68 
POPULAR HISTORY OF BIRDS. 
Waterton in his ^ Wanderings ^ alludes to two or three of 
the Demerara species.- In July and August^ they are par- 
ticularly fond of fluttering about the red blossom of a richly 
flowering tree^ called there hois immorteV^ ; around this 
and the red sage/^ and the flowers of the wallaba-tree/^ 
conspicuous ornaments of the woods^ these species may be 
constantly seen^ fluttering like so many bees. Our enthu- 
siastic traveller thus describes a scene on entering the forests 
of the rising land^ as you get into the interior : — ^^The blue 
and green^ the smallest brown^ no bigger than the humble- 
bee, with two long feathers in the tail, and the little forked- 
tail purple-throated humming-birds glitter before you, in 
ever-changing attitudes. One species alone never shows 
his beauty to the sun ; and were it not for his lovely 
shining colours, you might almost be tempted to class him 
with the goatsuckers, on account of his habits. He is the 
largest of all the humming-birds, and is all red and chang- 
ing gold-green, except the head, which is black. He has 
two long feathers in the tail, which cross each other, and 
these have gained him the name of Karabimiti, or Ara 
humming-bird, from the Indians. You never find him on 
the sea-coast, or where the river is salt, or in the heart of 
the forest, unless fresh water be there. He keeps close by 
