THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 199 



widely apart. The bronchial rings are similar, and differ from those of most 

 birds in being complete. The two bronchi lie in contact for 2 twelfths at 

 the upper part, being connected by a common membrane. The lateral 

 muscles are extremely slender. The last ring of the trachea is four times 

 the breadth of the rest, and has on each side a large but not very prominent 

 mass of muscular fibres, inserted into the first bronchial ring. This mass 

 does not seem to be divisible into four distinct muscles, but rather to 

 resemble that of the Flycatchers, although nothing certain can be stated on 

 this point. 



The Trumpet-flower. 



Bignonia radicans, Willd. Sp. PI., vol. iii. p. 301. Pursh, Flor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 420. — 

 Didynamia Angiospermia, Linn.— Bignonia, Juss. 



This splendid species of bignonia, which grows in woods and on the 

 banks of rivers in all the Middle and Southern States, climbing on trees and 

 bushes, is distinguished by its pinnate leaves, with ovate, widely serrate, 

 acuminate leaflets, and large scarlet flowers, of which the funnel-shaped tube 

 of the corolla is thrice the length of the calyx. The pods are of a brown 

 colour, from four to seven inches long, and contain a double row of kidney- 

 shaped light brown seeds. 



Genus II.— SELASPHORUS, Swains. RUFFED-HUMMING-BIRD. 



Bill long, straight, subulate, extremely slender, somewhat depressed at the 

 base, acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge narrow 

 at the base, broad and convex toward the end, the sides convex, the edges 

 overlapping, the tip accuminate; lower mandible with the angle very long 

 and extremely narrow, the dorsal line straightish, the edges erect, the tip 

 acuminate. Nostrils basal, linear. Head of ordinary size, oblong; neck 

 short; body short and ovate. Feet very small; tarsus very short, feathered 

 more than half-way; toes small, the lateral equal, the third not much longer, 



