The Hiflory of Book I. 



monly called by Englifri Writers the Humming-Bird !, a Bird ad- 

 mirable for its beauty, bulk, fweetfcent, and manner of life 5 

 for being the leaft of all Birds, he glorioufly confirmes the 

 faying of Pliny , that, Natura nufauam magis quam in minimis 

 tot a eft : Nature is ever greateft in its leaft productions. Some 

 of thefe Birds are no bigger bodied then fome of the greater 

 forts of Flies : Some are of fo beautiful a plumage, the neck, 

 wings and back reprefent the Rain-bow, which the Ancients 

 call'd Jw, the Daughter of Admiration : There are others 

 have fuch a bright red under their neck, that at a diftanceone 

 would think it were a Carbuncle : The belly and under the 

 wings are of a gilt- yellow , the thighs as green as an Emerald, 

 the feet and beak as black as polifti'd Ebony, andthe two little 

 eyes are two Diamonds let in an oval of the colour of bur- 

 nifh'd fteel : The head is of a grufs-green, which gives it fuch 

 a luftre, that it looks as if it were gilt : The Male hath a little 

 tuft, in wihich may be feen all the colours which enamel that 

 little body, the miracle of the feather'd Common wealth, and 

 one of the rareft productions of Nature : Be lets fall, and 

 raifes up when he pleafes that little creft of feathers wherewith 

 the Author of Nature hath fo richly crowned him, nay all 

 his plumage is more beautiful and mining then that of : the 

 Female. : . 



If this Bird be miraculous as to his bulk and plumage, he is 

 no Jefs as to.the activity of his flight, which is fuch, that pro- 

 per tionably the greateft Birds make not their way through the 

 a]r with 10 much force, and make not fo loud a noife as this lit- 

 tle Ctf does by the agitation of wings 3 for a man would 

 think it a little whirle-wind rais'd of a fuddenin the air, and 

 blow ing in his ears : And in regard he takes a pleafure to flye 

 neer thofe who pafs by, he (cmetimesby his fudden furprifal 

 frightens thofe who hear him before they fee him. 



He lives only on the Dew which he fucks from the Flowers 

 of Trees with his tongue, which is much longer then his beak, 

 and hollow as a fmall reed, and about the bignefs of a fmall 

 needle : He is very feldom leen on the ground, nor yet fta"n4- 

 ing on the Tree§:i bub lufpended in the air, neer the Trfce 

 whence he hath his nourishment.* He is born up by a gentle 

 agitation of his wings j and in the mean time fee draws to him 

 the dew which ftays longed: at the bottom of the flowers half- 

 fclown : 'Tis pleafant to look on him in that pofture : For 

 fpreading ajaroad his little creft, a man would think he had on 

 his head a crown of Rubies, and all forts of precious (tones 5 

 and the Sun adding fomewhat to the natural luftre of his plu- 

 mage makes him look as if he were a compofition of precious 

 ftones animated, and flying in the air : In thofe places where 

 there are moft Cotton-trees is commonly the gtfeateft ftoreof 

 Cplibrisi 



Though 



