408 MISCELLANEOUS WONDEKS OF NATURE. jj|i 
ment, from the forehead of their favouiitej and 
tlieir expecting master. 
THE HUMMING BIRD, 
rCV'”*: 
There are not less than sixty-five species of tiii* 
bird, all of them remarkable for the beauty ot 
Of these tlie minimus, fly-bird, or least HUMt'^'' ^£ 0 ' 
the most interesting of the nmintc 
„ minute "'“'sioH’’ri i 
It is exceeded, both in weight and ^i®':' y 
among 
nature. — -a 
several species of bees. Its total length is one ,e •‘O 
qnavtL'r; and, when killed, it does not gK. V 
about twenty grains. The bill is straight and 
lines and a half in length : the upper parts ot tu 
of a greenisti brown, in some lights appearing 
under pans are greyish white; the wings are 
itt^y 
:,ii^ 
the tail of a bluisli black, with ir gloss of po 
bat the outer feathers, except one on each slhe, at® ; 
the uiiddie to the .tip, and the outer one di3>‘ 
legs and claws are brown. The female is still ^ 
male. J 
Tliese birds, which are natives of the Traza > ^ii . 
parts of South America, and of the adjacent 
on the nectar or sweet juice of flowers, (d® 
most which have a long tube. They never s 
bu‘ 
‘7 
flower during the act of extracting the 
comiiiuiilly like beed, moving their wings J 
making a humming noise, whence tliey liavo 
name. I'hcy are not shy ; but when very lU'-’';'. i*' 
fly olf like an arrow from a bowc 'liiey ^ 
liy oil iiKe an arrow iiom a uuw. lie ' 
flglit for the right to a flower, and tliris all on '• ^'^;,i(i‘>'yj»< 
tins state they often enter an apartment, -y. 
which are open, tight a iiiile, and go out j,, 
Uitjy L.UDJC lAJ cl JIAJVVS-I. vviiivii J C...WWA,W«^7 -- uj AyJiO 
witheriug, they pluck it oft as it were in anfS® ’ li>. y^ 
means the ground is often strewed with i 
...V, open, ngnt a iiuie, ana go out y 
tliey come to a ftower which is juiceless, or on j^y 
_ ound is otien strewed with ijotiii’‘j;ir 
against each other, they have, besides th® 'yjie.V ‘ );if 
chirping note resembling that of a sparroiv- ^ 
feed either on insects ‘ or fruits ; but h»'^ ^eO’ 
alive in cages for several weeks, by feeding 
fugared water. . tli® 
The humming-bird builds most frequently 
