Part 8

"Along the whole line of the Andes, which form as it were the backbone of America," writes Gould, in the valuable introduction to his magnificent work on the "Trochilidæ," "at remarkably short intervals occur species of this family of birds of the greatest possible beauty, which are not only specifically but generically distinct from each other. Abundant as the species may be towards the northern and southern portions of the great chain of mountains, they vastly increase in number as we approach the equator. The equatorial regions teem with species and even genera that are not found elsewhere. Between the snow-line of the summit of the towering volcanoes and their bases many zones of temperature occur, each of which has it own especial animal and vegetable life. The Alpine region has its flora, accompanied by insects especially adapted to such situations; and attendant on these are peculiar forms of Humming Birds, which never descend to the hot valleys, and scarcely even to the cooler and more temperate paramos. Many of the higher zones of extinct and existing volcanoes have their own fauna and flora, even in the interior walls of ancient craters, wherever vegetation has gained a footing. Some species of Humming Birds have there, and there only, as yet been discovered. It is the exploration of such situations that has led to the acquisition of so many additional species of this family of birds, which now reach to more than 400. From Santa Fé de Bogota alone many thousands of skins are annually sent to London and Paris. The Indians readily learn the art of preserving them, and as a certain amount of emolument attends the collecting of these objects they often traverse great distances for the purpose of procuring them. Districts stretching more than 100 miles away from Bogota are strictly searched, and hence it is that from these places alone we receive no less than seventy species belonging to this family. In like manner the residents of many parts of Brazil employ their slaves in preparing their skins for the European markets, and many thousands are annually sent from Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco; the inmates of convents are also supplied with many of the more richly-coloured species for the manufacture of feather flowers. How numerous then must these birds be in their native wilds; and how wonderfully must they keep in check the peculiar kind of insect life upon which they feed!"

In disposition the Humming Birds exhibit a fearlessness and courage quite out of proportion to the delicacy of their structure, and we might cite many instances of the fierce encounters in which they sometimes engage; we must, however, confine ourselves to an extract from Gosse's interesting little book on the birds of Jamaica.

"The pugnacity of the Humming Bird has been often spoken of; two of the same species can scarcely suck flowers from the same bush without a rencontre. I once witnessed a combat between two which was prosecuted with much pertinacity, and protracted to an unusual length. It was in the month of April at Phœnix Park, near Savannah-la-Mer. In the garden were two trees of the kind called Malay apple, one of which was but a yard or two from my window. The genial influence of the spring rains had covered them with a profusion of beautiful blossoms, each consisting of a multitude of crimson stamens with very minute petals, like bunches of crimson tassels, but the last buds were only beginning to open. A Humming Bird had every day and all day long been paying his devoirs to these charming blossoms. On the morning to which I allude another appeared, and the manœuvres of these two tiny creatures became very interesting. They chased each other through the labyrinths of twigs and flowers till, an opportunity occurring, one would dart with seeming fury upon the other, and then, with a loud rustling of their wings, they would twirl together round and round until they nearly came to the earth. It was some time before I could see with any distinctness what took place in these tussles; their twistings were so rapid as to baffle all attempts at discrimination. At length an encounter took place pretty close to me, and I perceived that the beak of the one grasped the beak of the other, and, thus fastened, both whirled round in their perpendicular descent, the point of contact being the centre of the gyrations, till, when another second would have brought them to the ground, they separated, and the one chased the other for about a hundred yards and then returned in triumph to the tree, where, perched on a lofty twig, he chirped monotonously and pertinaciously for a time, I could not help thinking, in defiance. In a few minutes the banished one returned, and began chirping no less provokingly, which soon brought on another chase and another tussle. I am persuaded that these were both hostile encounters, for the one seemed evidently afraid of the other, fleeing when he pursued, though his indomitable spirit would prompt the chirp of defiance, and when resting after a battle I noticed that the vanquished one held his beak open as if panting. Sometimes they would suspend hostilities to suck a few blossoms, but mutual proximity was sure to bring them on again with the same result. In their tortuous and rapid evolutions the light from their ruby necks would flash in the sun with gem-like radiance, and as they now and then hovered motionless, the broadly-expanded tail--the outer feathers of which were crimson-purple, but in the sun's rays transmitted orange-coloured light--added much to their beauty. A little Banana Quit (_Certhiola flaveola_), that was peeping among the blossoms in his own quiet way, seemed now and then to look with surprise on the combatants; but when the one had driven the other to a longer distance than usual the victor set upon the unoffending Quit, who soon yielded the point, and retired humbly enough to a neighbouring tree. The war--for it was a thorough campaign, a regular succession of battles--lasted fully an hour, and then I was called away from my post of observation. Both of the Humming Birds appeared to be males."

