ON TREES. 
219 
REMARKS ON TREES, WITH REFERENCE TO 
THEIR BEING PERFORATED BY THE TIT- 
MOUSE AND THE WOODPECKER. 
The tree, that noble and gigantic son of earth, is 
the favourite resort of most birds ; and so intimately 
is it connected with the charming science of orni- 
thology, that he who has neglected to pay attention 
to it will often find himself at a loss to give correct 
information, in his description of the habits of the 
feathered tribes. 
The bloom, the fruit, the health and vigour of 
a tree, are interwoven with the economy of birds. 
Do you wish to have a view of seven or eight dif- 
ferent species of Colibri, collected at one tree? 
Wait, in patience, till the month of July ; when a 
vast profusion of red flowers on the bois immortel (a 
tree well known to every planter in Guiana) invites 
those lovely creatures to a choice repast. Are you 
anxious to procure the pompadour, the purple- 
breasted and the purple-throated cotingas ? Then, 
mark the time when the wild guava tree ripens its 
fruit; and on it you will find these brilliant orna- 
ments of the forest. Is the toucan your object ? 
You have only to place yourself, before the close of 
day, at the shaded root of some towering mora 
whose topmast branches have been dried by age, or 
blasted by the thunderstorm, and to this tree the 
bird will come, and make the surrounding wilds 
re-echo to its evening call. Would you inspect the 
