CAMP LIFE IN THE TROPICS. 17 
acteristic of them. The first bird that greets me on 
the edge of the ravine is the humming-bird, as he 
dashes here and there from flower to flower, scatter- 
ing the dew-drops in tiny showers, and reflecting al- 
most prismatic hues from breast and back. There are 
three kinds here in this mountain valley, the smallest 
of which has a lovely crest of metallic green; the 
largest, with a length of five inches, and stretch of 
wing of seven and a half, has a gorgeous garnet throat, 
purple back and wings, and tail of green, reflecting 
most delightful hues. The prevailing hue of the other 
species is green, with a throat sometimes green, some- 
times blue. 
I leave the humming-birds to my little chasseurs, 
who with bird-lime catch for me all I want. Of them 
more anon; let us plunge into the ravine. A move- 
ment in the branches of a tall, slender tree claims at- 
tention. I look up; see nothing. The broad, glossy 
leaves vibrate again, and I discern above the lower 
branches a bird the size and shape of our brown 
thrush ; he has a long, stout beak, a yellow eye, and 
a glossy, brown coat. He hops from twig to twig, 
feeding upon the coffee-like berries of this strange 
tree, silent, engaged in the gleaning of his morning 
meal. But however intent upon securing those white 
berries, the husks of which he drops almost upon my 
head, he does not forget to stop every few seconds and 
shake his wings and jerk his tail in a most comical 
manner. A hop, a quiver of wings and tail; a skip, 
with accompanying shake all over; a jump, with a 
convulsive shake, quivering and spasmodic twitching 
of head, wings, and tail. As I watch this inter- 
esting bird I am conscious of the presence of an- 
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