Part 10

This beautiful little bird is pre-eminently migratory in its habits, a great portion of its life being spent in passing from north to south, and _vice versâ_. "The Ruby-throated Humming Bird," says Wilson, "makes its first appearance in Georgia, from the south, about the 23rd of March. As it passes on to the northward, as far as the interior of Canada, where it is seen in great numbers, the wonder is excited how so feebly-constructed and delicate a little creature can make its way over such extensive regions of lakes and forests among so many enemies, all its superiors in strength and size; but its very minuteness, the rapidity of its flight, which almost eludes the eye, and its admirable instinct or reason are its guides and protectors. About the 25th of April it usually arrives in Pennsylvania, and about the 11th of May begins to build its nest. This is generally fixed on the upper side of some horizontal branch, not among the twigs, but where it is attached by the side to an old moss-grown trunk; others may be found fastened on a strong, rank stalk or weed in the gardens, but these cases are rare. The nest, which is usually placed on a branch some ten feet from the ground, is about one inch in diameter, and as much in depth, and the outer coat of one now lying before me is formed of a small species of blueish grey lichen, thickly glued on with the saliva of the bird, giving firmness and consistency to the whole, as well as keeping out moisture. Within this are thickly-matted layers of the fine wings of certain flying seeds, closely laid together, and lastly the downy substance from the great mullein and from the stalks of the common fern lining the whole. The two eggs are pure white, and of equal thickness at both ends. On a person approaching their nest, the little proprietors dart around with a humming sound, passing within a few inches of his head, and should the young be nearly hatched the female will resume her place on the nest, even while the spectator stands within a yard or two of the spot. The precise period of incubation I am unable to give, but the young are accustomed, within a short time of leaving the nest, to thrust their bills into the mouths of their parents and suck out what they have brought them. As I have found their nests as late as the 12th of July, I do not doubt but that they frequently and perhaps usually raise two broods in the season.

"This Humming Bird is extremely fond of tubular flowers, and I have often stopped to observe his manœuvres among the blossoms of the trumpet flower. When arrived before a thicket of these in full bloom, he poises or suspends himself on wing for the space of two or three seconds so steadily that his wings become invisible or only like a mist, and you can plainly distinguish the pupil of his eye looking round with great quickness and circumspection; the glossy golden green of his tail and the fire of his throat dazzling in the sun form altogether a most beautiful appearance. When he alights, which he frequently does, he always prefers the dry twigs of a tree or bush, where he dresses and arranges his plumage with great dexterity. His only note is a single chirp, not louder than that of a small cricket or grasshopper, generally uttered while passing from flower to flower, or when engaged in fight with his fellows; for when two males meet at the same bush or flower a battle instantly takes place, and the combatants ascend in the air, chirping, darting, and circling round each other till the eye is no longer able to follow them--the conqueror, however, generally returns to the place to reap the fruit of his victory. I have seen him attack and, for a few moments, tease the King Bird, and have also seen him in his turn assaulted by a humble bee, which he soon put to flight.

"This beautiful and delicate species is extremely susceptible of cold, and if long deprived of the animating influence of the sunbeams droops and soon dies. A very fine male which was brought to me I put into a wire cage, and placed it in a retired, shaded part of the room. After fluttering about for some time, the weather being uncommonly cool, it clung to the wires and seemed in a torpid state for the whole forenoon. No movement of breathing could be perceived on the closest inspection, though at other times this is remarkably observable, the eyes were shut, and when touched with the finger it gave no signs of life or motion. I carried it out into the open air, and placed it directly in the rays of the sun; in a few seconds respiration became very apparent, the bird breathed faster and faster, opened its eyes, and began to look about with as much seeming vivacity as ever. After it had completely recovered it flew off to the top of a pine-tree, where it sat for some time dressing its disordered plumage, and then shot off like a meteor.

"The flight of this Humming Bird from flower to flower greatly resembles that of a bee, but is so much more rapid that the latter appears a mere loiterer in comparison with him. He poises himself on wing, while he thrusts his long, slender, tubular tongue into the flowers in search of food. He sometimes enters a room by the window, examines the bouquets of flowers, and has been known to return regularly every evening for several days together. From the blossoms of the towering tulip-tree, through a thousand intermediate flowers, to those of the humble larkspur, he ranges at will and almost incessantly. About the 20th of September these birds generally retire south, and about November pass the southern boundary of the United States into Florida."

