67 
ORNITHOLOGY. 
NATURAL HISTORY OF HUMMING-BIRDS. 
Like Fairy Sprites, a thousand birds 
Glance by on golden wing, 
Birds lovelier than the lovely hues 
Of the bloom wherein they sing. 
In our first volume, devoted to the illustration of 
a portion of this splendid tribe of birds, we endea- 
voured to collect all the information contained in the 
numerous voyages of discovery, and the expensive 
and elegant works which have been devoted to their 
natural history *. It cannot, therefore, now be ex- 
pected that we have discovered many additional facts 
regarding their curious habits and economy. But 
in our farther researches, tve have been led more and 
more to wonder at the brightness of their external 
covering, and to admire the wisdom which has so 
admirably adapted the structure to the wants of 
•The best work, describing the Humming-birds, is three 
beautiful volumes by Lesson, containing 219 plates, most 
delicately executed. 
