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Those birds which have the toes separate and not 

 united by a membrane, are by naturalists denomi- 

 nated cloven-footed ; these for the greater part in- 

 habit the plains and the woods, and feed upon in- 

 sects, fruits or flesh. Of this class I shall select those 

 that are most remarkable for the beauty of their 

 plumage, the melody of their song, or any other 

 quality. 



The pigda, known under the different names of 

 pica-flora, humming-bird, &c. is the trochilus of 

 Linnaeus, who has described twenty-two species of 

 it. It is generally very small ; the neck is short, the 

 head well proportioned, the eyes are black and vivid, 

 the bill is of the size of a pin and nearly of the same 

 length as the body, the tongue bifurcated, and the 

 legs are short with four toes ; the tail consists of 

 seven or nine feathers the length of the body, and 

 the wings are very long. Their colours vary accord- 

 ing to their species ; but they are in general very rich, 

 and combine the splendour of gold and precious stones 

 with the most beautiful shades of every hue, wMch 

 they retain even after their death. They are very 

 common throughout Chili, and during the summer 

 are seen like butterflies hovering around the flowers, 

 and appear as if suspended in the air. They make 

 a humming noise with their wings, but their note is 

 nothing more than a low warbling or chattering. 

 The males are distinguishable from the females by 

 the brilliancy of their heads, which shine like fire. 

 These birds build their nests upon trees, and form 

 them of small straws and down ; they lay two white 

 eggs, speckled with yellow, of the size of a chick- 



a. 



