168 



THE FIERY TOPAZ HUMMING-BIRD. 



few yards in width will often suffice to separate the habitation of one local species from that of 

 another, neither venturing to trespass into the dominions of its neighbor. 



The Copper-bellied Puflf-leg is always found in a narrow belt of land varying from six 

 thousand to nine thousand feet above the level of the sea, being, therefore, practically con- 

 fined to a strip of land barely a thousand yards in width. In all jirobability the reason of this 

 restricted range may be found in the vegetation of the locality, whicli supplies the food on 

 which this species lives. 



It is a very beautiful little bird, and both the sexes are very similar in their color and 

 general appearance, except that in the female the puifs of white down are not so large nor so 

 conspicnious as in lier mate. In the adult male, the top of the head, the sides of the neck, 

 and the back are green, washed with a decided tint of bronze, except upon the ujiper tail- 

 coverts, where the green is very pure and of a metallic brilliancy. As is generally the case 

 with Hununing-birds, the fine and sliarply-cut wings are brown washed with purple. The tail 

 is black, with a purple gloss in a side light. The throat is of a beautiful shining metallic 

 green, and the general color of the breast and under portions of the body is green glossed with 

 gold, with the exception of the abdomen, where the green takes a copi^ery hue, from which 

 the bird has received its popular name. The " puffs " are of a snowy whiteness, and look Uke 

 refined swans' -down. 



The female is very similar h\ color, except that the hues of the throat are not possessed 

 of so metallic a brilliancy, and, as has already been stated, the leg-tufts are comparatively 

 small. 



FIERY TOPAZ HUMMINGl-BIRD.— 7V./k«2« peUa. 



In the opinion of many observei's, the Topaz Humming-birds ai'e the most resplendent and 

 beautiful of all their tribe, the palm of beauty being almost equally divided between the two 

 birds which will be described in the following lines. 



The Fiery Topaz inhabits the country through which passes the Rio Negro, a tributary 

 of the Upper Amazon. It is a most gorgeous creature, and atti-acts peculiar attention on 



