Photocopy only if necessa p, * aiAL ZOOLOGY, w . V/777A/A ///.V'J'-fj.ff) EORGE SHAW,>IJ>.KR.S.&C. from the iMt Authorities and jiiosi selee-l specimens. f / \'in . Pan i . A V K ^ , I.innlou.l'rintoil for KVai -sU-v, AYi'lku' ;uul Ixoliinsoii. A':UI«M-. Stockdale. Lea, .Ji'ITi v. lYosl>v,Lojit»-;iKin Hurst llt-os Ornio j\-lirov.'iif Si-koit-v BootliJiaa^tei'. Cr;iU- A- t'ln-Us.BaKiwin I.owi- . ;• ••»! GENERAL ZOOLOGY. VOLUME VIII. PART I. BIRDS. LONDON. PRINTED FOR GEORGE KEARSLEY, FLEET STREET; LV THOMAS DAVISON, \\H1TEFRIARS. 1811. CONTENTS OP VOL. VIII.— PART I. ALCEDO, GENUS, Bee-Eater, common p. 5 152 155 156 158 159 159 160 161 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 Bee-Eater, chattering . p. 171 yellow-tufted 172 wittlnrl 171 . TVTilimVn 1 *7 A- - "Pictnrn i >ro eneg BUCEROS GENUS . 1 BUPHAGA GENUS , .:. 5Q hoodrd IV CONTENTS. CERTHIA GENUS . p. 185 Creeper, common . 186 rrrppri 1 Rft Creeper, caerulean .p. 219 grey . . 221 wall . v. 1&9 splendid . 191 " African . 192 • superb . . 193 Angaladian . 194 spotted-breasted 223 cinnamon . 224 - InrntrH 99.4. — New-Holland 225 Australasian . 226 . 195 — collared . 196 — orange-banded 197 bifasciated . 198 hook-billed green 227 hook-billed red 229 sickle-billed . 230 crimson . 231 green -gold . 200 olive-green . 232 purpled . 201 • bue-headed . 2O3 pied . . 234 tufted-eared . 236 brown and white 204 Senegal . 205 mocking . 237 brown . . 238 violet-throated 208 black-chinned 239 black-capped 240 • — - beautiful . 210 grey-headed . 242 -shining . • 212 Goruck . 243 ash-bellied . 214 snuff-coloured 214 spot- eared . 244 f mellivorous . 245 black-tailed . 215 barred-tail . 2l6 • crimson-bellied 216 — gartered . 217 cyanean . 217 i , . T prinn O-dT black and yellow 248 : — red-rumped . 249 red-backed . 250 — red-spotted . 251 CONT1 Creeper, Cardinal . p. 252 scarlet . . 252 _r»villi»et r>rp?t«iH 9*i'l 2NTS. % Hornbill, African . p. V 6 7 8 13 16 18 19 26 30 33 34 35 36 38 39 40 40 41 135 138 139 140 HI 274 I 278 rr»r"hinPll ^'l-t - green-faced . 255 ( vi v, >n m» ^'Sfi black and violet 25/ blue-throated 257 _______ cnfnr *258 Kliifk f-ipprl 9*iS black-fronted 259 __ _ ._ "Roiirhnn 2*)Q . ofrilp • 263 ,-— — — — — wrPithed undulated . 264 grey . . wren , • , •• 265 Seban . . ^ 266 porphyrian . 267 Macassar . 267 Hoopoe, common . — blue-crested . smaller . "!»•'"• Madagascar . black . Q.y Humming-Bird, topaz- throated . to*.-1- Amboyna . 269 fulvous r*! iiF 269 long-billed . 270 yellow-winged 270 tufted . .271 Hornbill, Rhinoceros . 3 blue-tailed VI CONTENTS. Humming-Bird, fork-tailed P- 2/9 scissars- tailed ped 280 — black-cap- 281 - great . 282 - great Cape 283 -- supercilious 284 - admirable 285 bright- throated . . 287 red-breast- ed . . . .288 — violet 290 bar-tailed*291 crimson- headed blue . . 292 white-tail- ed . . . . 293 Mango 294 purple- . 296 tailed ash-bellied breasted . black- 297 298 'Humming-Bird, green- throated . . .p. 300 violet- tailed ... 301 — rufous- bellied ... 302 punctulat- ed . . . , 303 — banded 303 scalloped 304 gold-green 305 aurulent 306 black- bellied . . .307 trimaculat- ed . . ' . 308 — small-fork- . 309 Cayenne fork-tailed 3 10 tailed -- white- legged fork-tailed . 311 Harlequinf . 311 yellow- fronted . . . 312 purple- 313 crowned * N. B. It is doubtful whether the tail in this species be not rather cuneated than forked, though, from the position of the feathers in the dried specimen, it appears to be the latter. t A suspicion has been sometimes entertained that the speci- men in the British Museum of this supposed species is in reality a deceptive composition. Should this suspicion be well-ground- ed, it must, of course, be struck out from the list of species. CONTENTS, Vll Humming-Bird headed . , orange- VK .p. 313 gular . 314 gilt-crest- . --.,314 little . 315 racket- i-.yt -V-.- 316 broad- ii^—.* 318 violet-ear- *.^ „ -. 346 . ..-- Vicllot'i 347 ed *:V templed . >;.- ~ . 349 lared ntf' .. , . .. ..... little blue *V« brown . i .-.- - >. 351 •'— — — - crested brown . •?&'••>*•.', 354 ,,._ ., least 355 and emerald Kingfisher, giant .. 53 — great African 55 - cinereous 56 . tine " • . belted '» j 58 — — mm — Armyonian 1O ed Egyptian . 6l ed . ', . ._^_- nipd fiS mm Pnne 65 bellied . crowned Smyrna * . 68 ed .,..„,._. Senegal ' ^ j 72 ed . v CONTENTS. Kingfisher, spotted Brasilian • P. 76 Nuthatch, great . . p. . spotted 113 114 115 116 117 118 118 119 120 120 50 47 142 142 143 144 145 147 148 149 150 107 121 122 123 124 126 12S 127 127 12S 170 ^ •acred Cape — — . venerated . 