THE WHITE-BOOTED RACKET-TAIL. 
169 
account of the very considerable dimensions to which it reaches. Its nest is a very remarkable 
structure, looking much as if it were made from leather, and woven so adroitly to the bough 
upon which it is placed that it can hardly be distinguished from the natural bark or from 
some of the numerous fungi that grow upon trees. Its surface is quite smooth, and the color 
is a reddish-dun. The substance of which it is composed is a kind of fungus, of the same 
order as the well-known Boletus of which Herman tinder is made. The eggs are two in 
number, and beautifully white. 
The color of this splendid bird is mostly a blazing scarlet, contrasting boldly with the 
deep velvet-black of the head and part of the neck. The throat is emerald-green, with a patch 
of delicate crimson in the centre. The lower part of the back and the upper tail-coverts are 
beautiful green with orange gloss ; and the wings and tail are purple-black, with the excep- 
tion of the two elongated feathers of the tail, which are purplish -green, and cross each other 
near the base. The under tail-coverts are green. So vivid are the tints, and so beautiful the 
form of this bird, that it well deserves the honorable title accorded to it by Prince Lucien 
Bonaparte of being “ inter TrocMlides pulcherrimusE The female is without the elongated 
tail-feathers, and she is of a green-gold color on the upper parts of the body. This species is 
very like the following bird, but may be distinguished from it by the purple of its tail- 
feathers and the fiery effulgence of its body. The entire length of this bird is about eight 
inches. 
The Crimson Topaz, or Ara Humming-bird ( Topaza pella ), closely resembles the fiery 
topaz, except that the hues of its body are more of a deep crimson than of the flaming 
scarlet which denotes the preceding species. The tail is reddish-buff, with the exception of 
the two central feathers which have the same purple-green as in T. pyra. It inhabits Cayenne, 
Trinidad, and Surinam, and among the natives is known by the name of Karabamiti. It is a 
shy and retiring bird, living near rivers, and shrouding its beauties in the deepest forests. 
It is a semi-nocturnal bird, resembling the nightjars in many of its habits, and being most 
active in the early dawn and the beginning of the evening. Only at those hours does it 
venture from the deep recesses of its home, and display its flashing colors as it darts along 
the glades or over the streams in search of its insect prey. 
We have in the Racket-tailed Humming-birds one of those singular forms which are so 
often found among these strange little birds. 
The Racket-tail Humming-bird (His cur a longicauda ) is a native of Cayenne, Surinam, 
and Demerara, and is also found in several portions of Northern Brazil. It is chiefly remark- 
able for the curious formation from which it derives its popular and appropriate name. 
In the male bird, the face, throat, and part of the neck are light verditer-green, becoming 
more luminous towards the chest. Under the chin there is a little velvet-black spot, which is 
very conspicuous against the light green of the surrounding feathers. The upper parts are 
bronze-green, and a buff-white band crosses the lower end of the back. The very curious tail 
is deeply forked, the two exterior feathers being twice the length of the second pair, and the 
others decreasing in length in rapid progression. The general color of the tail is purple-black, the 
purple being especially visible on the “rackets.” The female possesses no rackets on the tail, 
nor green on her head or throat. The velvet-black spot on the chin, however, retains its place. 
The White-booted Racket-tail inhabits the Columbian Andes, and is very common 
near Santa Fe de Bogota. It is a hill-loving bird, being generally found at an elevation of five 
or ten thousand feet above the level of the sea. It is thought to be confined within the third 
and tenth degrees of north latitude. This bird is remarkably swift of wing, its darting flight 
reminding the spectator of the passage of an arrow through the air. At one time it will hover 
close to the ground, hanging over some favorite flower and extracting the sweet contents of the 
blossoms ; and at the next moment it will shoot to the very summit of some lofty tree, as if 
impelled from a bow, and leave but the impression of an emerald-green line of light upon the 
observer’s eye. While hovering over the flowers, the long racket-shaped feathers of the tail 
Vol. n.— 22. 
