4 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



for the moment any other bird, though ten 

 times as large as himself, approached near 

 his tree, he attacked him most furiously, and 

 drove him off, always returning to the same 

 twig he had before occupied, which he had 

 worn quite bare of leaves for the space of 

 three or four inches by constantly perching on 

 it, I often approached within a few feet of 

 him, observing with pleasure his tiny operation 

 of dressing and pluming, and listening to his 

 weak, simple, and often-repeated note. I 

 could easily have caught him, but was un- 

 willing to destroy so interesting a little 

 visitant, who had afforded me so much 

 pleasure. In my excursions round Kingston 

 I procured many of the same species, as well 

 as the long- tailed black one, and a few others; 

 and especially the one I have already men- 

 tioned as the smallest hitherto described, but 

 which however has the finest voice of any of 

 the tribe. 



