ORNITHOLOGY. 



591 



Insessores. the particular habits and general economy have been the 

 s "™~v~ > most minutely studied. It sometimes makes its appearance 

 in Louisiana as early as the 10th of March, and shows itself 

 some weeks later in the northern states, varying not only 

 with the latitude, but the temperature of each season. Its 

 nest is described by Mr Audubon as being of the most 

 delicate nature, the external parts formed of a light-gray 

 lichen found on the branches of trees, or on decayed fence- 

 rails, and so neatly arranged round the whole nest, as well 

 as to some distance from the spot to which it is attached, 

 as to seem part of the branch or stem. These little pieces 

 of lichen, he and others allege, are glued together with the 

 saliva of the bird ; but whether this fact has been proved by 

 observation, or is only a natural inference from the actual ap- 

 pearance of agglutination, we cannot say. The next coat- 

 ing, however, consists of a cottony substance, and the in- 

 nermost of all of silky fibres obtained from various plants, 

 and extremely soft and delicate. In this delightful little 

 bed the female lays only two eggs, of an almost oval form, 

 and colour of pure white. 1 Not more than ten days are 

 required for hatching ; the young are ready to fly in seven 

 or eight days ; they are fed or cherished by the parents 

 for nearly another week ; and Mr Audubon is of opinion 

 that they are no sooner able to provide for themselves 

 than they associate with other broods, and perform their 

 migrations apart from the old birds, as he has sometimes 

 observed twenty or thirty young humming-birds resorting 

 to a group of trumpet-flowers when not a single adult male 

 was to be seen. 2 The migration of birds, as Dr Rich- 

 ardson has well observed, has in all ages been an object 

 of pleasing speculation to the philosopher ; but in no in- 

 stance does it appear more wonderful than when contem- 

 plated in relation to these tiny tribes. The lofty and sus- 

 tained flight of the eagle and albatross seems only com- 

 mensurate with their gigantic size, and the irresistible 

 sweeping of their mighty pinions; " but how is our admi- 

 ration of the ways of Providence increased, when we find 

 that one of the least of its class, clothed in the most deli- 

 cate and brilliant plumage, and apparently more fitted to 

 flutter about in a conservatory than to brave the fury of 

 the blast, should yield to few birds in the extent of its mi- 

 grations." 3 



The only instance with which we are acquainted of a 

 humming-bird having been brought alive to England, is 

 that mentioned by Latham. A young gentleman, a few 

 days before sailing from Jamaica, observed a female of 

 Trochilus mango sitting on her eggs. He secured the 

 bird, cut off the twig, and brought the whole on board his 

 vessel. The mother was fed with honey and water, and 

 during the voyage hatched two young ones, which surviv- 

 ing their parent, were landed in England and lived for 

 some time in the possession of Lady Hammond, from 

 whose mouth they readily sipped nectar. The longest 

 survivor, however, died in about two months after its ar- 

 rival. These frail creatures are in fact far too impatient 

 of continuous cold to endure the climate of Britain during 

 winter. We shall conclude by observing, that the species 

 are very numerous, and, like the generality of extensive 

 groups, have been of late partitioned into many minor ge- 

 nera by M. Lesson, and others who have devoted them- 

 selves to their consideration. The range of size, as well 

 as of character, is considerable, — Trochilus minimus, which 

 is no larger than an able-bodied bee, is the least of all the 

 feathered race, — while Trochilus gigas, a " triton 'mong 

 the minnows," is the largest of humming-birds, and al- 

 most equals the dimensions of a swallow. 



In proceeding with our exposition of the tenuirostral 

 tribes, we now approach the Hoopoes, in close approxima- 



tion to which is placed the genus Fregilus of Cuvier, con- Insessores. 

 taining only a single European species, the Corvus gracu-^-~~*/~~' 

 lus, or red-legged crow of British writers, which we have 

 already briefly noticed as a Pyrrhocorax. It is in truth so 

 nearly allied to the Alpine crow (C. pyrrhocorax), or 

 choucard des Alpes, both in structure and habits, and is 

 so often seen in company with that species, that wherever 

 the one may be placed, the other should not be far dis- 

 tant. M. Temminck, indeed, places them in the same ge- 

 nus, although the bill of the red-legged bird (or Cornish 

 chough) is longer than the head, more subulate and slen- 

 der at the point, and without any notch. Cuvier regards 

 the Corvus affinis of Latham, and another species from 

 New Holland, as both belonging to the genus Fregilus. 



The true hoopoes (genus Upupa) are all distinguished 

 by a crest upon the head, composed of a double row of 

 lengthened plumes, and capable of being raised at plea- 

 sure. The only European species (U. epops, Linn. Plate 

 CCCXCIII. fig. 3) is a summer bird of passage on the 

 Continent, where it travels northward even as far as Swe- 

 den. It never breeds in Britain, though it sometimes ac- 

 cidentally occurs there. We had one sent us a few years 

 ago from the county of Fife. This bird is called bub- 

 bola by the Italians, most probably from its peculiar cry. 

 It keeps itself concealed among the trees; but is constant- 

 ly heard repeating the syllable hu, bu, bu, bu, bu, with 

 such a strong sonorous voice, that it may be heard at a 

 great distance. Its song properly so called is only utter- 

 ed during the honey-moon. Although the hoopoe lives 

 and builds in woods, it maybe often seen, in search of in- 

 sect food, in fields and pastures. The nest is generally 

 placed either in the natural hollow of a tree, or in the 

 deserted excavation of a woodpecker. It is composed out- 

 wardly of feathers, and is lined with the hair of cows and 

 horses. The eggs are grayish white, finely spotted with 

 brown. This bird is very common in Egypt. A nearly 

 allied species ( U. Capensis) is found at the Cape, and oc- 

 curs also in the East Indies ; but we presume M. Savi is in 

 error when he says the genus is likewise known in Ame- 

 rica. 



The genus Promerops of Brisson has also an elongat- 

 ed slender bill, finely pointed, laterally compressed, some- 

 what convex above, with the nostrils open and cleft lon- 

 gitudinally. The tail is very long and graduated, and the 

 tongue is extensile and bifurcated, so that the species are 

 able to absorb the nectarous juices of flowers. The title 

 seems now restricted to the African species, of which the 

 only one distinctly known is the Cape promerops (P. Ca- 

 pensis, Merops coffer, Gm.), of a grayish brown above, 

 with a white throat, bordered by two dark lines, the breast 

 reddish, the abdomen yellow. The tail is of great length 

 during the completed plumage ; but the long, ribbon-like 

 feathers are often absent, which greatly alters the exter- 

 nal character of the bird. (See Plate CCCXCIII. fig. 5.) 



In the magnificent and somewhat disputed genus Epi- 

 machus, Cuv., the bill, though more robust in some of the 

 species, resembles that of the two preceding genera ; but 

 the base, or region of the nostrils, is beset with short, 

 rounded, scale-like feathers, after the manner of the birds 

 of paradise, which they somewhat resemble, moreover, in 

 the great extension of certain portions of their plumage. 

 They are also native to the same countries. The Epima- 

 chus magnificus has the general plumage of a rich velvet 

 black, the head and throat lustrous, with changing tints of 

 green and blue. The tail is of ordinary length and struc- 

 ture, but the sides are singularly ornamented by long ex- 

 tended filamentous feathers. (See Plate CCCXCIII. fig. 7.) 

 The female is much less adorned, being, according to M. 



1 Dr Richardson describes the eggs as of" a reddish white colour, and obtuse at both ends." 

 2 Ornithological Biography, vol. i. p. 251. 3 Fauna Boreali-Amerkana, part ii. p. 323. 



