80 TIIE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 



beautiful and least frequently met with of any. 

 The scarlet macaw is the most splendid, not only 

 from the beauty of its plumage, but its size, being 

 the largest of the tribe. The head, neck, breast, 

 belly, thighs, and upper part of the back, is of a 

 bright red or scarlet color. The quill feathers of the 

 wings are of a fine blue, externally, and of a faint 

 red on the under side, rendering it truly one of 

 the gayest looking objects of the tropical forests ; 

 while the paroquets seem to insist upon their right 

 to the character, by keeping up a lively and almost 

 constant chatter. 



Great numbers of humming birds are to be seen 

 flitting about among the flowers which supply a 

 never failing harvest for them, as well as the honey 

 bees of the Isthmus. Wherever a flower is bloom- 

 ing, either in the dense forest or in the open field, 

 these little gems of animated nature may be found 

 darting about, or apparently suspended in mid air, 

 with their slender bills insinuated into its deep 

 chambers, extracting its sweets. They vary much 

 in size and appearance, some being as large as a 

 wren, while others are scarcely of the size of the 

 humbler bees which hover about the same flower, 

 and with which they are sometimes seen engaged in 

 fierce combat, apparently contesting the right to its 

 delicious treasure. The different classes combine 

 all the hues of the rainbow in their plumage, and 

 often many in the same bird. They usually suspend 

 their tiny nest upon the twig of a tree, and feed 

 upon the little insects and sweets of flowers. 



