Part 11

"This species," says Gould, "enjoys a range of habitat over the Columbian Andes from the 3rd to the 10th degree of north latitude, but appears to be confined to the region ranging between 5,000 and 9,000 feet above the level of the ocean; it is abundant in the neighbourhood of Santa Fé de Bogota, and numerous in Galipan, between La Guayra and the Caraccas. Mr. Dyson informs me that when hovering before a flower the action of its wings is exceedingly rapid, that it produces a loud humming sound, and the large spatules at the end of the outer tail-feathers show very conspicuously, being kept in continual motion by the rapid movements of the bird, and the repeated closing and expanding of its tail; its white-booted legs are equally noticeable. It is strictly an inhabitant of the hills, and loves to examine the flowers growing in the open passes and glades of the forest for its insect food, which it procures from the highest trees, as well as from branches near the ground. During its flight, it passes through the air with arrow-like swiftness, the tail being carried in a horizontal position."

Mr. Gosse gives the following interesting account of one of the many attempts he made to rear two young males of this beautiful species. The subjects of this experiment were not confined in a cage, but kept in a room with doors and windows close shut. "They were lively, but not wild; playful towards each other, and tame with respect to myself, sitting unrestrained for several seconds at a time on my finger. I collected a few flowers, and placed them in a vase on a high shelf, and to these they resorted immediately; but I soon found that they paid attention to none but _Asclepias corrassavica_. On this, I again went out and gathered a large bunch of asclepias, and was pleased to observe that on the moment of my entering the room one flew to the nosegay and sucked while I held it in my hand. The other soon followed; and then both these lovely creatures were buzzing together within an inch of my face, probing the flowers so eagerly as to allow their bodies to be touched without alarm. These flowers being placed in another glass, they visited each bouquet in turn, now and then flying after each other playfully through the room, or alighting on various objects. Although they occasionally flew against the window, they did not flutter and beat themselves at it; but seemed well content with their lot. As they flew I repeatedly heard them snap their beaks, at which time they doubtless caught minute flies. After some time, one of them suddenly sank down into one corner, and on being taken up seemed dying; it lingered awhile and died. The other continued his vivacity. Perceiving that he exhausted the flowers, I prepared a tube, made of the barrel of a goose-quill, which I inserted into the cork of a bottle, to secure its steadiness and upright position, and filled it with juice of sugar-cane. I then took a large _Ipomea_, and having cut off the bottom, slipped the flower over the tube so that the quill took the place of the nectary of the flower. The bird flew to it in a moment, clung to the bottle's rim, and bringing his beak perpendicular, thrust it into the tube. It was at once evident that the repast was agreeable, for he continued pumping for several moments; and on his flying off I found the quill emptied. As he had torn off the flower in his eagerness for more, and even followed the fragments as they lay on the table to search them, I re-filled the quill, and put a blossom of the marvel of Peru into it, so that the flower expanded over the top; the little toper found it again, and after drinking freely, withdrew his beak, but the blossom was adhering to it as a sheath. This incumbrance it got rid of, and then returned immediately, and, inserting his beak into the bare quill, finished the contents. It was amusing to see the odd position of his body as he clung to the bottle, with his beak inserted perpendicularly into the cork. Several times in the evening he had recourse to his new fountain, and at length betook himself to a line stretched across the room for repose. He slept, as they all do, with the head not behind the wing, but slightly drawn back on the shoulders. In the morning I found him active before sunrise, having already emptied his quill of syrup. After some hours, he flew through a door I incautiously left open, and, to my great chagrin, escaped.

"Another male that I kept became so familiar, even before I had had him for a day, as to fly to my face, and, perching on my lip or chin, thrust his beak into my mouth and suck up the moisture. He grew so bold and so frequent in his visits as at length to become almost annoying, and so pertinacious as to thrust his protruded tongue into all parts of my mouth, searching between the gum and cheek or beneath the tongue. Occasionally I gratified him by taking into my mouth a little of the syrup, and inviting him by a slight sound which he had learnt to understand. This bird and his companions in captivity early selected his own place for perching, without invading his neighbours'. So strong was this predilection, that on my driving one away from his spot he would flutter round the room, but try to alight there again, and if still prevented would hover near the place as if much distressed. The boldest of these birds was rather pugnacious, occasionally attacking one of his gentler and more confiding companions, who always yielded and fled. After a day or two, however, the persecuted one plucked up courage, and actually played the tyrant in his turn, interdicting his playfellow from sipping at the sweetened cup. Twenty times in succession would the thirsty bird drop down upon the wing to the glass, which stood at the edge of a table immediately beneath that part of a line where both were wont to perch; but no sooner was he poised in front, and about to insert his tongue, than the other would dart down with inconceivable swiftness, and wheeling so as to come up beneath him, would drive him from his repast. He might fly to any part of the room unmolested, but an approach to the cup was the signal for an instant assault. The ill-natured fellow himself took long and frequent draughts.

