Hummingbirds Sample

8/8/2019 Hummingbirds Sample

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HUMMING-BIRDS.


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HUMMIN G -B I RD S.

BY

AUT H 0 R S O:r . . T H I N 08 l : i THE FOR EST," 11: T O.

"

LONDON:T. E LSON A D SON S, PAT E R 0 S T ERR 0 W :L EDINBCRGH; AND NEW YORK.1874.------J


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HUMMING BIRDS

BY

MARY and ELIZABETH KIRBY

All rights reserved, which include the right to reproduce this book

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Trade Paperback 10-digit ISBN: 1-58218-845-9

13-digit ISBN: 978- 1-58218-845-4

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ontcnill.

I. liiTRODUCTORY, ... 1II. THE HUMMING-BIRDS OF THE FOREST, 16

III. PHAON COMET HUlIMING-BIRD, 20IV. THE HILL-STAR HUMMliiG-BIRD, 26V. THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD, 31

VI. THE HUMmNG-BIRD OF NOOTKA s omm , 37VII. THE MA..."'GO HUMMING-BIRD, 42

VIII. GOULD'S COQUETTE, 47IX. THE lIARVELLOUS HmDfING-BIRD, 52x. THE H U ~ D f I N G - B I R D OF ROBINSON CRUSOE'S ISLAND, 55

XI. THE AZURE CROWN HU!lDfIiiG-BIRD, . . . 60XII. GOLDEN TAIL, 65

XIII. RUFFED AND TUFTED H U M ~ n N G - B ] R D S , 7IXIV. THE CRDISOii TOPAZ, 77

XV. THE PURPLE-CRESTED H U ~ n I I N G - B ] R D , 82XVI. CORA SHEAR-TAIL HmnIING-BIRD, 85

XVII. THE GREEii-TAILED SYLPH, ! I ~ XVIII. THE GREAT CRESTED COQUETTE, !l7


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H U ~ f ~ f I N G - B I R D S .

CHAPTER I.IN T ROD U C TOR Y.

fi-t.&l f i l i IHE HUll1l11ing-Bird is a relation ofU the bird called the Sun-Bird, butt E . ~ - is rather different in his habits.'" "f ';{ He hovers over flowers, and sucksthe juices, without settling upon theln.

Poised in the air, he peeps cautiously, withhis sparkling eye, into the recesses of theflower, vibrating his wings so rapidly thatyou can hardly see thenl. All the tin18,he nlakes a lo,v hUlllllling sound, that is


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8 IXTRODUCTORY.,ery pleasant to listen to, and that seemsto lull the insects within the flower to sleep.Then out darts his long delicate tongue,and takes them up, one after the other;and he finishes by sipping a little honey.

All the strength of the HUInnling-Birdlies in his wings, that are large in proportion to his tiny body. They are a littlelike those of the Swift in shape; andeverybody knows how rapidly the Swiftcan dart about, and cleave the air with hispInIOns. The feathers on the quills ofthe Humnling-Bird's wing are so firmlyunited that they are alnlost like a thin plateof whalebone. No air can pass throughthem, and this is why they make a humlning sound, as the bird vibrates his wings.

The Humming-Bird needs these strongwings to support himself in the air, as hisfeet are too weak and delicate to perch forany length of time.


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I ~ T R O D G C T O R Y.j - ~ n d he depends very HutCh upon his

wings for safety.There will COlne seasons of rain and

storm, and his little nest will be beatendown, and his h0111e aUlong the trees andflowers be made a wreck. Before thishappens, he must fly many long miles toget from beneath the clouds. He lookstoo fairy-like to undertake such a journey;but his wings are powerful enough to bearhiln out of reach of danger. They willtransport him to other lands, where thestorm has passed, and the trees and flowersare bloouling as ,gaily as ever.

