CHAPTER IX. 



BIEDS OF BEILLIANT FEATHEE8 — HUMMING BIED, JAY, 

 BLUEBIRD, TANAGEE, OEIOLE, ETC. 



Humming bieds have been aptly called " the 

 jewels of ornithology." And in truth they are per- 

 fect little jewels on the wing. We can only realize 

 this fact after having been fortunate enough to hold 

 one of the tiny, fairylike creatures in our hand ; then 

 the rubies, emeralds, and sapphires show themselves 

 in all their astonishing, miniature beauty. The re- 

 markable " gorget " (for so the humming bird's ruby 

 collar is named) under a magnifying glass is a blaze 

 of resplendent red fire! The subtile color is far 

 more beautiful than that which we see in the ruby ; 

 in proof of which hold the magnifying glass close 

 to a spinel ruby and note its glassy lifelessness in 

 comparison. John Ruskin was quite right when he 

 said that there was far more preciousness of color in 



rainbows, dewdrops, and birds' wings than in diamonds 



137 



