T 



z^o oi{3\ciTHOLogr m Bqokii. 



Chap. XIV. 



T/;e Humming Bird, Guainumbi of Marggrave, and Johnfton in his Natural 

 Hiftory of Birds : Guaiminibique of Jo. de Laet in his Defcription of 

 the Weft Indies, Book 15. Chap. 7. Gonambuch, or Gouambuch of 

 Lcr'w in the eleventh Chapter of his American Hiftory, and of Jheyet in his 

 48. Chapter of the jingularities of Antariic France • Tomineio ofjofephus 

 aCofta in Book 4. Chap. 37. of his Natural and Moral Hiftory of the 

 Weft Indies, fo called perchance becaufe it is fo light, that it weighs only one 

 Spanijh Tomino, that is, tw foe grains. OuriSa, ( that is, a Sun-beam ) 

 or Tomineio of Cluftus in Book 5. of his Exotics, Chap. 7. PajOTer 

 Molquitus of OViedo in his Summary, Chap. 48. Hoitzitzil of 

 Fr. Hernande^in Book 9. Chap.i 1. %erum medicarum NoVee Hiftani*. 

 Gomar* in Hiftoria de Mexican* urbis expugnatione, Vicicilin. 



s Hiskind of bird, whoie Synonyma we have given, is the leaft of all birds. It 

 comprehends under it many Species, or differences of which in general thefe 

 things are delivered by thofewho have written of it. 



1. That it moves the Wings with that fwiftnefs,as not to be difcernedby the Eye,fb 

 that it feems rather to want Wings 3 and that as it flies it makes a humming noife like a 

 Hornet or Bee 5 infbmuch that one wtio ihould fee it flying by, would take it rather 

 to be a Hornet than a Bee : Hence it took its name in Englilh of humming bird. It will 

 alfo fo poife it felf by the help of its Wings for a long fpaceof time, as if it refted and 

 ftirrednot, andfo, being on the Wing, fuck the flowers with its Bill, for it lights not 

 upon them. But when it moves from one place to another, it is carried with that ve- 

 locity like a bullet through the air, that very oft it cannot be feen or difcerned as it 

 flies along. 



2. That it is fed and nourished with honey, dew, and the juice of flowers, which 

 it fucks out of them with its Bill, or rather its very long Tongue, provided and fitted 

 by nature for that ufe; fo that, being taken alive, they cannot be kept for want of 

 food, butdieinafhorttime. 



3. That it lies torpid or fleeps in Winter [_ hanging by the feet on a bough in fbme 

 open place, according to Franc. Lopez, : The Bill being faftned to the trunks of Pines 

 or other trees, according to Hernandes and Recchus "] and in the Spring revives or 



* That is, awakens, whence alfo thefe birds are called * Renati by the Inhabitants of the Caribbee 

 om again, jfl^^ v - l%% (b long, fay they, it continues alive, as the honey-bearing flowers en- 

 dure, and when they wither and fail it becomes torpid, and continues without fenfe 

 or motion for full fix months (pace until new flowers come. Neither ( faith Her- 

 nandez ) is this an idle tale, orfuch a thing whereof one may well doubt: For tbis 



* The word bird hath been more than once kept in a Chamber faftned to the * (lock of a tree, and 

 whiSlifo when it had hung as it were dead for fix months, at what time Nature had appointed, 

 may fignifie a it revived, and being let go flew away into the neighbouring fields. Believe it who 

 Suncheonof w ^ 5 * am not wont rafhly or haftily to give credit to fuch relations : Though I know 

 wood. it is taken generally for an undoubted truth, and I find our Mr. Joffeline in his New 



England* rarities to report it for fuch. And truly if it lives only upon what it fucks out 

 of flowers,in the Northern parts of America, when flowers fail,itmuft either lie torpid, 

 or fly into the hotter Countries. But in the more Southern parts of America ( as in Bra- 

 fd ) Marggravim writes, that thefe birds are found all the year long in the Woods in 

 great numbers. 



4. Of the feathers of thefe and other birds of beautiful colours the Indians make 

 the likenefles ( for Pictures we muft not call them) of Saints, and other things fo 

 dextroufTy, and artificially, and to the life that one would think they were drawn 

 with a Pencil in colours, of which we have feen many in the Cabinets of the Vir- 

 tuosi. 



5. Although almoft all the Spaniar ds who have written of the Weft India matters, 

 have made mention of this bird, yet (which is ftrange ) do they take no notice at all 

 of its finging : Only Lerim and Thevetus, both Frenchmen, do attribute to it fo high 

 and fweet a note, that it gives not place to our Nightingale^ which no man, who 



fhould 



