150 
SUN-BIRDS. 
given to them, the scramble, though they could not have been very hungry, and the subse- 
quent struggle for possession, was maintained with a pertinacity that was truly surprising. 
Two might be seen tugging with might and main at the same morsel, till wearied with 
repeated efforts they would give over for awhile, still retaining, however, their hold, to 
resume the contest after an interval of rest ; and it was not unusual on such occasions for 
a third individual, generally a smaller and weaker bird, to quietly watch the issue of the con- 
test, when it would endeavor to deprive the victor of its prize. Certainly, I never saw birds 
struggle so vigorously before, nor pull with such determined force and energy, tumbling over 
not unfrequently from the violence of their efforts.” 
SUN-BIRDS. 
The beautiful and glittering Sun-birds evidently represent in the Old World the humming- 
birds of the New. In their dimensions, color, general form, and habits, they are very similar 
to their brilliant representatives in the western hemisphere, although not quite so gorgeous in 
plumage, nor so powerful and enduring of wing. They are termed Sun -birds, because the 
hues with which their feathers are so lavishly embellished gleam out with peculiar brilliancy 
in the sunlight. The common sun-beetles, that run about the ground in the hot weather, their 
glittering surface flashing rainbow-tinted light in every direction, have earned their popular 
and expressive name in a similar manner. 
These exquisite little birds feed on the juice of flowers and the minute insects that are 
found in their interior, but are not in the habit of feeding while on the wing, hovering over a 
flower and sweeping up its nectar with the tongue, as is the case among the humming-birds. 
The Sun-birds generally, if not always, perch before they attempt to feed, and flit restlessly 
from flower to flower, picking the blossoms in rapid succession, and uttering continually a 
sharp, eager cry, that indicates the earnestness of their occupation. In accordance with their 
peculiar habits, the feet and legs are very much stronger than those of the humming-birds ; 
their wings are shorter, rounder, and less powerful, and their plumage is not so closely set. 
Moreover, the feathers, although bedecked with the most brilliant of hues, lack, except in 
certain spots, such as the crown of the head and the throat, the scintillating radiance of the 
humming-bird, and do not possess in an equal degree the property of changing their hues 
with every movement. 
The brilliant colors of the Sun-birds belong, as a general rule, only to the male sex, the 
female being comparatively sober in her plumage, possessing neither the beauty of form nor 
color which is so conspicuous in the other sex. Even in the male bird, the gorgeous plumage 
has but a temporary existence, becoming developed at the commencement of the breeding season, 
and being lost at the moult which always follows the rearing of the young. At all other 
seasons of the year, the male birds are nearly as simply clothed as their mates, and even the 
glittering, scaly feathers of the head and throat are replaced by a dull brown plumage, hardly 
distinguishable, except by difference of structure, from the surrounding feathers of the neck. 
The change of color and form is so great in these birds, that many zoologists have described 
the immature male, the adult male, and the female as three distinct species, and have conse- 
quently wrought great confusion among their ranks. 
The young male birds are not unlike the female, but may be known by one or two feather 
structures, which will be presently mentioned ; and it is a rather curious fact that the adult male 
always returns after the breeding season to the plumage of immaturity. Some writers have 
questioned the truth of this statement, but without sufficient reason. As soon as the time 
arrives when the birds begin to choose their mates, and the brilliant feathers have fully 
developed themselves, the male Sun-bird becomes very animated, and makes the most of 
his gorgeous plumage, puffing up the feathers of the neck and head, so as to make them flash 
