5800 Birds. 



must have fared badly indeed ere Diaz and the early Portuguese na- 

 vigators doubled the cape, or Columbus discovered the Continent of 

 America. As to their being the precursors of the storm, though I am 

 by no means superstitious, and am one of those who think a safe and 

 prosperous voyage may be made across the Atlantic or Pacific without 

 either setting sail of a Sunday, or having a horse-shoe nailed over the 

 galley-door; still, I must confess to having a dislike to the appear- 

 ance of the storm petrel ; for, although it cannot perhaps be fairly 

 charged with raising the wind, there can be no doubt of their gather- 

 ing around ships in stormy weather, probably for this reason, — that 

 they find a difficulty in procuring their ordinary food, which doubt- 

 less consists of the oily substances which in calm weather are so con- 

 stantly to be seen floating on the surface of the water. [May I ask 

 what is the seed of the gulf-weed to which Wilson alludes ? Has the 

 gulf-weed any other seed than the minute spores invisible alike to 

 birds and men ? — E. N.~\ 



Humming Bird (Trochilus Colubris, Wilson). August 28, 1857. — 

 Observed one hovering over the flowers of the scarlet runner in a 

 neighbouring garden. Had previously caught a momentary glance 

 of one near the same spot. They appear, however, common enough 

 in this neighbourhood ; at least, I was informed by an intelligent bird- 

 stufFer in this town that he had killed six in one day. They frequent 

 those gardens only where flowers abound, and as yet I have had no 

 opportunity of examining them closely, or observing their manners. 

 Their flight is so rapid that, unless on the look-out for them, they 

 might pass unobserved. To say they shoot by like an arrow would 

 be but to convey a faint idea indeed of the rapidity of it : a flash of 

 lightning, passing ray of light or sunbeam would be more appropriate, 

 although it may appear somewhat extravagant. 



Yellow Bird or Goldfinch [Frwgilla tristis, Wilson). Length 5 

 inches ; extent of wings 9 inches ; wing from flexure 3 inches, from 

 shoulder 3 inches and 6-tenths, bill along the ridge 4- tenths, lower man- 

 dible 4-tenths ; forehead black ; nape and back greenish yellow; neck, 

 breast and belly bright yellow ; under tail-coverts white ; length of 

 tail 2 inches, with twelve feathers, two centre ones shorter, pointed 

 and black, lateral ones broadly margined on the inner webs and tip- 

 ped with white, each feather being more or less cut out ; bill reddish 

 yellow, tipped with black ; under wing-coverts gray, tinged with yel- 

 low. The wing has eighteen quills, second longest, first and third 

 about the same length ; six first quills black, the rest tipped and mar- 

 gined with white on the inner webs ; second, third and fourth indented 

 and cut out. Spurious wing olive-green; feathers edged with black ; 



