A. Curved-billed Humming-birds.
T. Stella, Lin. Ste. Topaz-throated Humming-bird, or Long-tailed Red Humming-bird. Purple-red, %%ill) black head, topazine throat, and the two middle tail leathers very long. The male is the most conspicuous of its sec tion, both its size and the brilliancy of its plumage dis tinguishing it above the rest. Its body is equal in size to that of wren, but if measured from the extremity of the bill to that of the middle tail-feathers, its length is from eight to ten inches. This species, which occasionally varies in the sportings of its rich colourings, is a native of several parts of South America, but is principally met with in Surinam and Guiana, where it preferably affects the banks of rivers and brooks, especially in the interior of the country. It commonly perches on the lower branches of such trees as overhang the stream, or on such as. from decay, have fallen into the water. During their flight they skim the surface of the water, like swallows.
T. mango, Lin. Etc. Mango Humming-bird. Copper green, with the stripe on the throat, and the abdomen, black, wings violet-brown, and the tail ferruginous and edged with black. Length four inches and a quarter. In the female, the black and the two middle tail-feathers are golden-green. Native of South America, particularly of Brazil, and is said also to occur in Jamaica, St. Domingo, and some otht r of the West India islands. Dr. Latham informs us, that a pair of young humming-birds, suppos ed to he of this species, are reported, on unexceptionable testimony, to have been brought alive to England, having been hatched during their voyage from Jamaica, where the parent bird, while sitting on her eggs, was discovered by a young gentleman. then on the point of leaving the island. Having cut off the twig on which the nest was placed, he brought it on board the ship. The lemale soon became sufficiently tame to suffix herself to be fed with honey, and duting the passage hatched two young ones, but did not long survive that event ; but the young were so successfully managed, as to be conveyed in good health to England, where they were presented to Lady liammond. The Doctor adds, that Sir H !try EnOefield, Bart, and Colonel are both witnesses to these little birds readily taking honey from the lips of Lady Ham mond with their bills. One of them lived at least two months from the time of its arrival, but the other not many days.
B. Straight-billed Hummingbird.
T. cristatus, Lin. Sc. Crested Humming-bird, or Crested Green Ilunzming-bird of Edwards. above, cinereous beneath, with golden-blue pointed crest, and violet quill feathers and tail. Length about three inches. Edwards, who describes the bird, has given a good figure both of it and of the nest. The female wants the crest. It is rare at Cayenne, but numerous in Mar tinique, Guadaloupe, and some other of the West India islands. In its general manners and character it seems to resemble the red-throated species, being of a bold disposi tion, attacking larger birds, and expelling them from its haunts. It frequents orchards and gardens, and fears not to breed even in towns. It oftens builds its nest on the twig of an orange tree, lemon tree, or jasmine, and some times on the projecting straws of the roof of a cottage ; and if the nest and young be taken into a house, the female will follow, and rear her charge in confinement.
T coLubris Lin. Stc. Red-throated Humming-bird or Humming-bird of Catesby Gold-green above, white be neath, with gold-red throat, and purple-brown wings and tail This most beautiful species usually measures about three inches and one-third from the tip of the bill to that of the tail.
