590 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



Insessores. Bternum exhibit osteological features in relation to the 

 v -"— v— "^ power of flight resembling those of swifts. The beauty of 

 their plumage, if equalled, is certainly unsurpassed among 

 the feathered tribes. 



Humming-birds, in general, may be said to inhabit 

 chiefly the intra-tropical regions of America, including the 

 West Indies; but that they are capable of sustaining a 

 considerable reduction of temperature, and of spreading 

 themselves into comparatively rigorous climes, is evident 

 from the observations of Captain King, who in his survey 

 of the southern coasts met with numerous examples of 

 these diminutive creatures flying about in a snow-storm 

 near the Straits of Magellan, and discovered two species in 

 the remote island of Juan Fernandez. Two other hardy 

 species had been long known to migrate during summer far 

 into the interior of North America, viz. the ruff-necked hum- 

 ming-bird (T. rufus), discovered during Cook's voyage in 

 Nootka Sound, and since traced by Kotzebue to the 61st 

 degree of north latitude, along the western shores; and the 

 ruby-throated humming-bird ( T.colubris), which was found 

 breeding by Mr Drummond near the sources of the Elk 

 River, and is known to reach at least as far north as the 

 fifty-seventh parallel. Mr Bullock also discovered several 

 species at a high elevation, and of course a coolish tempe- 

 rature, on the lofty table-lands of Mexico, and in woods in 

 the vicinity of the snowy mountains of Orizaba. The best 

 and most ample history of these " feathered gems" may be 

 gathered from the pages of Wilson and Audubon, while the 

 superb adornment of their beautifully pencilled plumage, so 

 rich in its varied combination of lustrous green and gold, 

 may be studied with advantage in the sumptuous pages of 

 M. Lesson. 1 They are of a most lively and active disposi- 

 tion, almost perpetually upon the wing, and darting from 

 flower to flower with the busy rapidity rather of a bee than 

 a bird. In the uncultivated districts of the country they in- 

 habit the forests, but in peopled regions they flock without 

 fear into the gardens, poising themselves in the air, while 

 they thrust their long extensile tongues into every flower 

 in search of food. According to Bullock, they will remain 

 suspended in a space so small that they have scarcely 

 room to move their wings, and the humming noise which 

 they produce proceeds entirely from the prodigious ve- 

 locity with which they vibrate these tiny organs, by means 

 of which they will remain in the air almost motionless 

 for hours together. An older writer, Fermin, a physi- 

 cian of Surinam, compares this action to that of the 

 bee-like flies which in still and sultry weather we of- 

 ten see hovering in the vicinity of still waters ; and Wil- 

 son says, that when a humming-bird arrives before a 

 thicket of trumpet-flowers in bloom, he suspends himself 

 so steadily that his wings become " invisible, or like a mist." 

 They often enter windows, and after examining any fresh 

 bouquets with which fair hands may have decked the 

 table, they will dart like sun-beams out by an opposite 

 door or window. During the breeding season they be- 

 come jealous of encroachment, and exhibit great boldness 

 in defence of their supposed rights. When any one ap- 

 proaches their nest, they will dart around with a humming 

 noise, frequently passing within a few inches of the intru- 

 der's head. A small species called the Mexican star ( T. 

 cyanopogon) is described by Mr Bullock as exhibiting 

 great intrepidity while under the influence of anger. It 

 will attack the eyes of the larger birds, striking at them 

 with its sharp, needle-like bill ; and when invaded by one 

 of its own kind during the breeding season, their mutual 

 wrath becomes immeasurable, their throats swell, their 

 crests, tails, and wings expand, and they fight in the air 

 till one or other falls exhausted to the ground. Indeed 



old Fernando Oviedo gives a still more alarming state- Insessores, 

 ment of their fiery temper. " When they see a man v — ■"■*■"■■"' 

 climb y c tree where they have their nests, they flee at his 

 face, and stryke him in the eyes, commying, goying, and 

 returnyng with such swiftness, that no man woulde ryghtly 

 believe it that hath not seen it." 2 



Although humming-birds may frequently suck the juices 

 of flowers, those naturalists err who allege that they sup- 

 port themselves exclusively on that natural nectar. " For 

 myself," says Wilson, " I can speak decisively on the sub- 

 ject : I have seen the humming-bird for half an hour at a 

 time darting at those little groups of insects that dance in 

 the air in a fine summer evening, retiring to an adjoining 

 twig to rest, and renewing the attack with a dexterity 

 that sets all our other fly-catchers at defiance." Mr Bul- 

 lock thinks it probable that all the species eat insects, and 

 he had repeated ocular proof that many of them feed on 

 flies, which they both caught themselves, and used to 

 steal from spiders' webs. It was only the smaller kinds, 

 however, that they dared to molest, for the stronger spid- 

 ers showed fight, on which the besiegers would shoot off 

 with the rapidity of a sun-beam, and could scarcely be 

 discovered but by the luminous glow of their refulgent 

 colours. It may easily be conceived that creatures of such 

 resplendent plumage, in spite of their irascible temper and 

 pugnacious habits, are universal favourites wherever they 

 appear ; and that in " the sweet serenity of a summer 

 morning," their visits to the dewy flower-beds of a cottage 

 dwelling are surely welcomed with delight. 



When morning dawns, and the blest sun again 

 Lifts his red glories from the eastern main, 

 Then through the woodbines, wet with glittering dews, 

 The flower-fed humming-bird his round pursues ; 

 Sips with inserted bill the honey'd blooms, 

 And chirps his gratitude as round he roams ; 

 While richest roses, though in crimson drest, 

 Shrink from the splendour of his gorgeous breast. 

 What heavenly tints in mingling radiance fly ! 

 Each rapid movement gives a different dye ; 

 Like scales of burnished gold they dazzling show, 

 Now sink to shade — now like a furnace glow ! 



In the summer of 1803 a nest of young humming-birds 

 was brought to Alexander Wilson. They were nearly fit 

 to fly ; in fact, one of them did fly out of the window the 

 same evening, and falling against a wall, was killed upon 

 the spot. The other refused food, and in consequence of 

 this foolish obstinacy its life next morning was nearly ex- 

 tinct. A lady in the house undertook to be its nurse, and 

 placing it in her bosom, it immediately began to revive, 

 which showed its good taste and natural sense of comfort. 

 She then kindly dissolved a little sugar in her mouth, and 

 thrusting its bill into the same, the creature sucked with 

 great avidity. In this manner it was brought up until fit 

 for the cage. Wilson kept it for three months afterwards, 

 supplying it constantly with loaf-sugar dissolved in water, 

 which it preferred to honey and water. He also gave it 

 fresh flowers every morning, sprinkled with the sugary li- 

 quid. It appeared quite gay, active, and full of spirit, 

 hovering from flower to flower as if in its native wilds 

 (alas ! it still was caged), and always expressed by its mo- 

 tions and chirping the greatest pleasure at the sight of 

 every fresh supply of flowers. " Numbers of people," 

 says our author, " visited it from motives of curiosity, and 

 I took every precaution to preserve it if possible through 

 the winter. Unfortunately, however, by some means it 

 got at large, and, flying about the room, so injured itself 

 that it soon after died." 



Most of the preceding notices apply to the ruby-throat- 

 ed humming-bird (T. colubris, Linn.), the species of which 



1 Histoire Naturclle des Oiseaux Mouches ;—Hist. Nat. des Colibris ;—Hist. Nat. des Trochilidis. 

 - rr„tor„ of the West Indies, translated by Kichard Eden, p. 199. 



