Humming-birds. 
211 
sure, cannot see her flap or beate her wings after any other sorte then 
4oe the dorres, or humble bees, or beetels: so that there is no man that 
seeth her flye, that would thinke her to be any other than a dorre: 
they make their nests according to the proportion of their bignesse, and 
I have seene that one of these birds with her nest put into a paire of 
gold weights altogether, hath waide no more then a tomini , which are 
in poise 24 graines, with the feathers, without the which she would 
have waied somewhat less; and doubtlesse, when I consider the finenesse 
of the clawes and feete of these birds, I know not whereunto I may 
better liken them then to the little birds which the lymners of bookes 
are accustomed to paint on the margent of church bookes, and other 
bookes of divine service. Their feathers are of manie faire colours, as 
golden, yellow, and greene, beside other variable colours: their beake 
is verie long for the proportion of their bodies, and as fine and subtile 
as a sowing needle : they are verie hardy, so that when they see a man 
-clime the tree where they have their nests, they flye at his face, and 
strike him in the eyes, comming, going, and returning with such 
swiftnesse, that no man should lightly beleeve it that had not seene it, 
and certainly these birds are so little, that I durst not have made 
mention hereof, if it were not that divers others which have seene them 
as well as I can beare witnesse of my saying. They make their nests of 
flocks and cotten, whereof there is great plentie in these regions, and 
serveth well for their purpose.” ( Purchas , vol. iii. p. 977.) 
We find these small birds mentioned elsewhere under 
another name. Antonio Galvano, of New Spain, writes:— 
“ There be certaine small birds named vicmalim, their bil is small 
and long. They live of the dew, and the juyce of flowers and roses. 
Their feathers bee small and of divers colours. They be greatly 
^esteemed to worke gold with. They die or sleepe every yeere in the 
moneth of October, sitting upon a little bough in a warme and close 
place: they revive or wake againe in the moneth of Aprill after that 
ithe flowers be sprung, and therefore they call them the revived birds.” 
{Purchas, vol. ii. p. 1693.) 
The Portuguese naturalist, whose observations during 
his residence in Brazil have been frequently quoted, also 
describes the humming-bird, and adds some curious infor¬ 
mation respecting its mode of reproduction:— 
“ Of all the small birds called guaimimbique , there are sundrie 
kindes, as, fruit of the sunne; by another name, that is, the covering of 
