splendor of the feathers of his throat, which, when placed 

 in a proper position, glow with all the brilliancy of the ruby. These feathers are of singular 

 strength and texture, lying close together like scales, and vary, when moved before the eye, from 

 a deep black to a fiery crimson and burning orange. The female is destitute of this ornament, 

 but differs little in other appearance from the male. In May it begins to build its nest. This is 

 generally fixed on the upper side of a horizontal branch, not among the twigs, but on the body 

 of the branch itself. In the woods it very often chooses a white-oak sapling to build on, and in 

 the orchard or garden selects a pear-tree for that purpose. The bi'anch is seldom more than ten 

 feet from the ground. The nest is about an inch in diameter, and as much in depth. A very 

 complete one is now lying before me, and the materials of which it is composed are as follows : — 

 the outward coat is formed of small pieces of a species of bluish-gray lichen that vegetates on old 

 trees and fences, thickly glued on with the saliva of the bird, giving firmness and consistency to 

 the whole, as well as keeping out moisture. Within this are thick, matted layers of the fine wings 

 of certain flying seeds, closely laid together; and lastly, the downy substance from the great mul- 

 lein, and from the stalks of the common fern, lines the whole. The base of the nest is continued 

 round the stem of the branch, to which it closely adheres; and, when viewed from below, appears 

 a mere mossy knot or accidental protuberance. The eggs are two, pure white, and of equal thick- 

 ness at both ends. 



"The humming-bird is extremely fond of tubular flowers, and I have often stopped, with pleas- 

 ure, to observe his maneuvers among the blossoms of the trumpet-flower. When arrived before 

 a thicket of these that are full blown, he poises or suspends himself on wing, for the space of two 

 or three seconds, so steadily, that his wings become invisible, or only like a mist ; and you can 

 plainly distinguish the pupil of his eye looking round with great quickness and circumspection ; 

 the glossy golden-green of his back, and the fire of his throat, dazzling in the sun, form altogether 

 a most interesting appearance. When he alights, which is frequently, he always prefers the small, 



