CALYPTE ANN^. 



Anna's Calypte. 



Ornismya Anna, Less. Hist. Nat. des Ois. Mou., p. 205. pi. 74.— lb. Traits d'Orn., p. 281. 

 Trochilus Anna, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming Birds, vol. i. p. 93. pi. 6.— Aud. Birds of Amer., 



vol. iv. pi. ccccxxv,— lb. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 238,— lb. Syn. of Birds of N. Amer., 



p. 170. — Reiehenb. Troch. enumer., p. 10. 

 Mellisuga Anna, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 113, Mellisuga, sp. 61. 

 Selasphorus Anna, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 82, Selasphorus, sp. 2.— lb. Rev. et Mag. de 



Zool. 1854, p. 257. 

 Calliphlox anna, Gambel, Notes on Californian Birds. 

 Attkis Anna, Reiehenb. Aufz. der CoHbris, p. 12. 

 Trockilus icterocepJialus, Nutt. Man. Orn., vol. i. 2nd Edit. p. 712. 



When studying the diversified forms and colouring of the Trochilid^, I have frequently been struck with 

 the fact that those districts or countries having a metalliferous character are tenanted by species of 

 Humming- Birds which are more than ordinarily brilliant and glittering. This is especially the case with the 

 species inhabiting Mexico and California : in illustration of this assertion, I may cite the three Californian 

 species, Selasphorus mfus, Calypte Costw, and the present bird, C. Annce, all of which are unequalled, for 

 the rich metallic brilliancy of certain parts of their plumage, by any other members of the family. The two 

 latter, C. CostcB and C. Annw, have not only the throat, but the entire head as glitteringly resplendent 

 as if they had been dipped in molten metal. Now whether there be any influence exerted by inorganic 

 upon organic nature, is an enigma which will probably remain unsolved for some time to come ; certain it 

 is that it cannot be explained by any of the natural laws at present known to us ; and, after all, it may only 

 be one of those remarkable coincidences which so frequently occur ; still I trust I may be excused for callino- 

 attention to a point which appeared to me to be of much interest. 



The very lovely bird here represented, and which has been named in honour of Anna, Duchess of Rivoli, 

 ranges over the whole of the table-lands of Mexico, and throughout California to the base of the Rocky 

 Mountains in North-Western America. 



I am indebted to Dr. Gambel, of Philadelphia, who has had opportunities of observing this bird in its 

 native wilds, for the following interesting extract from his *' Notes on the Birds of California " : 



''A very abundant and interesting species, numbers passing the winter in California; at such times 

 inhabiting sheltered hill-sides and plains, where at all seasons a few bushy plants are in flower, and afl^ord it 

 a scanty subsistence. They appear, however, in greater numbers about the latter part of February and 

 during the month of March ; the country is soon carpeted with flowers, and the Anna Humming Bird, revel- 

 ling among their sweets, commences the duty of rearing its young. About the Pueblo, the vineyards and 

 gardens are its favourite resort, forming its delicate downy nest in a small flowering bush, or some concealed 

 spot about the fence. In April and May these may be found in almost every garden. 



"In other parts it attaches its nest almost exclusively to a low, horizontal branch of the evergreen oak 

 (^Quercus agrifolid)^ so common throughout the country; the nest is small, being about an inch in depth, 

 and one and a quarter in diameter ; it is not very thick, and is formed in the most delicate manner of pappus 

 and down of various plants, held together and matted into a soft felt with spiders' webs, which latter I have 

 frequently observed them collecting for the purpose, in the spring, along hedges and fence-rows, and at 

 first supposed they were only searching them for the gnats and small insects which might be entangled ; but 

 in a nest which I now have, the base is formed of a few dried male aments of the oak, and which, with the 



