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order of birds, at the bottom of the scale of magni- 

 tude ; but all the talents that are only shared amongst 

 the others, she has bestowed profusely on this little 

 favourite. The emerald, the ruby, and the topaz, 

 sparkle in its plumage, which is never soiled by the 

 dust of the ground. It is inconceivable how much 

 these brilliant birds add to the high finish and beauty 

 of the western landscape. No sooner is the sun 

 risen, than numerous kinds are seen fluttering 

 abroad : their wings are so rapid in motion, that it 

 is impossible to discern their colours, except by their 

 glittering ; they are never still, but continually visit- 

 ing flower after flower, and extracting the honey. 

 For this purpose they are furnished with a forked 

 tongue, which enters the cup of the flower, and 

 enables them to sip the nectared tribute; upon this 

 alone they subsist. In their flight they make a buz- 

 zing noise, not unlike a spinning wheel j whence 

 they have their name. 



The nests of these birds are not less curious than 

 their form : they are suspended in the air at the ex- 

 tremity of an orange branch, a pomegranate, or a 

 citron tree, and sometimes even to a straw pendant 

 from a hut, if they find one convenient for the pur- 

 pose. The female is the architect, while the male 

 goes in quest of materials, such as fine cotton, moss, 

 and the fibres of vegetables. The nest is about the 

 size of half a walnut. They lay two eggs at a time, 

 and never more, in appearance like small pease, as 

 white as snow, with here and there a yellow speck. 

 The time of incubation continues twelve days, at the 

 end of which the young ones appear, being then not 

 larger than a blue-bottle fly. " I could never per- 

 *• ceive (says Father Dutertre) how the mother fed 

 ** them, except that she presented the tongue co- 

 *' vered entirely with honey extracted from flowers." 

 Those who have tried to feed them with syrups could 



