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What is called in this country VOifeau Mouche^ of 

 the Fly bird. - ; 



This name has two derivations ; the firft is that 

 of the fmallnefs of the animal ; for with all its 

 plumage, its Volume is no larger than that of art 

 ordinary May-bug. The fecond is a loud fort of 

 humming noife, which he makes with his wings* 

 and which is not unlike that of a large fly ; its legs 

 which are about an inch long are like two needles ; 

 his bill is of the fame thicknefs, and from it he 

 fends forth a fmall fling, with which he pierces the 

 flowers, in order to extract the fap, which is his 

 nourifhment. The female has nothing ftriking in 

 her appearance, is of a tolerable agreeable white 

 tinder the belly, and of a bright grey all over the 

 reft of the body \ but the male is a perfect jewel, 

 he has on the crown of his head a fmall tuft of the 

 moft beautiful black, the breaft red, the belly white* 

 the back, wings, and tail of a green, like that of 

 the leaves of the rofe-bufh ^ fpecks of gold, fcat- 

 tered all over the plumage, add a prodigious eclat 

 to it, and an imperceptible down produces on it 

 the moft delightful madings that can poftibly be 

 feen. 



Some travellers have confounded this bird with 

 the Coliby ; and in fact, this bird feems to be a fpe- 

 cies of it. But the coliby of the iflands is fome- 

 thing bigger, has not fo much livelinefs of colour 

 in his plumage, and his bill is a little bent down- 

 wards. I might, however, be miftaken with re- 

 gard to the brightnefs and luftre of his plumage, as 

 I never faw any of them alive : fome affirm he has 

 a melodious pipe-, if this is true, he has a great 

 advantage over the oifeau mouche 3 which no one 



Vol. I. i\ has 