"When these birds were accustomed to the room, their vivacity was extreme; as manifested in their upright position and quick turns and glances when sitting, which caused their brilliant breasts to flash out from the darkness into sudden lustrous light, like rich gems; and no less by their startings hither and thither, and their most graceful wheelings and evolutions in the air, so rapid that the eye was frequently baffled in attempting to follow their motions."

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The COMETS (_Sparganura_) possess a very remarkably graduated tail, the outer feathers of which are five times as long as those in the centre.

THE SAPPHO COMET.

The SAPPHO COMET (_Sparganura Sappho_) is bright scarlet on the back, and of a metallic green on the head and under side; the throat, of a lighter shade, is lustrous, and the lower part of the belly light brown; the quills are purplish brown, the tail-feathers brown, very glossy at the base, and bright fiery orange towards the deep brown tip. The female is green on the mantle, and spotted grey on the under side; her tail is short, and its feathers of an uniform light red.

"No combination of gorgeous colouring," says Dr. Tschudi, "can exceed that which is presented in the plumage of this Humming Bird, as it appears and disappears like a dazzling flash of coloured light. It haunts the warm, primeval forests, but is still more frequently found in the pure atmosphere of the ceja-girded montãnas."

"One of the principal summer haunts of this bird," writes M. Bourcier, "is Chuquesaca, in the interior of Bolivia, where it appears when the fruit-trees of the country are in flower, and is met with in the greatest numbers among the flowers of the capulo, a kind of cherry-tree; it also visits the orchards and gardens of the city during the blossoming of the apple-trees. It is by no means shy, and the males are constantly at war, chasing each other with the utmost fury, uttering at the same time a sharp cry, whenever one bird invades another's territory."

"Soon after the arrival of these birds in Chuquerca," says Bonelli, "the task of incubation commences, and when the summer is over, both the old and young, actuated, as it were, by the same impulse, wend their way southward, to return again when the sun has once more gladdened the earth. The nest is a somewhat loose structure, outwardly composed of interlaced fibres, slight twigs, and moss, and frequently lined with soft hair, like that of the Viscacha (_Lagostomus tridactylus_), with the lower portion prolonged considerably below the bottom of the cup-shaped interior, which is about an inch and a half in diameter and an inch in depth; the total length of the nest averaging from two inches and a half to three inches. The little structure is placed in situations similar to those selected by the Spotted Flycatcher, namely, against the sides of the gully, supported or entirely sustained by any hanging root or twig that may be best adapted to afford it security; the part of the nest next the wall is much thicker, but of a coarser texture than the circular portions of the structure. The two eggs are oblong in form, of a pure white, and about half an inch in length. The difficulty of shooting these birds is inconceivably great, from the extraordinary turns they make when on the wing: at one instant darting headlong into a flower, at the next describing a circle in the air with such rapidity that the eye, unable to follow the movement, loses sight of it until it again returns to the flowers."

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The MASKED HUMMING BIRDS (_Microrhamphi_) have a short, straight beak, moderately long and broad wings, and long, forked tail, which occasionally varies in its formation. The head and neck are adorned with peculiar tufts of feathers.

THE SHARP-BEARDED MASKED HUMMING BIRD.

The SHARP-BEARDED MASKED HUMMING BIRD (_Microrhamphus oxypogon_).--"I met with this fine species," says M. Linden, "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 branch of the Columbian Cordilleras. It inhabits the region immediately beneath the line of perpetual congelation, at an elevation of from 12,000 to 13,000 feet above the level of the sea; it appears to be confined to the region between the 8th and 7th degree of north latitude. It occasionally perches on the scattered shrubs of this icy region, but most frequently on the projecting ledges of the rocks near to the snow. Its flight is swift, but very short. When it leaves the spot upon which it has been perched, it launches itself obliquely downwards, uttering, at the same time, a plaintive whistling sound, which is also occasionally uttered when perched; as far as I can recollect, I never heard it produce the humming sound made by several other members of the group, nor does it partake of their joyous spirit and perpetual activity. Its food appears to consist of minute insects, all the specimens we procured having their stomachs filled with small flies."

"This bird," says Gould, "is never met with at a less elevation than 9,000 feet. It might be thought that such bleak and inclement situations were ill-adapted for so delicate a structure as that of the Humming Bird; but there and there only does it dwell, while the equally lofty paramas of Bogota are the native locality of the nearly-allied species, _Oxypogon Guerini_. The minute insects which frequent the Alpine flowers of these districts afford abundance of food to these birds, and their bills are beautifully constructed for searching amongst the flowers in which these are found."

