90 Travels in North America. 



a pretty fine White under tlie Beliy, and an Aih Colour on the 

 reil of her Body, is all its Ornament ; but the Male is a perfeft 

 Beauty. It has on the Top of the Head, a little Tuft of a beautiful 

 Black, the Throat red, the, Belly white, the Back, the Wings, 

 und the Tail of a green like that of Rofe Leaves ; a Lay of 

 Gold fpread over all this Plumage gives it a great Brilliancy, 

 and a little imperceptible Down, gives it the finefl Shades that' 

 can be feen. 



Some Travellers have confounded it with the Humming-Bird, 

 Hcav it differs the Hands ; and in Faél it appears to be a 

 fromth^ Humrmn'^ Species of it; but that is a little bigger, its 

 Bird ^ '^^^^^^^^^ Plumage is notfo brilliant, and its Bill bent 

 a little downward. I may however be deceived 

 in regard to the Brilliancy of the tlumming- Bird's Plumage, 

 becaufe I have never feen any alive. Some have faid it has a 

 very melodious Song, if this is true, it has a great Advantage 

 over our Fly-Bird, which Nobody has heard fmg. But I have 

 heard myfelf a Female, v/hich whifded in a harfh and difagree- 

 able Note. This Bird has a very llrong Wing, and flies, with 

 furprizing Swiftnefs ; you fee it upon a Flower, and in a Moment 

 it ri fes up to a great Height in the Air, almoft perpendicular. 

 It is an Enemy to the Crow, and a dangerous one too. I heard one 

 fay, v^^howas worthy of Credit, that he has feen one fuddenly 

 quit a Flower it was fucking, rife up as fwift as Lightning, and 

 go and thruft itfelf under the Wing of a Crow, that was float- 

 ing very high in the Air, with its Wings fpread out, and peirc- 

 ing it with its Trunk, made it fall down dead ; either kill'd 

 by the Fall, or the Wound. 



The Fly-Bird feeks Flowers, which have the ftrongefl: Smell ; 

 and it fucks them, keeping always upon the Fluttering : But itrefts 

 itfelf from Time to Time ; and then one may view it perfeélly : 

 They have been keptfome Time upon fagared "Water, and Flow- 

 ers; I kept one formerly for 24 Hours : It fufiered itfelf to 

 betaken, and handled, and feigned itfelf dead ; as foon as I let 

 it go, it took its Flight, and kept fluttering about my Window : I 

 made a Prefent of it to one of my Friends, who the next Morn- 

 ing found it dead ; and that Night there had been a little Froft. 

 Thefe little Axnimals take Care to fhun the firfl: cold Weather, 

 It is very probable, that they return towards Carolina ; and it is 

 asTored that they are not there but in the Winter. They make their 

 Neils in Canada, where they hang them to a Branch of a Tree, 

 and turn them in fuch Manner, that they are fheltered from all 

 the Injuries of the Weather. Nothing is fo neat as thefe Nells. 

 The Bottom is made of very little Bits of Wood, platted like a 

 Ba&et ; and the Infide is lined with I know not what Sort of 

 Down 5 which ,appears like Silk. The Eggs are about the Big- 



nels 