The red-throated humming-bird inhabits America, con tinuing in the southern parts of that continent the whole year, and appearing in the northern provinces, as far as Canada, in the summer only, arriving in the month of May, when the ptach-trees are in blossom, and breeding in Carolina, the Floridas,SEc. but, on the approach of winter, migrating to Mexico and the West Indies. In autumn it frequently perishes, in consequence of having been de tained by the late brood, at a time when the flowers begin to be destroyed by frost, and of its being weakened by cold weather, when it can no longer execute the move ments of its wings with the necessary degree of rapidity to keep it suspended in the act of sucking its food la such a state of the atmosphere, it is observed to fly with less velocity. to perch often, sometimes to rest on the ground, and gradually to sink under the cold. The late broods, too, are often exposed to this fate, and are found dead during the autumnal season. During the warmer days of summer, this charming little creature flies so swiftly that the eye is incapable of pursuing it, and the motion of its wings is so rapid as to be imperceptible to the nicest observer. It never feeds but on the wing, sus
pended over the flower from which it extracts its nourish ment ; and, like the bee, having exhausted the honied li quor of one flower, it wanders to the next in quest of new sweets. It is most partial to those flowers that have the deepest nectarics, as the balsamine, scarlet monarda, &c.; so that, in those countries which these birds inhabit, whoever sets plants of this description before his window, may depend on being visited by them in multitudes. M. Vieillot having observed them often perch on the dry twigs of trees, and wishing to contemplate them in full sunshine, inserted several small sticks among the flowers which they frequented, and had thus the pleasure of seeing them, while sitting, dart their tongue into the nearest flowers, and trying every tube by thrusting in their bill. If they found the flower already rifled, they would fre quently, in a fit of rage, pluck it off, and throw it on the ground or even tear it in pieces. Numbers would also sometimes contend very fiercely for the possession of tile same flower ; and, in the course of warfare, they would frequently pursue the fugitives into the apartments of those houses whose windows happened to be left open, make a turn round the room, as flies do with us, and then suddenly regain the open air. When feeding, they will allow a person to come within two yards of them ; but, on a nearer approach, they dart off with wonderful swiftness. Their nest is most commonly placed in the middle of a branch of a-tice, and is so small as not to be noticed by a person standing on the ground. The male assists in fetching the materials, and the female arranges them. The structure is quite round, the outside being, for the most part, composed of the green moss common on old poles and trees, and the inside of the softest vegetable downs, as that of the sumach, or of the great mullein. They sometimes, however, vary the texture, using flax, hemp, hairs, and other similar substances. At other times they will fix on some low bush, on a stalk of the tobacco plant, or even on the side of an ocra pod, as a station for their nest The male and female sit alternately ; and the hatch consists of two minute white eggs, of equal thick ness at both ends. When they perceive any body climb ing the tree in which they nestle, they attack him in the face, attempt to strike him in the eyes, and come, go, and return, with such velocity as almost to exceed belief. Like the rest of their congeners, they are seldom caught alive. A friend of N. Dupratz having observed one of them enter into the bell of a convolvulus. and busying itself to get at the bottom, ran immediately to the spot, shut the flower, cut it from the stalk, and carried off his little captive. He could not prevail on it, however, to taste food, and it died in the course of two or three days. Charlevoix informs us, that he had one of them in his possession for twenty-four hours in Canada, which suffer ed itself to be handled, and even counterfeited death, that it might escape, but fell a real sacrifice to a slight degree of frost during the night General Davies, by practising the following ingenious method, was somewhat more suc cessful, for he contrived to keep some of them alive during four months. Having made an exact representation of some of the tubular flowers with paper, fastened round a tobacco pipe, and painted them of the proper colours, he ranged them in the cage in which the birds were confined, and filled the bottom of each with a mixture of brown sugar and water, as often as it was emptied. In this way he had the pleasure of seeing them perform every act, for they soon became familiar, and took their food in the same manner as when roaming at large.
T. minimus, Lin. Sze. Least Humming-Bird. Gold green above, whitish beneath, wings and tail violet-brown. Bill of the male black ; feet brown ; the middle tail fea thers bluish-black, the lateral ones grey, and tipped with white. About an inch and a half in length, and weighs only twenty grains. The female is even a little smaller, and has the upper parts of the body of green brown, with some shining reflexions on the wing-coverts, and the under parts of a dirty grey Native of the West Indies, and Guiana. It is the most diminutive of known birds, being surpassed both in weight and dimensions by more than one species of bee. A dried specimen, mentioned by Ed wards, weighed only five grains. The nest is described as rather large for the size of the bird, but this appear ance is owing to its thickness. It is covered outwardly with lichens, and lined with fine cotton, or other downy substances. The eggs are not larger than coriander seeds, and of a dull white colour.