60 
GUIDE TO THE 
almost as much their variety in shape of bill, tail, 
and wings, and their pretty nests and fascinating 
habits. The bill differs much, varying from the 
enormous straight sword, equalling or exceeding the 
whole body in length, in Docimastes ensifer, to 
the short little needle in Rhamphomicron or Sckistes, 
and from the semicircular curved beak of Eutoxeres 
to the longer curved one in Phaethornis. The tail 
varies from a short square one to the enormous 
forked tails of Cyanolesbia, Lesbia, and others, and 
to the pretty flags of Prymnacantha and Discura. 
While the tail is usually composed of ten soft 
feathers (never twelve), this number is greatly re- 
duced in the most peculiar Loddigesia mirabilis 
from Peru, with its enormous flags, of which a whole 
family is here exhibited, and the rectrices are stiffened 
and enarrated in Myrmia and others. The wings, 
in contrast to the generally gay plumage of the 
body, are generally dull brown or dull purplish 
brown, but in a few forms they are highly coloured, 
so in Lamprolaema rhami they are chestnut, in 
Pterophanes temmincki shining steel-blue. While the 
shafts of the primaries, though always strong and 
stiff, do not, as a rule, present any great peculiarities, 
they are widened to a great extent in Campylopterus 
and Eupetomena, and less so in a few allied genera. 
These broad sword-like shafts must be formidable 
weapons if used as such, and they most likely 
are, since the Humming Birds are extremely 