The long bill of the Humming-bird hasbeen given him that he 111ay searcl? to thebottom of the large tubular flowers, andrifle their sweet juices. But SOUle of theseflowers are so bent that a straight billwould not be able to reach the honev; so"the bird that feeds upon them has his bill


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10 IXTRODUCTORT.curved up"rards at the tip, that he mayfollow the bend of the flower, and not bedisappointed of his feast.

The tongue is not unlike the tongue ofthe ,Voodpecker, and is darted out in thesaIne , , ~ a y , and for the same purpose-ofentrapping insects.

I t is conlposed of two tubes, joinedtogether nearly the whole of their length,and ending in a spoon-like point. I t isvery sticky, so the insects -when touchedby it cannot escape; and it is also fringedwith Illinute spines or bristles, that stillfurther help to secure the prey.

The forest, with its great trees coveredwith cliIllbing-plants and flowers, swarmswith these brilliant little creatures.

"Like fairy sprites, a thousand birdsGlance by on golden wing;

Birds lovelier than the lovely huesOf the bloom wherein they sing. "K 0 ,yonder the ancient ~ i e x i c a n s stole the


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I ~ T R O D U C T O R Y . 11

phunage of the Hun1lning-Birds to adorntheir 111antles; and very superb these mantles were, sparkling ,vith l11any-colouredtints. And the Mexican youth thoughthe could make no 11101'e costly present tohis bride than the gorgeous crest of theHumlning-Bird, to be ,yorn amongst herhair. Even l10W, the Indian ,vornen hangthe tiny bodies of the Humllling-Birds totheir ears, instefld of ear-rings; and ontheir head-dresses, instead of jewels.

The HUllllning-Bird, though so slnall,is very brave, and will attack a bird threeor four times his own size. I t is nopleasant thing to C01l1e in the ,yay of hislong bill, for he always pecks at the eyesof his assailant.

'Vhen he is keeping ,vatch over thenest, he is particularly fierce; and ifanother bird happen to conle near, hedarts out, screan1ing "with rage; his throat


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12 I ~ T R O D U C T O R Y . s wells, and his wings expand to their fullestextent, and he looks like a little fury. Hegives battle to the intruder, and the twobirds fight desperately, until one of themfalls to the ground exhausted, and so endsthe conflict.

I aln afraid the H umming-Bird is ayery passionate little fellow. He willeven go into a rage \vith a flower that doesnot please him, or has not so much honeyin it as he expected; and then he tears itto pieces, and scatters it with his bill andcla\vs.

Perhaps the best part of his characterCOlnes out when he is helping his littlepartner to build their nest. He bringsher all the materials, and flies about collecting them with the greatest industry.The tiny nest is generally hung to the endof a twig of the orange or pomegranatetree, and is completely hidden by one of


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IXTRODUCTORY. 13the large leaves, that overhangs it, andforms a canopy. The nest is sOlnetimesmade entirely of thistle-do'wn; and theprickly burs of the thistle are stuck outside to protect it. But moss and cottonare used quite as often, and dead leaveswoven in among them.

The cotton grows upon a tree called thesilk-cotton tree, that is a native of tropical countries. I t is a very large treeindeed, and is looked upon by the blackpeople with great veneration. They neverventure to throw a stone at it; and whenthey are obliged to cut it down, they poursome wine at its root, in order to preventit being angry, and doing them any hann!I t is one of the few trees that shed theirleaves; for a tropical forest is always greenand full of foliage, as the new leaves comeout before the old ones drop.But, every other year, the silk-cotton


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14 INTRODUCTORY.tree stands quite bare, and without asingle leaf; and then its trunk and greatbranches are dotted all over with seedpods. ) As soon as the pods are ripe theyburst, and out comes a quantity of finesilky down, that is carried away by thewind. It cannot be used as cotton, for it\vill not twist or hold together, and all thatcan be done \vith it is to stuff pillows andnlattresses. But, as it floats hither andthither, it is a rich harvest for the littleHun1ming-Birds. Hundreds of thenl maybe seen darting about, pursuing the tuftsof do\vn, and carrying theln a\vay in theirbills. ,Vhen the nest is made, the motherbird lays t\VO eggs in it, no bigger thanpeas, and ot a sno\v-\vhite colour, speckledhere and there \vith yellow.

