TOPAZA PELLA. 



Crimson Topaz. 



Falcinellns guttiire vifidi, Klein, Aves, No. xv. p. 108. 



T/ie Long-tailed Red Humming Bird, Edw. Glean., pi. 32. fig, 1. 



Polytmus Surinamensis longicaudm ruber, Briss. Orn., torn. iii. p. 690. — Id. 8vo, torn. ii. p. 27. 



— Gerin., torn. iv. t. 305. 2. 

 Le Colibri Topaze, Buff. PL Enl. 599. fig. 1.— And. et VieiU. Ois. dor., torn. i. pi. 2. p. 15 



male, pL 3. p. 16 female. 

 TrocJiilm pella, Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 189. — lb. Gmel. Edit., tom i. p. 485. — Lath. Ind. 



Orn., tom. i. p. 302. — Temm. Man, d'Orn., 2nd Edit., tom. i. p. kxxiv. — VieiU. 



Ency. Meth. Orn., part ii. p. 554. pi. 128. fig. 5.— Dumont de Ste Croix, Diet. 



Sci. Nat., tom. x. p. 44. — Drapiez, Diet. Classiq. d'Hist. Nat., tom. iv. p. 320, and 



Atlas, pi. 28. fig. 2.— Less. Hist. Nat. des Colibris, p. 21. pi. 2 male adulte, pi. 3 



var. tapiree, pi. 4 jeune male, pi. 5 femelle. — lb. Ind. Gen. et Syn. des Ois. du 



Gen. Trocliilus, p. xvi. 

 Certhia Surinamensis , Spaloswk. Vog., tom. i. t. 13. 

 De Topaz keJdige KoUbri, Schmid. Vog., p. 61. t, 48. 

 Grand Colibri, Ferm. Surinam, vol. ii. p. 195. 

 Colibri a tongue queue de Cagemie, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois., tom. vi. p. 46. — lb. Sonn. Edit., 



tab. xvii. p. 258. 

 Topaz Humming Bird, Shaw, Zool. Misc., pi. 513. — Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 746. — lb. Gen. 



Hist., vol. iv. p. 291. 

 Topaz-throated Humming Bird, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 274. pi. 37. — Jard. Nat. Lib. 



Humming Birds, vol. ii. p. 115. pi. 24 male, pi. 25 var. 

 Colibri pella. Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 288. pi. 78. fig. 1. 

 Topaza pella. Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 110, Topaza, sp. 1. — Bonap. Consp. 



Gen. Av., p. 73. 



The countries of Cayenne, Trinidad, and Surinam, and the fluviatile regions of the Lower Amazon are the 

 native habitats of this gorgeous species, which may be regarded not only as one of the gems of Ornithology, 

 but as one of the most beautifully adorned species of the TrochiUdce ; I may also add that it is one of the 

 oldest known members of the family, being mentioned in the works of every writer on natural history, from 

 the days of Linneeus to the present time ; yet curiously enough, the only notice of its habits that has been 

 recorded is that contained in Mr. Waterton's celebrated "Wanderings," which, brief as it is, is of the 

 highest interest. Speaking of the Humming Birds observed by him in Cayenne and Demerara, he says — 



"One species alone never shows his beauty to the sun; and were it not for his lovely shining colours, 

 you might almost be tempted to class him with the Goat-suckers, on account of his habits. He is the 

 largest of all the Humming-birds, and is all red and changing gold-green, except the head, which is black. 

 He has two long feathers in the tail, which cross each other, and these have gained him the name oi Kara- 

 bimiti^ or Ara Humming-bird, from the Indians. You never find him on the sea-coast, or where the river is 

 salt, or in the heart of the forest, unless fresh water be there. He keeps close by the side of woody fresh- 

 water rivers and dark and lonely creeks. He leaves his reti-eat before sunrise, to feed on the insects near 

 the water ; he returns to it as soon as the sun's rays cause a glare of light, is sedentary all day long, and 

 comes out again for a short time after sunset. He builds his nest on a twig over the water in the unfre- 

 quented creeks ; it looks like tanned cow-leather." 



The nest is of a deep cup-shaped form, the walls exceedingly thin, and the whole structure composed 

 apparently of a species of fungus very much resembling German tinder, united by cobwebs or some similar 

 matei'ial. The eggs are white, two in number, and about five-eighths of an inch in length. 



I have figured two adult males, and a third in a style of plumage which is generally supposed to be that 

 of the female ; it is believed by many, however, that this sex, when very old, assumes a plumage similar 