According to Gosse, the Vervain Humming Bird is the only species endowed with a song; this bird warbles very weakly but sweetly for ten minutes at a time during the spring months. The other members of this family at most indulge in a sharp shrill chirp, as they flit from one flower to another.

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The GIANT GNOMES (_Eustephanus_), the largest members of the family, are not conspicuous for the gaiety of their plumage. The structure of their long beak varies considerably; the foot is of moderate size; the wings either long and slender or broad and short; the tail, which is of medium length, is forked at its extremity.

THE GIANT HUMMING BIRD.

The GIANT HUMMING BIRD (_Patagona gigas_) is pale brown shaded with green on the upper portions of the body; the wings are greyish yellow; the head, upper breast, and back are marked with dark undulating lines; the wings and tail-feathers are dark brown, the latter enlivened by a green gloss. This species is two inches long.

The Giant Humming Bird inhabits the southern parts of Western America, appearing also in the extreme south. During the course of its migrations it has been met with at an altitude of from 12,000 to 14,000 feet above the level of the sea.

"Like others of its family," says Darwin, "it moves from place to place with a rapidity which may be compared to that of the syrphus among dipterous insects, or sphinxes among moths; but whilst hovering over a flower it flaps its wings with a very slow and powerful movement, totally different from that vibrating one common to most of the species which produces the humming noise. I never saw any other bird whose force of wing appeared (as in a butterfly) so powerful in proportion to the weight of its body. When hovering by a flower its tail is constantly expanded and shut, like a fan, the body being kept in a nearly vertical position. This action seems to steady and support the bird between the slow movements of its wings."

"This largest of all Humming Birds," observes Gould, "is said to be a bold and vigorous flier, to be quick in all its actions, and to pass from flower to flower with the greatest rapidity; notwithstanding the breadth and volume of its wings, which would seem to be far better adapted for lengthened and continuous progress than for poising in the air, which the bird is in the constant habit of doing while visiting, with little choice, the summer flowers of the forest. It is stated that, unlike the other members of the family, it may frequently be seen perched on some small tree or shrub."

Mr. Cumming states that in Chili the _Patagona gigas_ is strictly migratory; it arrives from the north in August, and after spending three months in that country, during which time it breeds, returns to whence it came. The nest is a somewhat large, cup-shaped structure, composed of mosses, lichens, and similar materials, put together with cobwebs, and placed in the fork of the branch of some tree or shrub, generally on one overhanging a turbulent stream of water. It lays two eggs, which are white, and about three-quarters of an inch from end to end.

THE SWORD-BILL HUMMING BIRD.

The SWORD-BILL HUMMING BIRD (_Docimastes ensifer_) cannot possibly be mistaken for any other species, owing to the extraordinary size of the slightly-curved beak, which fully equals the entire body in length; the wing is short and broad, and the very decidedly forked tail of medium size. The entire mantle is of a beautiful mineral green; the head copper-red; the throat, centre of breast, and under side of a greenish bronze, which shades into light green at the sides. A small white spot is placed behind the eye; the wings are purplish brown; the tail-feathers dark brown, with a metallic green lustre; the beak is blackish brown, and foot yellowish brown. The male is eight inches and a half long (of this measurement four inches belong to the beak); the wing is three inches, and the tail two inches and a half. The female is of paler hue on the beak, and spotted with white and brown on the under side, enlivened by a metallic shimmer on the sides; her entire length is seven inches and a half, the beak measuring but three inches. This new and remarkable species, we are told by Gould, inhabits the magnificent region of Santa Fé de Bogota, and was also seen in the Caracas and Quito by Mr. Hartwig, the celebrated botanist and traveller, who states that he observed it engaged in procuring insects from the lengthened corollas of flower-bells, for exploring which its elongated beak is admirably fitted; affording another instance of the wonderful adaptation of structure to a special purpose so frequently observable in every department of Nature's works.

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The GNOMES (_Polytmus_) are moderately large and powerfully built birds, with strong, medium-sized, and more or less curved beaks; the foot is furnished with short toes and long claws; the wings are slightly curved; the broad tail, which is scarcely longer than the closed pinion, has its two exterior feathers much shortened. The plumage is not remarkable for its brilliancy, being usually of a greenish or brownish shade above, and brown variously spotted beneath; the outer tail-feathers have light tips; the sexes are almost alike in colour.

THE SAW-BILL.

The SAW-BILL (_Grypus nævius_) is at once recognisable by its straight, powerful beak, which rises high at its base, and is twice the length of the head, and by its broad tail, the two outer feathers of which are short. Upon the back the plumage is of a pale metallic green, glowing with a reddish lustre; the brow and crown of head are dark brown; all the feathers on the mantle, except those on the wing-covers, are edged with reddish yellow; the sides of the neck are yellowish red; a narrow line that passes along the throat, the breast, belly, and rump are yellowish white, each feather striped with black; another pale reddish yellow line passes over the eyes; the quills are black, those at the exterior enlivened by a violet gloss; the centre tail-feathers are green and the outermost reddish yellow; the eye is dark brown; the upper mandible black, and the lower yellowish white; the foot is flesh-pink. The body is five inches and three-quarters long; the wing measures three inches, and the tail one inch and a half.

