HUMMING BIRD. 
213 
yellow flower ■which grows in great luxuriance along the sides of creeks 
and rivers, and in low moist situations ; it groAvs to the height of two 
or three feet, and the flower Avhich is about the size of a thimble, hangs 
in the shape of a cap of liberty aboA^e a luxuriant growth of green 
leaves. It is the Bahamina noli me tangere of botanists, and is the 
greatest favorite with the Humming Bird of all our other flowers. In 
some places Avliere these plants abou)id you may see at one time ten or 
twelve Humming Birds darting about, and fighting Avith and pursuing 
each other. About the twentieth of September they generally retire to 
the south. I have, indeed, sometimes seen a solitary individual on the 
tAventy-eighth and thirtieth of that month, and sometimes even in Octo- 
ber ; but these cases are rare. About the beginning of November they 
pass the southern boundary of the United States into Florida. 
The Humming Bird is three inches and a half in length, and four and 
a quarter in extent ; the Avhole back, upper part of the neck, sides 
under the Avings, tail coverts, and tAvo middle feathers of the tail, are 
of a rich golden green ; the tail is forked, and, as Avell as the wings, of 
a deep broAvnish purple ; the bill and eyes are black ; the legs and feet, 
both of AAdiich are extremely small, are also black : the bill is straight, 
very slender, a little inflated at the tip, and very incompetent to the 
exploit of penetrating the tough sincAvy side of a crow, and precipitat- 
ing it from the clouds to the earth, as Charlevoix Avould persuade his 
readers to believe.* The nostrils are tAvo small oblong slits, situated 
at the base of the upper mandible, scarcely perceivable Avhen the bird 
is dead, though very distinguishable and prominent Avhen living ; the 
sides of the belly and belly itself dusky Avhite, mixed Avith green ; but 
Avliat constitutes the chief ornament of this little bird, is the splendor 
of the feathers of his throat, Avhich Avhen placed in a proper position, 
gloAV with all the brilliancy of the ruby. These feathers are of singular 
strength and texture, Ij'ing close together like scales, and vary Avhen 
moved before the eye from a deep black to a fiery crimson and burning 
orange. The female is destitute of this ornament ; but difl'ers little in 
other appearance from tlie male ; her tail is tipi)ed Avith Avhite, and the 
AA'hole loAver parts are of the same tint. The young birds of the first 
season, both male and female, have the tail tipped Avith Avhite, and the 
Avhole loAver parts nearly white ; in the month of September the orna- 
mental feathers on the throat of the young males begin to appear. 
On dissection the heart Avas found to be remarkably large, nearly as 
big as the cranium ; and the stomach, though distended Avith food, 
uncommonly small, not exceeding the globe of the eye, and scarcely 
more than one-sixth part as large as the heart ; the fibres of the last 
* Hist, de la Nov. France, III., p. 185. 