"No sooner," says Audubon, "does the returning sun again introduce the vernal season, and cause millions of plants to expand their leaves and blossoms to his genial beams, than this Humming Bird is seen advancing on fairy wings, carefully visiting every flower-cup, and, like a curious florist, removing from each the injurious insects that would otherwise, ere long, cause their beauteous petals to droop and decay. Poised in the air, it is observed peeping cautiously and with sparkling eye into their innermost recesses, whilst the ethereal motion of the pinions, so rapid and so light, appears to fan and cool the flowers without injury to their fragile texture, and produces a delightful murmuring sound. Its long delicate beak enters the cup of the flower, and the protruded double tongue, delicate, sensitive, and imbued with a glutinous saliva, touches each insect in succession and draws it from its lurking-place to be instantly swallowed. All this is done in a moment, and the bird as it leaves the flower sips so small a portion of its liquid honey that the theft we may suppose is but a benefit to the flower, which is thus relieved from the attacks of its destroyers. The prairie, the fields, the orchards, and the gardens, nay, the deepest shades of the forest, are all visited in their turn, and everywhere the little bird meets with pleasure and with food. Its gorgeous throat in beauty and brilliancy baffles all description. Now it glows with a fiery hue, and again it changes to the deepest velvet-black. The upper parts of its body are of resplendent changing green, and it throws itself through the air with a swiftness and vivacity hardly conceivable; it moves from flower to flower like a gleam of light, upwards and downwards, to the right and to the left. During their migrations they pass through the air in long undulations, raising themselves for some distance at an angle of about 40°, and then falling in a curve; but the smallness of their size precludes the possibility of following them farther than fifty or sixty yards without great difficulty, even with a good glass. They do not alight on the ground, but settle on twigs and branches, where they move sideways in prettily-measured steps, frequently opening and closing their wing, pluming, shaking, and arranging the whole of their apparel with the utmost neatness and activity; they are particularly fond of spreading one wing at a time, and passing each of the quill-feathers through their bill in its full length, when, if the sun be shining, the wing thus plumed is rendered extremely transparent and light. They quit the twig without the slightest difficulty in an instant, and appear to be possessed of superior powers of vision, making directly towards a Marten or Blue Bird when fifty or sixty yards before them, before it seems aware of their approach. Their food consists principally of insects, generally of the coleopterous order, these, together with some equally diminutive flies, being commonly found in their stomachs. The first are procured within the flowers, but many of the latter on the wing. Where is the person," says Audubon, "who, on seeing this lovely little creature moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic, flitting from one flower to another with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course and yielding new delight wherever it is seen--where is the person who, on observing this glittering fragment of a rainbow, would not pause, admire, and turn his mind with reverence towards the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose hand we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conceptions we everywhere observe the manifestation in His admirable system of Creation?"

"When morning dawns, and the blest sun again Lifts his red glories o'er the eastern main, Then through our woodbines, wet with glittering dews, The flower-fed Humming Bird his way pursues, Sips with inserted tube the honied blooms, And chirps his gratitude as round he roams; While richest roses, though in crimson drest, Shrink from the splendour of his gorgeous breast. What heavenly tints in mingling radiance fly! Each rapid movement gives a different dye-- Like scales of burnished gold, they dazzling show; Now sink to shade, now like a furnace glow."

The following very interesting account of the demeanour of this delicate and interesting bird in captivity is given by Gould:--"A _Trochilus colubris_ captured for me by some friends pumped the fluid from a little bottle whenever offered it, and in this manner it lived with me a constant companion for several days, travelling in a little, thin gauze bag, distended with whalebone, and suspended to a button of my coat. It was only necessary for me to take the bottle in my hand to induce it to thrust its spiny bill through the gauze, protrude its lengthened tongue down the neck of the bottle, and pump up the fluid till it was satiated; it would then fly to the bottom of its little home, preen its tail and wing feathers, and seem quite content.

"The specimens I brought alive to this country were as docile and fearless as a great moth under similar treatment. The little cage in which they lived was twelve inches long, seven wide, and eight high. In this was placed a diminutive twig, and suspended to the side a glass phial, which I daily supplied with saccharine matter, in the form of sugar or honey and water, with the addition of the yolk of an unboiled egg. Upon this food they appeared to thrive and be happy during the voyage along the seaboard of America and across the Atlantic, until they arrived within the influence of the climate of Europe. The vessel in which I made the passage took a northern course, which carried us over the banks of Newfoundland, and although the cold was rather severe during part of the time, the only effect it appeared to have upon my little pets was to induce a kind of torpidity, from which they were rapidly aroused by placing them in the sunshine, in the bosom, or near a fire. I do assure my readers that I have seen these little creatures cold, stiff, and to all appearance dead, and that from this state they were readily restored by a little attention and removal into light and heat, when they would 'peck up,' flutter their tiny wings, and feast away as if in the best state of health."

