GREY-THROATED HERMIT— PIGMY HERMIT 139 



Other nests made by bir^s of the same genus are worthy of a 

 passing mention. 



First, there is the pretty nest of the Grey-throated Hermit 

 {Phaethornis griseogidaris), a very tiny bird, of comparatively 

 sober plumage, reddish brown being the predominant hue. This 

 species is found in Ecuador, and is seen at an elevation of six 

 thousand feet above the level of the sea. Indeed, the depth 

 of cold which these fragile little beings can endure is really 

 surprising, many species being found only on the highest moun- 

 tains, and one bird, the Chimborazian Hill Star, mhabiting a 

 zone that is never less than twelve thousand feet, and seldom 

 more than sixteen thousand, above the level of the sea. Imme- 

 diately above the last-mentioned elevation the line of perpetual 

 snow begins, and though the bird can exist just below it, the 

 absence of vegetation prevents it overpassing that line. 



The nest of the Grey-throated Hermit is made of moss fibres 

 and the same silken threads that have already been mentioned, 

 and is fastened to a leaf. It does not, however, hang from the 

 extremity, but is fastened against the side of the leaf, and its 

 tail, if we may so call the lengthened appendage, is not free, but 

 attached to the leaf in the same manner as the nest. 



Another species, Phaethornis Eurynome, makes its nest of the 

 tendrils of certain creepers, together with deUcate root-fibres, 

 and attaches it to the leaf of some palm by means of cobwebs. 



Our last example of this group is the tiny species called the 

 Pigmy Hermit {Phaethornis pygmmis), a pretty little creature, 

 thougli scarcely a brilliant one, and decorated with green-bronze 

 above and warm red below. The nest of this species is fastened 

 to a leaf, like that of the grey-throated hermit, and is also deep 

 and cup-shaped, with an appendage so long as to give the whole 

 nest a shape resembling that of a funnel. It is remarkable for 

 the great use of which this little architect makes of seeds, the 

 exterior being covered with downy seeds, and the interior lined 

 with similar down, and the delicate fibres of flowering plants. 



In the accompanying illustration may be seen figures of the 

 nests made by three different species of humming birds, each 



