258 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



There is in most parts of America a Bird called by the English the Hum Bird, by 

 the Spaniard Tomineus. He is of the most shining green Color [sic], and very resplend- 

 ent ; the Colour [sic] doth something resemble some of our English Drake-heads. It 

 doth inhabit some of the colder parts of America, as well as in the hotter. It is the 

 least of all Birds that I have seen there or in England ; her Leg and Foot together 

 is but half an Inch, the other parts auswerable, aud the Trunk of her Body not an 

 inch. I did weigh one (in those parts) as soon as ever it was kill'd, whose Weight 

 was the tenth part of an Ounce Avoirdapoize, which I take to be about the weight of a 

 Coined Six-pence. Aud I have weighed here in England a Tit-mouse (which I take to 

 be the least Bird here), and it weighed above Two Shillings, and some Haifa Crown. 

 I saw one of these Nests made of Cotton- Wool, in form and bigness of the Thumb of 

 a Man's Glove, with the Taper end set downwards, wherin were two Eggs of the big- 

 ness of a Pea, of oval Form. Who can but admire to see the whole Body, and all the 

 parts of a Bird folded up in an Egg, little bigger than a Pepper-Corn ? They feed 

 by thrusting their Bill and Tongue into the blossoms of Trees, and so suck the sweet 

 Juice of Honey from them ; and when he sucks he sits not, but bears up his Body 

 with a hovering Motion of his Wings : But for the relation that he is a curious sing- 

 ing Bird, I think it untrue. God in many of his Creatures is bountiful, yet not lav- 

 ish ; for I did observe them several years, but never heard them sing; aud the Pea- 

 cock and Jay, though they be of a fine Plume, yet no Singers ; and so I think this 

 Bird is so beautiful to the Eye, as not to please the Ear. An Indian Saggamore is not 

 in his full Pomp and Bravery without one of these Birds in his Ear for a Pendant. 

 He is called the Sum-Bird or Hamming-Bird, because some say he makes a noise like 

 a Spinning Wheel when he flies, which I think rather an Imagination than real ; for 

 I have been many times very uear them, both when they hover'd and when they did 

 fly, and I never heard any Noise ; besides, their Body aud Wings are too small to 

 strike Air enough to make any Noise.* But of this I shall not be positive, because 

 some Authors are opposite to me. It is a Solitary Bird : I never saw but two at a time 

 together, viz. the Male aud the Female, they being easily known when together, the 

 Male being somewhat bigger than the Female. t 



If one takes a small Bird's Wing, and stand 4 or 5 yards from a Candle (when dark) 

 and open the Wing, and look thro' it at the Candle, he may see a most elegant Colour 

 of red and green, which green doth something resemble the Colour of this Bird. 



The technical literature pertaining to Humming Birds is very exten- 

 sive, perhaps exceeding in the number of separate titles that of any 

 other group. " Most of it," says Dr. Coues, "is ' special,' that is, rep- 

 resented by books and papers exclusively devoted to this group of 

 birds." "Hummers," says the learned bibliographer just quoted, " are 

 very peculiar birds, and their study may almost be said to form a par- 

 ticular department of ornithology ; in fact, the word ' trochilidist' has 

 been coined to designate those who pay special attention to this branch 

 of science ; and there are few ornithologists who, however great their 

 general acquirements, can be considered experts in this study.J" 



* Perhaps the writer's hearing was defective. 



t Another error ; the reverse being the case when there is any difference in size 

 between the sexes. It is singular he did not notice the difference of color between 

 the sexes, the brilliant ruby throat of the male being so conspicuous an ornament. 



t Third Installment of American Ornithological Bibliography. By Dr. Elliott Coues, 

 U. S. A. Bulletin of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, 

 vol. v, No. 4, 1879, p. 690. 



Iu this exceedingly useful work, there are given under the heading of TrochiUdce 

 (pp. 659-690) nearly three hundred separate titles, which shows how favorite a fam- 