"The _Grypus nævius_," says M. Deyrolle, "is common in all the provinces of Santa Caterina, in Brazil, but is more frequently met with in woody situations than elsewhere. Its flight is exceedingly noisy, very vigorous, and capable of being sustained for a great length of time, the bird rarely alighting. Its cry is so loud and piercing as to be heard above everything else, while it flutters round the flowers of various species of orchids, from which it obtains its principal nourishment."

"In all probability," says Gould, "the serrations with which the cutting edges of both mandibles of this bird are furnished are expressly provided to enable it to capture with facility some peculiar kinds of insect food; perhaps spiders and small coleoptera. The nest sent to me by Mr. Reeves is precisely similar in size, form, and situation to those constructed by the members of the genus _Phaëtornis_, being of a lengthened, pointed form, composed of fine vegetable fibres and mosses, intermingled with which, especially on the lower part, are portions of dead leaves and pieces of lichen attached to the extremities of the leaves of apparently a species of palm."

The velocity with which these Humming Birds glance through the air is extraordinary, and so rapid is the vibration of their wings, that their movement eludes the sight; when hovering before a flower, they seem suspended as if by some magic power.

THE SICKLE-BILLED HUMMING BIRD.

The SICKLE-BILLED HUMMING BIRD (_Eutoxeres aquila_) principally differs from its congeners in the sickle-shaped formation of its powerful beak and its conical tail. In this species the back is of a glossy greyish green; the head and a small crest by which it is adorned are brownish black, these feathers and those upon the rump being edged with brown; the under side is brownish black, marked on the throat with greyish yellow and on the breast with white spots; the quills are purplish brown, the exterior secondaries tipped with white.

"It is evident," says Gould, "that the bill of this very rare and singular Humming Bird is adapted for some especial purpose, and we may readily infer that it has been expressly formed to enable this species to obtain its food from the deep and remarkably-shaped blossoms of the various orchidaceous and other plants, with curved, tubular flowers, so abundant in the country the bird inhabits, and for exploring which a bill of any other form would be useless." At present nothing is known of its habits.

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The SUN BIRDS (_Phaëtornis_) have a large, long head and slightly-curved beak. Their foot is small and delicate, with partially feathered tarsus and formidable claws; the tail, in which the centre feathers far exceed the rest in length, is long and conical. The plumage is dull, and the sexes alike in colour, the only difference observable being the formation of the tail.

THE CAYENNE HERMIT.

The CAYENNE HERMIT (_Phaëtornis superciliosus_) is about seven inches long; the wing measures two inches and one-third, and the tail two inches and two thirds. In this species the mantle is of a pure metallic green, and the under side reddish grey; the feathers on the back have reddish yellow borders; a pale reddish yellow line passes above and below the eye; the quills are brown, shaded with violet; the centre tail-feathers, which are twice the length of those at the sides, are of a dull metallic green, shading into black towards the white tip, and edged with reddish yellow; the upper mandible is black, and the lower half of the under one pale yellow; the feet are flesh-pink. The female has quieter plumage and a shorter tail; the latter is but slightly wedge-shaped, and fully two inches less than that of her mate.

"The _Phaëtornis superciliosus_," says Gould, "is one of the commonest species of the genus, examples having been sent to Europe for at least the last hundred years. Its native countries are Guiana, Cayenne, and Surinam; its range is known to extend towards Brazil, as far as the confluence of the Amazon, but, as I believe, does not advance farther south than Bahia. Open trails covered with shrub or brushwood are the localities it most frequents."

Wallace gives the following graphic description of the movements of the _Phaëtornis_ and some nearly-allied species:--"I have distinctly observed them visit in rapid succession every leaf and flower on a branch, balancing themselves vertically in the air, passing their beak closely over the under surface of each leaf, and thus capturing any small insect that might be upon them. While doing this the two long feathers of their tail have a vibratory motion, serving apparently as a rudder to assist them in performing the delicate operation. I have seen others searching up and down stems and dead sticks in the same manner, every now and then picking off an insect, exactly as a Bush Shrike or Tree Creeper does"--with this exception, that the Humming Bird is constantly on the wing. They also capture insects in the true Fissirostral manner, and may often be seen perched on the dead twig of a lofty tree, the same station that is chosen by the Tyrant Flycatchers and Jacamars, and from which, like those birds, they dart off a short distance, and, after a few whirls and balancings, return to the identical twig they had left. In the evening, after sunset, when the Goatsuckers are beginning their search over the rivers, I have seen Humming Birds come out of the forest and remain a long time on the wing, now stationary, now darting about with the greatest rapidity, imitating in a limited space the varied evolutions of the Goatsuckers, and evidently for the same end and purpose.

