532 
THE STORY - OF THE BIRDS. 
golden-orange color, and very glossy, but changing towards the tips into a 
pale brown. This tuft of plumes can be elevated and spread out at pleasure, 
so as almost to conceal the body of the bird. In the female the whole of the 
ornamental plumes are wanting, and the color is a uniform coffee-brown. 
At certain seasons of the year the males flock together in a selected tree for 
the purpose of display, forming what the natives term “dancing parties.” 
On one of these trees, a dozen or twenty male birds assemble together, raise 
up their wings, stretch out their necks and elevate their exquisite plumes, 
keeping them in continual motion. When thus assembled the birds are shot 
with blunt-headed arrows by the natives, who climb silently into the play 
trees. 
Common Humming Bird—The entire humming bird family is confined to 
America, ranging from the Arctic regions to the southern coast. As a 
rule the humming bird does not possess any song. Its brilliant metallic 
colors are well known for it is abundant in all parts of the country. The 
flight of the humming bird is unlike that of any other bird. When poised 
before any object, the motion of the wings is so rapid that the eye cannot 
follow it. It sometimes has the appearance of flying backward. Their little 
nests are made of moss, covered outside with lichens. The eggs, two in 
number, are white, and oval at both ends. 
De Lande’s Humming Bird—This beautiful specimen has all the brilliant 
colors of its fellows,, and is distinguished by a long pointed crest and long 
baggy-like bill. It is confined to South America. 
Jacana—The jacanas differ from all other birds in their extremely long 
toes. They are handsomely colored birds, black or black and white being 
the principal color of the' plumage. They are confined to South America, 
southern Africa, the Indian region and Australia. They are long-legged, 
slenderly-built birds, with short tails, spurs on the wings and a naked shield 
on the forehead. They live upon insects and frequent lakes and quiet rivers, 
where their long toes enable them to walk over the leaves of the water-lilies. 
The nest is a rude structure built near the edge of the water. The eggs, which 
vary from four to six in number, have a bluish-green ground, with liver- 
colored spots. 
Green and Orange Barbet—Burma and Southern China are the home of 
this bird of many colors, the prevailing tint being green, the mantle brown, 
the hind-neck streaked with orange, the head blue and the bill a pale yel¬ 
low. The nest-holes are drilled into a tree like those of the woodpecker. 
Brown Creeper—The creepers get their name from their method of pur- 
