Zoological Society. 



151 



as having feet formed for walking, but the Paradise Bird shuns the 

 bottom of the cage, as if afraid of soiling its delicate plumage ; for 

 I must observe, that it is always as clean and wemless as it is gay 

 and splendid. The Creator, who has poured so much beauty upon 

 it, has also endowed it with an instinct to delight in these charms, 

 and with wisdom to preserve them in their fullest integrity. In the 

 wild state it is not unlikely that they catch their prey upon the wing, 

 either by taking it in flight, like the swallow, or by darting upon it, 

 like the Drongo Shrike, as it passes by the seat of its pursuer. 



" The form and disposition of the pennons afford it the power of 

 floating gracefully upon the breeze, not of cutting the air in rapid 

 flight. The ease with which it glides upon the aura must be in- 

 creased by the hypochondrial feathers, which are lifted up and dis- 

 played in the act of flying. The hypochondrial feathers are yellow 

 at the base, whitening towards the end, with brown shafts. The 

 shortness of the vanes makes them resemble the teeth of a saw near 

 the end. The tail-coverts with long toothed shafts. The feet and 

 legs are of a dark leaden blue. They are strong, and grasp the perch 

 with great ease and firmness." 



Mr. Fraser pointed out the characters of several new species of 

 Humming-birds, which had been placed in his hands by the Earl of 

 Derby for that purpose, and that they might be exhibited at one of 

 the Society's scientific meetings. These birds were obtained at S ta 

 Fe de Bogota, and the collection contained eighteen species, a great 

 portion of which being undescribed, were thus characterized ; — 



Trochilus exortis. T. rostro quam caput paululum longiore ; 

 caudd nigrescente, latissimd, subfurcatd ; colore viridi ; pectore 

 cceruleo enitente ; maculd frontali splendide viridi ; lacinid gulari 

 purpurascenti-rubrd nit ore cceruleo ; mentiplumis cozruleis ; crisso 

 albo. 



Long. tot. 4 unc. ; rostri, J ; al(£, 2-J ; cauda, 2i. 

 Hab. Guaduas, Columbia. 



This species is of moderate size ; the general colour of its plumage 

 is deep rich green, with bronze reflections ; the wings are dusky, 

 with the upper and under coverts of the same green tint as the body : 

 the two central tail-feathers are tinted with bronze, both above and 

 beneath ; the remaining tail-feathers, which are broad, are black, but 

 in certain lights a very obscure purplish- green hue is observable ; 

 the feathers on the forehead are more compact than the remaining 

 feathers of the head ; in some lights they appear to be of a black 

 colour, edged with green ; in others they exhibit a most brilliant 

 green lustre. 



Trochilus cupreo-ventris. T. rostro quam caput paululum lon- 

 giore ; caudd brevi, subf urcatd : femoribus albis ; colore splendide 

 viridi, aureo et cupreo enitente ; crisso purpurascenti-cceruleo ; pri- 

 mariis nigrescentibus ; caudd nigrd, purpureo tinctd. 



Long. tot. 4 J unc. ; rostri, 1 ; ala, 2| ; caudce, lj. 



This species is remarkable for the richness of its colouring ; in 