She and her mate sit upon the nest byturns, and never leave it a monlent. Atthe end of twelve days the two little


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IXTRODUCTORY. 15Hunlming-Birds come out of their shells,and are about the size of blue-bottle flies.At first they are unfledged, but very soonare covered with down; and in tilne,feathers grow upon them, and becolne asbeautiful as those of the parent birds.


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CHAPTER II.THE H U : l n I l X G - B I R D ~ OF THE FOREST.

flU"D,HE beautiful birds we are now'I describing are divided into fami-(--*:t lies or groups.~ . . . . There is one tribe of Hunlming-

Birds that have their home in the shadeof the forest. They obtain their food fromleaves, since but few flo\vers are met within these secluded and shady places. Theysearch for insects on the vast tropicalfoliage of the trees, threading their wayabout 'with great dexterity, and picking offthe insects that swarm above and beneath.The H umlning-Birds of the forest are


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HUMMING BIRD SThe Suu Gem ana th e Brill iant


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THE H U M M I ~ G - B I R D S OF THE FOREST. 17very numerous. Their nests are nlade ofthe fibres of plants, and dry Inosses andlichens, closely \voven together. They areoften lined \vith the beautiful silk-cotton of\vhich I have spoken; and that providessuch abundant ll1aterials for the birds.The nest is long, and shaped like a purse.There is a Humming-Bird, in SouthAlnerica, that- leads alnl0st the life of amoth or a bat. I t has two long tailfeathers that cross each other; and itsdress is red and gold and green, andchanges colour every mOlnent.

I t chooses the woods by the side ofrivers, and dark and lonely places. Veryearly in the morning the bird COlnes outof its retreat in search of insects. But nosooner does the sun appear, and his flauling rays light up the sky, than the Hunllning-Bird disappears. I t dislikes theglare and heat of the tropical day, and

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18 THE H U M ~ I I N G - BIRDS OF THE FOREST.hides in its cool retreat until the evening.Then it comes out again, and darts hitherand thither in search of its prey. But forits brilliant colours, you might take it fora bird of night.

The nest is built on a twig that overhangs SOUle lonely creek. I t is very muchlike. a piece of tanned leather, and has akind of ridge or rim round the top.

This rim is to prevent the eggs fromrolling out.The range of the H ullllning-Birds, like

that of the Parrots, is wider than 'was onceimagined.

The tropical region is their naturalhOlne; and every attempt to rear the1n inour colder clirna te has been in vain.

But they have been known to ,vanderfar beyond the limits 0 f the Torrid Zone.They pay flying visits to Canada, andeven travel as far as the land of t.he Seal


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THE H u ~ r M I N G - B I R D S OF THE FOREST. ] 9and the Penguin. In the SouthernHemisphere, Hlunming-Birds have beenseen in Patagonia. But this seems tohave been a 111e1'e summer excursion, forthey retreated before the first breath ofautullln.


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CHAPTER III.P H A O ~ CmlET H U ) B I I ~ G - B I R D .

Ai:!"~ H E R E is a part of South AUlericaU which is, next to Thibet, the..~ . - highest country in the world. It'''r' is a kind of plateau situatedbetween two ranges of the Andes, and isvery much larger than England. Indeed,it would take nine such islands as Englandto lnake one tract of country like Bolivia.

I have brought you here, because inBolivia, and also in Peru, there are someof the beautiful birds we are describing.

The Phaoll Comet is a creature of rareand exquisite loveliness. Indeed, it flashes,


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P H A O ~ COMET H u ~ n I I N G - B I R D . 21and sparkles, and glitters like one of thoseglowing and wandering Ineteors above.

