THE HUMMING BIRDS, 311 



Of the West Indian Humming Birds the most exquisite is Princess 

 Helena's Hummer {Calypte helence), of Cuba. This is perhaps the very 

 smallest of birds, being even less than the Mellisuga minima, of Jamaica 

 and Haiti, which has hitherto enjoyed the distinction of being consid- 

 ered the smallest of existing birds. Princess Helena's Humming Bird 

 is rich metallic blue above (a very unusual color in this family), and 

 white beneath, the entire head, including the gorget with its ruff like 

 lateral projections, being the most beautiful metallic rose-red or crimson. 



A much larger species belonging to the Lesser Antilles, the Purple 

 Carib (Uulampis jugularis), however, contests the claim of the little 

 Cuban gem to be considered the most richly colored of Antillean Hum- 

 mers. The Purple Carib has the upper parts velvety black, except the 

 wings and upper tail-coverts, which are of a burnished bluish green hue, 

 while the throat and breast are of a rich garnet-purple. 



The most remarkable, however, of West Indian Humming Birds is 

 the Long-taile r l Hummer (Aithuras polytmus), which Mr. Gosse styles 

 "the gem of Jamaican Ornithology," adding that "its slender form, 

 velvet crest, emerald bosom, and lengthened tail plumes render it one 

 of the most elegant even of this most brilliant family." 



A truly noble Humming Bird is the Mountain Nymph (Oreonympha 

 nobilis), of the Peruvian highlands, a bird approaching the Giant Hum- 

 mer (Patagona gigas) in size, but otherwise not to be compared with 

 that somberly clad species. The Mountain Nymph is about 7 inches 

 in length, of which about half is taken by the deeply forked but broad- 

 feathered tail. The forehead and side of the head are black, the rest 

 of the head dark blue ; the throat is metallic emerald green, the lower 

 portion ornamented by a beard-like tuft of lengthened feathers of a 

 rich metallic reddish purple. The upper parts of the body are bronzy, 

 the lower parts white. 



The most elaborately decorated Humming Birds belong to the group 

 known as Coquettes (genera Lophornis and Polemistria), on account of 

 their frilled, ruffled, and bespangled plumage, their ornamentations 

 being confined to the head or neck. There are about ten species (of 

 which all but three occur only south of the Isthmus of Panama), the 

 most beautiful of which is perhaps the Frilled Coquette (L. magnijicus) 

 of Brazil. In this there is a fan-like ruff or frill on each side of the 

 neck, of snowy white, but each feather tipped with a crescent-shaped 

 bar of glitering green ; the crest, of pointed feathers, is rich chestnut 

 or rufous, while the throat and forehead are emerald green. 



Hardly so beautiful but more curiously adorned is Princess Helena's 

 Coquette (L. helence), of Mexico and Central America. In this the 

 lapwing-like crest is dark green, the throat glittering green set in a 

 black border; from each side of the occiput spring three long hair-like 

 black plumes, while on each side of the neck is a tuft or ruff of black 

 feathers streaked with buff. 



The Adorable Coquette (L. adorabilis) inhabits parts of Costa Rica 



