150 The Hon. Anthony Chaplin—Humming Birds


head drawn well back between the shoulders and with the bill slightly

elevated—a position very characteristic of Hornbills. This comparison

may seem far-fetched to those who do not realize that it is interesting

to the student of habits to find characteristics persisting in related

groups, irrespective of differences in size and gainliness.


The manner of flight in these birds has received its due share of

comment, but we think it necessary to point out that the wings perform

a horizontal semi-circular beat when the bird is hovering, so that the

haze produced by the rapid beating is not visible below the body but

only above. In all attempts made to draw Humming Birds in flight

this fact has been overlooked, and the “ hazy semicircle of indistinct¬

ness ” is made to envelop the entire bird.


Many species have the habit of drawing the bill through the clenched

claw in order, no doubt, to clean it. This habit can be shared by few

groups, and then only by such versatile creatures as Parrots. It is

a most peculiar manoeuvre and one interesting to watch, especially

when the individual grasps its own bill with its own claw and very

very slowly wipes the entire length in as deliberate a manner as you

could wish to see.


Some species, notably Lampornis, Chrysolampis, and Lepidolarynx,

if disturbed when in an otherwise completely torpid condition will

utter a long drawn-out and plaintive call. This is difficult to account

for, as it can hardly be considered conducive to the sleeper’s greater

safety, and we would defer from expounding any theory, at any rate

for the present, on this pleasantly surprising trait. It can be stated

that this torpidity is due as much to dietetic as to atmospheric con¬

ditions, although it is a subject about which little can with certainty

be said at the moment.


The brilliancy of the Humming Birds’ plumage is entirely different

from—although often compared with—that of the Nectariniidse and

Paradisidse. A Humming Bird will glow in partial darkness like a tiny

lamp, while the Sunbirds need a light playing directly on them in order

to be seen at their best. Indeed, the plumage of the former may be

called luminous, while that of the latter is best described as metallic.


As far as it is possible to say, Humming Birds undergo both a partial

moult and a true moult: during the former the wing feathers are



