284 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
•occasionally met with in northern Brazil, and is of most diminutive propor¬ 
tions, scarcely exceeding two inches in length. The crest with which its head 
is ornamented is a rich chestnut-brown color, the back a bronze green, wings 
a purple black; while a broad band of white crosses over the lower part of the 
back. From the neck project plumes of snowy white, the ends of which are 
tipped with bright green. 
Spangled Coquette ( Lophornis regincs ) is the name of another species 
very similar to the lophornis ornatus , differing little in color, but has the 
power of elevating or depressing the crest upon its head, which the former 
does not possess, a faculty which greatly increases its value as a curiosity 
among naturalists. 
Horned Hummer, or Double-crested ( Trochilus cornutus ), is also a South 
American species, ranging between the Amazon and Parana rivers. It is 
small in size, but of exquisite plumage, and distinguished for having a fan¬ 
shaped tuft of parti-colored feathers growing out from either side of the head. 
The back feathers are iridescent with hues of burnished gold and copper, 
while the breast is changeable with tints of emerald and ruby, and the long 
tail feathers are a pale yellow. 
The Sparkling Tail ( Trochilus dupontii ) inhabits Mexico and some parts 
of Central America, where it has an affection for flowers in cultivated gardens. 
It is extremely small, and the two eggs which it lays are scarcely larger than peas, 
and of a pearly white. The nest is always made upon a slight twig, or the 
underside of a large leaf, to which it is made to adhere by the use of a glutin¬ 
ous substance and spiders’ webs. This tiny bird is gorgeously bedecked with 
bronze-green feathers on the back, and a crescent of white crossing at the 
base of the tail. The tail is long, swallow-shaped, and the feathers are of 
velvet-black, tipped with white. 
Conver’s Thorntail ( Goldia conversi) is peculiar to the region about 
Bogota. It is also a small species remarkable for great speed on the wing. 
The color is green with a bar of white running across the lower back, which 
presents a striking contrast. The tail, however, is its most distinguishing 
feature, from the shape of which (resembling sharp-pointed, radiating spears) 
the name thorntail has been given. These feathers are shining black, while 
the shafts are white, as are also the tips. 
The Flame-Bearer ( Selasphorus scintilla ) has several features resembling 
those observable in the last species described. The tail feathers are rich in 
color, but short and spike-like. On the throat is a tuft of feathers of a fiery 
red color, from whence the name has been given. But more singular than its 
appearance is the fact that this species inhabits the inner side of the 
extinct volcano Chiriqui, New Grenada, where a luxurious vegetation is now 
found. 
Black Warrior (Oxypogon lindenii). This is quite a large species, and 
its haunts are at elevations where snow and ice may nearly always be found. 
They are somewhat remarkable for the long, pointed crest which gracefully 
swells upward from the base of the beak, and a flowing beard of delicate 
feathers. Concerning this interesting creature, Mr. Linden, the discoverer, says: 
“ I met with this species for the first time in August, 1842, while ascending 
the Sierra Nevada de Merida, the crests of which are the most elevated of the 
eastern part of the Cordilleras of Columbia. It inhabits the regions immediately 
