NATURAL HISTORY. 
78 
crimson, green, emerald, white breasted, and spotted. Some 
of them with and some without crests. The eves of most 
of them are very small and as black as jet. 
Ii is inconceivable how much these add to the high 
finishing and beauty of a rich luxurious western landscape. 
As soon as the sun is risen, the humming-birds, of diffe- 
rent kinds, are seen fluttering about the flowers, without 
even lighting upon them. Their wings are in such rapid 
motion, that it is impossible to discern t heir colours, except 
by their glittering. They are never still, but continually in 
motion, visiting flower after flower and extracting its honey. 
For this purpose they are furnished with a forked tongue, 
that enters the cup of the flower, and extracts its nectared 
tribute. Upon this alone they subsist. The rapid motion 
of their wings brings out an humming sound, whence they 
have their name. 
The nests of these birds are not less curious than the rest: 
they are suspended in the air, at the point of the twin's of 
an orange, a pomgranate, or a citron tree; sometimes 
even in houses, if they find a small and convenient twic for 
the purpose. The female is the architect, while the male 
goes in quest of materials ; such as cotton, fine moss, and 
the fibres of vegetables. The nest is about the size of an 
hen’s egg cut in two. They lay two eggs at a time, and 
never more, about the size of small peas, and as white as 
snow, with here and there a yellow speck. The time of 
incubation continues twelve days; at the end of which the 
young ones appear, and are much about the size of a blue- 
bottle-fly. 
It is a doubt whether or not these birds have a continued 
note in singing. All travellers agree that, beside the hum- 
ming noise produced by their wings, they have a little 
interrupted chirrup ; but Labat asserts, that they have a 
most pleasing melancholy melody in their voices, though 
small and proportioned to the organs which produce it. 
It is very probable that, in different places, their notes are 
also different ; and as there are some that continue tor- 
pid all the winter, there may likewise be some with agree- 
able voices, though the rest may in general be silent. 
