RACKET-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. 31? 



only a scarce perceptibly barbed shaft for about 

 the length of half an inch^ terminated by the 

 racket-shaped web before-mentioned. 



The Racket-tailed Humming-Bird is a rare 

 species, and is a native of Soutli America, but the 

 particular regions in which it is found seem not to 

 be distinctly ascertained. Monsr. Viellot informs 

 us that several well-preserved individuals, ex- 

 amined by himself, all agreed in the structure of 

 the tail. When however we consider that the 

 same kind of appearance occasionally takes place 

 in the tail of the bird called the Momot^ which 

 yet, in its truly perfect state, exhibits those 

 feathers completely webbed throughout their 

 whole length, we may perhaps be induced to 

 suspect that a similar particularity may occur in 

 the present species of Humming-Bird, and that 

 the exterior feathers of the tail may, at some par- 

 ticular periods of its growth, be regularly plumed 

 throughout. 



