92 
RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 
The adult male is above four inches in length ; the 
whole of the covering of the body, except the throat, 
is of a very dark uniform golden green, brightest on 
tne front of the breast, and on those parts where the 
feathers are scale-formed, on the lower part of the vent 
it is tinged with brown. The throat is adorned with a 
patch of very splendid ruby colour, assuming golden 
reflections ; the wings are brownish puiple, inclining 
to green on the shoulders, and the tail, which can 
scarcely be said to have any fork, is of a bright cin- 
namon red, with a narrow band of black at the tip ; 
the under coverts are of the same colour. 
The female has the upper parts of a lively green, 
beneath fine reddish brown, shaded to grey on the 
vent, and without any trace whatever of the splendid 
patch on the throat ; behind the eye there is a white 
spot, and a line of the same colour runs from the 
opening of the mouth to the auriculars. The colour 
of the tail is not so bright as in the male, and the 
centre feathers are tinged with green. 
The young of the first year, according to Lesson, 
is brown above, with a golden greenish lustre; be- 
neath, dull grey ; the outer tail-feathers reddish, the 
next black, tipped with white, and the centre ones 
greenish-brown. In the second year it resembles 
the female, but there is a slight tinge of ruby colour 
on the throat. And in the third year, the brownish 
colour of the plumage still remains, but is more 
tinged with green, the patch on the throat is defined, 
and rich scaly feathers commence in parts to ap- 