Nothing can be nl0re gorgeous than itsattire. The feathers of the back are adeep luminous crimson, its throat is like anemerald, and the magnificent tail-feathersare barred with black.

I t has all the habits of its race, andperhaps a larger share of courage and ofswiftness. I t sweeps through the air with,vhirling headlong movenlents. Sonletimes the eye is wearied with these ceaseless evolutions, and then the bird willdrop, like a falling star, into some hugeblossom, and be hidden frOln sight.In the high table-land of Bolivia thecold is intense, and the icy wind sweepsover with chilling breath. The soil isbarren and unfruitful; and we look invain for the birds and flowers of theTropics. But the deep sheltered valleys


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22 PHAON COMET HUMMING-BIRD.are fertile in the extreme, and producesugar, cotton, and all the riches of a sunnyclime.

The table-land, cold and rugged as it is,has many inhabitants; for here are foundthose ,vonderful mines of gold and silverthat were such a source of ,vealth to theSpaniards. And here a city ,vas built,called Potosi, ,vhich is the 1110st elevatedcity in the ,vorld.

The mountain on which the city standsis pierced in every direction by the shaftsof mines. At night, ,vhen the mines ,vereworking, and used to glow with the lightof inntlluerable furnaces, the sight ,vasvery grand indeed.

At one time, more than fifteen thousandpersons were employed at the mines. Butthe veins of ore are no,v less productive,and are comparatively deserted.You may imagine the desolate state of


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PHAON CO)[ET H U ~ D n ~ G - B I R D . 23the country round Potosi; nothing is tobe seen but bare rocks, covered with moss.The mountains are tipped ,vith perpetualsno,v.

The poor Indian ,vould fare badlyenough, but for certain plants, which aregiven by Nature for his comfort. Thereis a plant which grows at a great heightabove the sea, and in places where noother seed or grain could ripen. I t iscalled q1.linoa, and the seeds can be pre-pared in nlany different 'vays. The leavescan also be lllade into a kind of beer.

But the greatest consolation to theIndian is another plant called coca, whichis abundant in the sheltered valleys. I tthriyes in these tropical spots, and also onthe heights, and is as carefully cultivatedand as iInportant as the crop of corn iswith us.The plantations of coca are seen on the


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24 PHAOX C O ~ I E T HUl'tDlIXG-BIRD.steep sides of the v a l l ~ y s , rising to anamazing height above the level of the sea.The plant is about the size of our Englishblackthorn, and has a shining green foliageand small ,vhite fio,Yers, ,vhich ripen intoscarlet berries.

The berries are not nsed, but the leavesare gathered and dried in the sun. Theyare che,ved by the Indian ,vith greatdelight; and he is never seen ,vithout hisleathern pouch full of coca, and which alsocontains a little box of po,ydered lilue.

His manner of chewing is to work upthe morsel of coca into a ball, then, takingit frolu his mouth, he plunges a piece of\vood like a tooth-pick into the lime, andpierces the ball through and through withit until it gets the taste of lirne. That isjust ho,v he likes it.

But one ball will not content him, andhe goes on che"wing un til he is often in a


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P H A O ~ CO::\IET HU::\DIIKG-BIRD. 25state of intoxication. Thus a valuableplant is made a source of evil. But theIndian would not give up his coca on anyterms whatever; he stops his work threetimes a day in order to chew it, and itserves him almost in the stead of food.


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CHAPTER IV.THE HILL-STAR HU)DIIXG-BIRTJ.

,J;NE of the luxuriant v a l l ~ y s situ-ated among the Andes IS calledthe Valley of Quito. Here is

' ~ . . . the capital city of a portion ofSouth America nalned Quito, a provincethat includes hill and dale, rock andmountain, and all kinds of temperaturesand productions. The climate of the valley is delicious. Here seen1S to reign anever verdant spring. No extremes ofheat or cold reach this favoured spot.

I t is clothed with fruitful fields andorchards, and flocks and herds, and popu


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