* * * * *

The AMETHYST HUMMING BIRDS (_Calliphlox_) have a delicate, pointed beak, exceeding the head in length; the legs are slender and the toes and claws short, the latter much hooked and sharply pointed. The wings are short; the tail of the male, composed of narrow feathers, is forked at its extremity, whilst that of the female is quite straight.

THE AMETHYST HUMMING BIRD.

The AMETHYST HUMMING BIRD (_Calliphlox amethystina_) is numerously met with in the interior of Brazil. This resplendent little bird is of a dark metallic green, shaded with pale gold on the back; the neck, cheeks, and throat glow with the brilliant hue of the amethyst, and are divided from the under side by a line of pure white; the breast and belly are blackish grey, shaded with copper-red, the lower tail-covers are light grey, bordered with white, and the quills greyish brown, tinted with violet. The centre tail-feathers are of a metallic green, and those at the exterior greyish brown. The female has a white throat, and her tail edged with reddish yellow; the young resemble their mother. This species is three inches and one-third long and about the same in breadth; the wing measures one inch and a half, the tail of the male one inch and a quarter, while that of the female does not exceed two-thirds of an inch.

According to Mr. Reeves, "the Amethyst inhabits the interior provinces of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Novo Fribourgo, and Minos Gerves, but is nowhere very common; it frequents gardens when the orange-trees are in flower, the valleys when the marrioneira is blooming, and the forests when the blossoms elsewhere are no longer inviting. It arrives in Rio in July, is most numerous in September and October, and departs again on the approach of the hot season. Its nest is invariably placed in the highest and driest trees."

* * * * *

The WOOD-STARS (_Calothorax_, or _Lucifer_) are principally distinguishable by the peculiar formation of the male bird's tail, which is much forked, and composed of short, stiff, narrow feathers; in some species the exterior tail-feathers are very short and almost without web. The tail of the female is straight, and her wings of moderate size; the beak is long, thin, and slightly curved.

MULSANT'S WOOD-STAR.

MULSANT'S WOOD-STAR (_Calothorax Mulsanti_) is a very beautiful species of Humming Bird, inhabiting Columbia and Bolivia; the male is dark green on the back and sides, with a brilliant gloss; the chin, cheek-stripes, lower part of throat, a streak on the centre of the breast and the belly are white, the chin relieved by a violet sheen. The back of the female is lighter than that of her mate, her under side is white, and the lower tail-covers of brownish red; a line on the sides of the throat is deep olive-green, and the tail light brown, tipped with black. The habitat of this species, according to Gould, is confined to the temperate regions of Columbia.

* * * * *

The ELVES (_Lophornithes_), a most magnificent group of Humming Birds, are recognisable by the remarkable tufts of feathers that adorn, sometimes the head, sometimes the tail of the males of different species. The awl-shaped beak is somewhat flattened at its base; the feet are usually small, the toes short, and the claws long. The plumage of the male is rich and much variegated, while that of the female is very plain.

* * * * *

The PLOVER-CRESTS (_Cephalolepis_) possess a delicate awl-shaped beak, scarcely equalling the head in length; the toes are short, and armed with long thin claws; the wings are short, the tail comparatively long, and composed of broad feathers. The feathers on the head of the male are prolonged into a crest.

DE LALAND'S PLOVER-CREST.

DE LALAND'S PLOVER-CREST (_Cephalolepis Delalandii_), a very beautiful species, inhabiting Brazil, is of a pale but very pure metallic green on the back and centre tail-feathers. The crest that adorns the head is bright, light green, becoming darker towards its apex; in old age this plume changes to a steel-blue; the under side is dark grey; a patch that commences at the throat, and covers the breast and centre of the belly, is bright blue; the quills are greyish brown, shaded with violet; the exterior tail-feathers are black, edged with white; the beak is black, and the foot blackish brown. The female and young are without the crest and the blue patch on the breast. The body of this species is three inches and a half long; the wing measures two inches, and the tail one inch. The crest of the male is one inch and two-thirds long.

This graceful species of Humming Bird was first discovered by M. Delaland, in the southern portion of Brazil. Mr. Reeves states that it inhabits Rio de Janeiro, Minos Gerves, and Santa Catherina, but he was unaware whether it remains in those provinces all the year or not. "Of the two nests that I possess," says Mr. Gould, "one is of much more lengthened form than the other, but both are composed of the same materials, namely, fine fibrous roots, moss, lichens, and involucres of a composite plant, the whole matted together with spiders' webs of so fine a kind that they are almost imperceptible. Both had been suspended among the slender twigs of a species of banana."

* * * * *

The COQUETTES (_Lophornis_) are remarkable for the magnificent collar that adorns their neck, formed of long, narrow, and most delicately-marked feathers; this collar can be raised or laid back at pleasure. The head is usually embellished by a crest; the awl-shaped beak equals the head in length; the wings are small and slender; the tail is composed of broad, long feathers.