THE COLUMBIAN THORNBILL.

The COLUMBIAN THORNBILL (_Ramphomicron heteropogon_) has only the feathers on the neck prolonged; the beak is sharp and pointed; the wings narrow, and of medium length; the broad tail is deeply forked. The entire mantle is of copper-green, the brow deep, rich green; and the long feathers on the throat of a somewhat metallic green in the centre, and orange-red at the roots and edges; the lower belly is greyish white, quills purplish brown, and tail greenish brown.

"The high lands of Columbia," says Gould, "from Venezuela to some distance north of Santa Fé de Bogota, are the natural habitat of this fine species. It is there very generally spread over the temperate regions of the country, never ascending to the snow-capped hills, nor descending to the hot plains below, but frequenting the warm valleys, where a luxuriant vegetation, teeming with insect life, affords it a never-ceasing supply of nourishment. The comparatively short and feeble bill points out that minute insects constitute its principal food, and as its structure is so similar to the other species of the genus, we may infer that, like them, it tranquilly flits about among the low shrubs in secluded valleys, and does not ascend to the loftier trees."

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The HELMET CRESTS (_Oxypogon_) have a helmet-shaped crest, broad wings, a straight tail, and lustreless plumage.

LINDEN'S HELMET CREST.

LINDEN'S HELMET CREST (_Oxypogon Lindeni_) is of an uniform pale copper-colour on the mantle and under side; a spot on the brow and sides of the head are black; the sides of the throat and the longest crest and neck-feathers are white; the feathers of the tail are brown, with white shafts. The length of this species is five inches and a half: the wing measures three inches, and tail two and a half. Linden first discovered this very striking bird in the Sierra de Morida, in Columbia, where it was living at an elevation of from 12,000 to 13,000 feet above the level of the sea.

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THE LIGHT-BEAKS (_Levirostres_).

The birds belonging to this order possess in common a moderate-sized or long and sharp beak, which is either quite straight or slightly curved. The legs are extremely small and feeble, rather adapted to a sedentary life than formed for locomotion. The plumage is thick, compact, and usually brilliantly tinted.

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The BEE-EATERS (_Meropes_) comprise some of the most beautiful birds inhabiting the Eastern Hemisphere, and present so many peculiarities as to render their identification easy. Their body is very slender; the beak longer than the head, with both mandibles slightly curved, the upper one a trifle longer than the lower; the culmen, margins, and tip are sharp; the short, small foot has three toes, the exterior of which is connected with that in the centre as far as the second joint, whilst the inner toe is not joined to the latter beyond the first joint; the claws are long, hooked, sharp, and furnished with a prominent ridge on the inner side; the wing, in which the second quill exceeds the rest in length, is long and pointed; the tail is long, either straight, forked, or slightly rounded at its extremity; in some species the centre tail-feathers are twice as long as those at the exterior. The brilliantly variegated plumage is short and thick; the sexes are almost alike in colour, and the young acquire the same hues as their parents within the second year.

One species of Bee-eater is found in Australia; but with this exception all the members of this group inhabit the Eastern Hemisphere. As regards their general habits, the Bee-eaters nearly resemble the Swallows, and, like them, are to be seen darting through the air when the sun is shining, in active pursuit of the insect hosts. Insects afford these pretty birds their principal means of subsistence, and, as their name implies, they eagerly devour large quantities of bees and wasps. The nests of the Bee-eaters are usually placed near together in holes in the ground or sand, and contain from four to seven pure white eggs.

THE COMMON BEE-EATER.

The COMMON BEE-EATER (_Merops apiaster_) (Coloured Plate XXIV.), one of the largest members of this family, is ten inches long and seventeen broad; the wing measures five inches and one-third, and the tail from four inches to four and a quarter. In this species the brow is white, and top of the head green; the nape, sides of the neck, and centre of the wings are chestnut-brown; the back is yellow, with a greenish gloss; the cheek-stripes, which terminate at the back of the neck, and a line around the pale yellow throat are black; the under side and rump are blue or blueish green; the quills grass-green, blue on their outer web, and tipped with black; the tail-feathers are blueish green, shaded with yellow, the long centre pair are also tipped with black; the eye is bright red, the beak black, and the foot of a reddish hue.

The _Merops apiaster_ is an occasional visitor to this country, and somewhat resembles the Swallows in its habits. Like them, it captures prey on the wing. It devours bees and wasps in large quantities, and that without experiencing the least inconvenience from their sting, which it probably gets rid of by frequently pressing the body between its mandibles, until the sting is either extracted or rendered harmless. In the island of Crete these birds are caught by boys, by means of a cicada attached to a pin or fish-hook fastened to a long thread. In many parts of Europe the flesh is esteemed as an article of food. The voice of this species is rich and pleasing.

