PEECHUfG BIRDS. 



159 



•X" 



cies represented in Fig. 129 (p. 158). The muscles of their 

 wings are larger, in proportion to the size of the body, 

 than those of any other bird. Hence their extraordinary 

 power of flight, enabling them to dart with the velocity 

 of an arrow, or to remain suspended in the air over a flow- 

 er while they extract the honey or take the insects which 

 are there. The humming sound, from which their name 

 comes, is produced by the exceedingly rapid movement 

 of the wings. The tongue is a curious instrument, being 

 split into two tubular filaments, Avhich can be suddenly 



darted out to a con- 

 siderable distance. 

 Our common North- 

 ern Humming-bird, 

 Fig. 130, comes north 

 as late as May. The 

 male bird has a 

 V changeable ruby-col- 

 ored throat. There 

 is a very brilliant spe- 

 cies found as far north 

 on the western coast 

 of America as Noot- 

 ka Sound, the male 

 colored throat. Nuttal 



Fig. 130. — Northern Uummlng-bird. 



having a crimson and copper 

 speaks of it as seeming like " a breathing gem or magic 

 carbuncle of glowing fire" as it flies about in search of 

 its food. <Co^ 



262. While the Humming-birds are peculiar to the 

 New World, the Sunbirds are peculiar to the Old, al- 

 most rivaling the former in brilliancy of plumage, and re- 

 sembling them in their general habits. They have sim- 

 ilar tongues ; but in gathering their food they alight, 

 and never hover over a flower as the Humminff-birds do. 

 They diifer from the Humming-birds in one respect very 

 decidedly — ^they are generally agreeable songsters, while 

 the voice of the Humming-birds is nothing but a shrill 