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The MOUNTAIN NYMPHS (_Oreotrochilus_) are at once recognisable by the very peculiar formation of the wings, in which the shafts of the exterior quills are remarkably broad. The strong, high beak is of medium size, and the short tail almost straight at its extremity, only the outer feathers being slightly rounded. The magnificently-coloured and glossy plumage is blue or green upon the mantle, and of a lighter shade on the under side; the region of the throat is usually edged with the most glowing tints, and the exterior tail-feathers are often white. The sexes vary considerably in their coloration.

THE CHIMBORAZIAN HILL-STAR.

The CHIMBORAZIAN HILL-STAR (_Oreotrochilus Chimborazo_), one of the most magnificent members of this group, has a powerful body, long, thin, and slightly-curved beak, moderate-sized but strong wings, a broad rounded tail, formed of pointed feathers, and powerful feet, partially covered with down. The sexes differ considerably in appearance. The male is of a resplendent violet on the head and region of the throat, with greyish olive-brown mantle and white belly, shading to yellowish brown at its sides; the centre of the throat is decorated with a long triangular patch of glossy green, divided from the light under side by a line of velvety black; the quills are purplish brown, and the centre tail-feathers dark green, the rest greenish black on the outer and white on the inner web; the beak and feet are black. The female is olive-green on the back, and olive-brown on the under side, slightly marked with a lighter shade; the breast is white, each feather spotted with brown at its tip; the centre tail-feathers are brilliant dark green, the rest light greenish brown, and white towards the root; the two exterior feathers have a white spot on the inner web. The body is four inches and three-quarters long; the tail measures two inches and three-eighths.

"This beautiful species," says M. Jules Bourcier, "is exclusively confined to the volcanic mountain, Chimborazo. Here, at an altitude where vegetation ceases, and near the eternal snows, it loves to dwell, the height of its range appearing to be governed by that of the chuquiraga, its favourite shrub, the flowers of which afford it an abundance of nectarian and insect food. It is solitary in its habits, and so pugnacious that it immediately offers battle to intruders on its haunts. The male perches on the extremity of the most elevated branch, and is rarely found near the female, which, unlike her mate, invariably perches near the ground, a circumstance that, combined with her sombre colouring, renders her very difficult of detection. Both sexes retain their greyish green garb during the first year of their existence; the young males may, however, be at all times distinguished by a tolerably well-defined collar of olive-green and brown. The nest is formed of lichens, and is either suspended to or sheltered beneath a ledge of rock. The eggs, two in number, have a white shell."

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The SABRE-WINGS (_Campylopterus_) are at once recognisable from the peculiar shape of the wing, which is broad, with the anterior quills strongly curved, their shafts, in adult birds, becoming suddenly dilated. The tail is large and blunt or broadly rounded at the end, and the powerful beak, which is half as long again as the head, but slightly curved, compressed at its sides, and broader than it is high. The legs are delicate, and the claws long.

DE LATTREI'S SABRE-WING.

DE LATTREI'S SABRE-WING (_Campylopterus hemileucurus_ or _Campylopterus De Lattrei_) is of a deep blueish black on the head; the wing-covers, back, and rump are green; the quills dark purplish brown; the tail-feathers blueish black, shaded with green; a small white spot is placed above the dark eye; the beak is black, the foot dark brown. The head of the female is bronze-colour, the rest of the mantle glossy green, with a golden shade; the region of the throat and sides of the breast are greenish blue, and the under side grey, with a greenish gloss. This gaily-tinted bird inhabits Mexico and Central America.

"Of all the members of the genus," says Gould, "this species is by far the largest and the most beautifully coloured. It is said to be the boldest of its race, and to be so extremely pugnacious that every bird venturing into the neighbourhood of its territory is furiously attacked and driven away. This peculiar feature in the habits of the race explains the use of the broad and powerful shafts of the primaries, which form so conspicuous a character in the males of the _Campylopterus_. This bird is strictly a Mexican or Central American species. M. de Lattrei, to whom we are indebted for its discovery, states that it is found in the forests of Jalapa during two months of the year only, that it is known by the name of the 'Luce-fleur-royal,' and that it feeds during the entire day, instead of during any particular hours. He adds that it selects a flowering shrub, which it never quits, and from which it chases with anger all the species of the family that may seem desirous of approaching it. On taking flight it utters a cry."

"The large showy tail of this Humming Bird," says Mr. Salvin, "makes it one of the most conspicuous when on the wing. The females are especially abundant, their ratio to the males being as five to two."