1894
April 6
(No 2)
Trinidad, B.W.I.
Caura
  The Pomarack Tree all this while was simply alive
with Hummers which were squeaking, zeeping, and darting
to and fro in the most bewildering manner. It was
difficult to count them accurately but there were
at least a dozen actually in the tree at once on 
several occasions. As soon as I had rested sufficiently
I began shooting them killing eight specimens in
the course of a couple of hours. Among my victims
were three ruby-topaz Hummers, two males and a
female. I also got two young birds only a week
or two from the nest and still feeble on the wing. I
take them to be the young of Agyrtria chionipectus.

  The big Lampornis violicauda is nearly seen to be
present at all these gatherings of Hummers and
where he chooses to assert himself he easily "rules
the roost" although the other and feebler species
are too plucky and hot-tempered to give way without
a struggle. Repeatedly in the flowering Bois Immortel[le]s
at Caparo and once or twice in the Pomarack Tree
I have seen a Lampornis take and maintain
exclusive possession of the tree for fifteen or twenty
minutes at a time instantly darting at and putting
to flight any and every other Hummer that tried
to get a share of the feast. On two occasions
I have been forced to shoot the big bully for
the express purpose of getting him out of the way.
In collecting these tropical Hummers one soon learns
that it is a pleasant as well as convenient place to
[delete] place [/delete] hold the bird by placing the bill between the lips
while preparing the paper cone for its reception.