( 1 
under the tail, and the quill-feathers of the 
wings are of a dufky brown : the infide of 
the wings, and the under fide of the tail, 
are of a dark afh- colour: the bread is tinged 
with green •, it hath on each fide a fpot of 
yellow or gold-coloured feathers, which 
fall partly over the wings when they are 
clofed : the legs and feet are black. 
The lower Bird, which is the fmalled, 
differs in nothing from the upper as to 
the plumage, except that the belly, thighs, 
and covert-feathers under the tail, are of 
the fame blueifh purple as the upper fide, 
and that it wants the green fpot acrots the 
middle of the bread. 
Thefe Birds are of a particular clafs, 
differing from the Humming Bird in hav- 
ing bills very much bowed down, and in 
having their legs much longer - y but they 
have the fame fort of tongue as the Hum- 
ming Bird, dividing at its ends into feverai 
filaments : fo that I fuppofe they fubfid in 
the fame manner, taking up the honey or 
moidure out of dowers by means of their 
long tongues, fo well contrived for that 
purpofe. The Humming Bird, properly 
fo called, is found only in America ; but 
this tribe is found in America and the Ead 
Indies. The Blue Creeper, figured plate 
2 1 of my Hidory of Birds, is of this ge- 
nus ; and that defcribed in the lad foregoing 
plate of this work, is of the fame. Thefe 
Birds are in the collection of Mr. James 
Leman, at the College of Phyficians, Lon- 
don. I have difcovered that they are na- 
tives of Bengali, in the Ead Indies, by 
means of fome drawings of birds in colours, 
which were fent from thence, by an Eng- 
lish gentleman redding there, to the late 
learned and worthy encourager of lciences 
Dr. Richard Mead. 
17 ) 
plumes qui couvrent le dejfous do la queue \ et 
les grandes plumes des ailes font d'un brun ob- 
fcur : le dejfous des ailes et le deffous de la 
queue eft d'an couleur de cendre rembruni : l’ eft 
to mac eft teint de vert j et il y a de chaque 
cote un bouquet de plumes jaunes ou couleur 
dor, qui tombent en partie fur les ailes t 
quand elks font fermees : les jambes et les pattes 
font noire s . 
L'Oifeau inferieur , qui eft le moihs gros , 
ne differs du premier par le plumage , quen 
ce quil a le ventre , les cuijfes , et les plumes 
qui eGuvrent le dejfous de la queue , du memo 
pourpre bkudtre que le deft us , et en ce quit 
n'a point de marque verte fur le milieu de 
I'eftomac. 
Ces Oifeaux font d r une clajfe particuliere , 
different e du Colibri, en ce qui Is ont le bee 
extremement courbe , et les jambes beaucoup 
plus longues j tnais Us ont la me me forte de 
langue que le Colibri , divijee vers le bout en 
plufieurs filaments. Ainft je fuppofe, quils 
fubjiftent de la me me manibre, en enlevant le 
miel ou le fuc des fleurs par le moyen de leur 
longue langue, ft propre a cet ufage . he Co- 
libri , proprement ainft 770mm e, ne fe trouve 
quen Amerique\ rnais cette famille-ci fe 
trouve egalement en Amerique et aux Grandes 
hides. Le Grimpcreau bleu , reprefente 
planche 21. de mon Hijloire des Oifeaux , eft 
de ce genre: celuique jai decrit dam l article 
precedent de cet ouvrage , eft encore de la meme 
efpece. Ces Oifeaux font dans le cabinet de 
curiofites de M. Le?nan y au College des Medc- 
cins a Londres. fai decouvert qu'ils Jont 
de Bengale dans les Grandes Indes , par le 
moyen de quelques deffeins d'OiJ'caux colores y 
quun Angloisy qui y demcuroit y avoit envoy cs 
au feu ftavant M. Rich. Ale ad, AL D. et 
digne promoteur des feiences. 
D 