"I have had the gratification," says Mr. Thompson, "of seeing the Bee-eater in scenes with which its brilliant plumage was more in harmony than with any in the British Isles. It first excited my admiration when visiting the celebrated grotto of Egeria, near Rome. On approaching the classic spot, several of these birds, in rapid Swift-like flight, swept closely past, uttering their peculiar call, and, with their brilliant colours and graceful form, proved irresistibly attractive. My companions, who, as well as myself, beheld them for the first time, were so greatly struck with the beauty of their plumage, and their bold, sweeping flight, as to term them the presiding deities of the Egerian grotto. Rich as was the spot in historical and poetical associations, it was not less so in pictorial charms. All was in admirable keeping; the picturesque grotto, with its ivy-mantled entrance and gushing spring; the gracefully-reclining, though headless, white marble statue of the nymph; the sides of the grotto covered with the exquisitely-beautiful maiden-hair fern in the richest luxuriance; the wilderness of wild flowers around the exterior attracting the bees on which the Meropses were feeding; and over all the deep blue sky of Rome completing the picture."

The sting-bearing hymenoptera undoubtedly constitute the favourite food of these resplendent birds, and to obtain them, not only are the hives of the honey-bee put under requisition, but the nests of wasps, hornets, and humble-bees are ruthlessly robbed of their inhabitants; indeed, it has been frequently observed that when the Bee-eaters have been fortunate enough to find a wasp's nest, they establish their head-quarters in its immediate neighbourhood, and, during a few hours' sojourn, generally contrive to snap up its numerous occupants one after another until none are left. Nor do these insects alone suffer from their voracity; grasshoppers, crickets, dragon-flies, gadflies, beetles, flies, and even gnats are by no means unacceptable prey, in spite of the dense, indigestible armour in which some of them are encased.

The nest of the Bee-eater is constructed towards the end of May, the locality selected being generally the sandy or clayey bank of some river, in which it excavates a round hole, from two inches to two inches and a half in diameter, apparently by means of its beak and claws, or perhaps with its claws only; from this external opening the hole extends into the bank in a slightly-inclined direction to a distance of from four to six feet, and terminates in a capacious chamber eight or ten inches long, by four to six inches broad, and three or four inches in height. It is upon the floor of this chamber that about the month of June the female lays her eggs, which are four or six in number. It is asserted by some writers that in this chamber a nest is constructed with stems of heather and lined with moss; upon this subject we can only say that in none of the holes examined by us was there the slightest trace of any nest-building materials, but in lieu thereof we always found large quantities of the elytra of beetles and of the wings of bees and other insects heaped together as if to form a kind of cushion, so that the young were not quite upon the bare ground. Whether the male assists the female in the process of incubation is as yet undetermined; but we can vouch for it that both parents most assiduously wait upon and provide food for their callow progeny.

THE BEE-WOLF.

The BEE-WOLF (_Melittotheres nubicus_) is recognisable from its congeners by its comparatively powerful frame, strong beak, and the great length of its centre tail-feathers. The magnificently-tinted plumage of this beautiful bird is deep red on the back, and rose-pink on the under side; the head, throat, rump, and centre tail-covers are blueish green; the cheek-stripe from the corner of the beak, around the eye to the ear, the tips of the exterior and anterior quills, and the extremities of the centre tail-feathers are black. The eye, like that of all Bee-eaters, is light red, the beak black, and the foot brown. This gorgeous species is thirteen inches and a quarter long, the wing measures five inches and three-quarters, and the outer tail-feathers four inches and one-third; the long centre feathers are seven inches long.

The "Bee-wolves" inhabit the eastern coast of Africa, and are very numerous in some parts. Heuglin tells us that in Cordofania he constantly saw them perching on the backs of cattle, and from thence darting down to seize the grasshoppers disturbed by these involuntary assistants as they wander over the plain.

THE BRIDLED BEE-EATER.

The BRIDLED BEE-EATER (_Coccolarynx frenatus_), a species inhabiting the forests near the Blue River, possesses a delicate, thin beak, a moderate-sized, straight tail, and most glowing and variegated plumage. The upper portions of the body are green, the under side is reddish brown; the brow green and blue intermixed; the throat scarlet; the belly, rump, and under tail-covers are bright blue; the black cheek-stripe, which passes across the eye, is bordered with blue; the eye is bright red, and the beak and foot black. The length of the body is eight inches; the wing measures three inches and one-third, and the tail three inches and a half.