THE SPLENDID COQUETTE.

The SPLENDID COQUETTE (_Lophornis ornata_), a very richly-tinted species, inhabiting Guiana, is of a bronze-green on the rump; the crest is brownish red, and a white line passes over the lower part of the back; the region of the face is green, with a most brilliant lustre; the graduated feathers that form the collar are light reddish brown, spotted with glowing green; the quills are deep purplish brown, and the beak flesh-pink, tipped with brown. The female is much paler, and entirely without the crest, collar, and green about the beak--features that so materially enhance the beauty of the male.

"This glorious little bird," says Gould, "which is strictly an inhabitant of the lowland districts of tropical America, enjoys a somewhat extensive range over the eastern part of that continent, being found from the Caraccas on the north to Brazil on the south, and is particularly numerous in all the intermediate countries of Demerara, Surinam, and Cayenne; it is also equally abundant in the island of Trinidad. Prince Max of Wied states that in Brazil he found it on dry and arid plains, clothed with a scanty and bushy vegetation; and such would seem to be the habit of the bird in Trinidad, since it there flies around the low, flowering shrubs of the open part of the country, rather than in the more wooded or forest districts. The nest is a cup-shaped structure, composed of some cottony material, bound together with cobwebs, and decorated externally with small pieces of lichen and mosses."

Mr. Tucker states that "this species frequents the pastures and open places, and visits the flowers of all the small shrubs, but is particularly fond of those of the ipecacuanha plant; and that it is very pugnacious, erecting its crest, throwing out its whiskers, and attacking every Humming Bird that passes within the range of its vision."

* * * * *

The AMAZONS (_Bellatrix_) have a smaller collar and larger crest than the above group.

THE ROYAL AMAZON.

The ROYAL AMAZON (_Bellatrix regina_), a beautiful species inhabiting Columbia, closely resembles the bird last described, but with these differences: the rump is a copper-colour and the lower part of the back striped with white; the tail is brown, the quills purplish brown, and the collar emerald green; each of its feathers spotted with red. The crest is formed of long, narrow, bright red feathers, some of which have a deep metallic green spot at the tip.

* * * * *

The SUN-GEMS (_Heliactinus_) are distinguishable from the above group by the superior length of the tail and crest; the wing is long and slender, the tail much graduated, and formed of narrow, pointed feathers. The beak is longer than the head, and increases slightly in thickness towards its delicate tip. The feet are small, and the claws short and powerful.

THE HORNED SUN-GEM.

The HORNED SUN-GEM (_Heliactinus cornutus_) is of a steel-blue on the crown of the head; the collar beautifully shaded, from violet, green, yellow, and orange to red; the throat, neck, and cheeks are deep rich black; the upper breast, centre of the belly, rump, and exterior tail-feathers white, and the quills grey. The female is without the collar and crest, her throat is reddish yellow, and the outer feathers of the tail striped with black at their centre. The beak is black. This species is four inches and a half long, the wing measures two inches, and the tail from two to two and a half inches.

"The Horned Sun-gem," says Gould, "is an inhabitant of the mountain ranges of Brazil, particularly those of Minos Gerves, and well does this elegant little bird represent in the air the brilliant that is hidden in the deep primitive rocks over which it flies, fairy-like in form and colour; we might easily imagine that one of the jewels had become vivified, and had taken wing."

We are told by M. Bourcier that "during the dry season it principally frequents the open country in the neighbourhood of marshes, and obtains its food from the small plants which there abound; during the rainy season it re-enters the woods, where it seeks its food among the various orchids."

* * * * *

The SYLPHS (_Lesbiæ_) are principally distinguished by their long, forked tails.

* * * * *

The RACKET-TAILED SYLPHS (_Steganurus_) have the outer tail-feathers much prolonged, and almost naked except at their extremities, where the barbs are broadly dilated.

THE WHITE-FOOTED RACKET-TAIL.

The WHITE-FOOTED RACKET-TAIL (_Steganurus_, or _Spathura Underwoodii_) is remarkable for the unusual prolongation of the exterior tail-feathers; these are partially denuded of the web, and at the end of the shaft are enlarged into a broad disc; the beak is short and almost straight, and the small tarsus thickly covered with down. The entire mantle, belly, sides, and lower tail-covers are copper-green, the breast and throat brilliant green; the quills are purplish brown, the tail brown, and the disc at the extremity of the exterior feathers black, with a green shade. The length of the male is five inches and a half, the wing measures one inch and three-quarters, and the tail one inch and three-eighths. The female is copper-green on the back, and white, spotted with green, on the under side; the lower tail-covers are brown, and the tail-feathers, which are of almost equal length, are tipped with white.