81 — Chinese ft8^ * A ,__-_-_-,—-- \vliite nnd ^reen 85 OX-PECKER GENUS . Plantain-Eater, violet . PROMEROPS GENUS . hi np • white-collared 94 Pnnr •- rrestefl Qfl — • white -billed 99 blue headed 100 _„_ „ . little Indian 10° _..,...„ _. Eastern 103 rrd hillrrl SlTTA GENUS . TODUS GENUS . Tod/, broad-billed white-chinned . tridigitated 105 MEROPS GENUS . 152 MOMOTA GENUS . 42 Momot, Brasilian . 42 MUSOPHAGA GENUS 47 Nuthatch, European . 10S black-headed 112 red-breasted ' . white-headed . short-tailed Tody, green - cinereous . brown yellow-bellied CONTENTS. IX p. 129 TROCHILUS GENUS . p. 272 130 131 UPUPA GENUS . . 135 J32 Directions for placing the Plates in vol. VIII. Part L The Vignette represents the Tufted-necked Humming-Bird, page 345, rather smaller than Life. Plate l to face page 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 !4 15 jg 17 — 18 19 20 21 22 23 MMMMI 3 47 60 63 71 72 88 108 124 129 135 150 152 177 MOTMM Plate 24 25 26 27 28 .29 3O 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 39* 40 41 42 43 44 45 to face page 186 1 Q4 •iy* iofi iyu °O5 Oil 010 Of* OCR O^T/* ooq OQf) 3-9 , , . . , I*)0 BIRD S. ORDER PICM. BUCEROS. HORNBILL. Generic Character. Nostrum magnum, extror- sum serratum, mandibula superiore (plerisque) ap- pendice aucta. Nares parvae, rotundatse, pone rostri basin. Pdpebra ciliis validis cinctae. Lingua brevissima, subtrian- gularis, plana. Crura valida, brevia : pedes gressorii. Bill very large, serrated in an outward direction, and furnished (in most species) with a large appendix on the upper mandible. Nostrils small, round, be- hind the base of the bill. I Eyelids strongly ciliated. Tongue very short, subtri- angular, flat. Legs short and strong : feet I gressorial. HE birds of this remarkable genus may be considered as holding the same rank in the old continent with the Toucans in the new. Like the Toucans they are distinguished by the enormous size of their beaks, which, in most species, are ren- dered still more extraordinary by the addition of a v. vin. p. i. 1 HORNBILL. large prominence or appendix seated on the upper mandible, differing in shape in the different spe- cies. The Hornbills may be said to be both car- nivorous and frugivorous, feeding not only on va- rious berries and other vegetable substances, but also on any putrid animal substances, and not un- frequently on many of the smaller kind of living animals, as mice, birds, &c. but perhaps principally on insects. Their large bills are of much less real than apparent strength, the substance being not solid, but of a cancellated internal structure: the mandibles are serrated in an outward direction, and the serratures are often irregular, owing to the in- jury the bill occasionally receives during its em- ployment in seizing on various vegetable and ani- mal matters. The Hornbills vary much in the appearance of the bill during the different periods of their age: the process or appendix not exhibiting its genuine form till the full growth of the bird ; a circumstance which, added to the difference bet ween the males and females, often causes great difficulty in the determination of the species. RHINOCEROS HOUNBILL. Buceros Rhinoceros. D. niger, cauda apke alba, rosCroJlavescetttc, galea recurruta supra rubra. Black Hornbill, with white-tipped tail, yellowish beak, and recurv- ed casque red above. Buceros Rhinoceros. B. cornu mandibulari frontis recurvata. Lin. Sj/st. Nat. Rhinoceros Avis. Aldrov. I. p. S4. Besl. mus. t. 20. Horued Indian Raven, or Rhinoceros Bird. Will. «/•». p. 12/. Edw. pi. 281. B. PI. Enl. 934. Nat. Misc. 2. pi. 41. Rhinoceros Hornbill. Lath. syn. Le Calao-Rhinoceros. Leva///. Cal. pi. 1 . 2. THIS, which is perhaps the most remarkable of all the species yet known, is well described and figured in Mousr. Levaillant's work on the rarer birds of India and America. Monsr. Levaillant however is mistaken in supposing that the bill alone had hitherto made its appearance in modern collections, since a very line and complete speci- men existed in the Lever ian Museum, and which was long ago figured in the Naturalist's Miscellany. Monsr. Levaillant had the good fortune to con- template this species in a living state, a specimen having been brought, during his residence at the Cape of Good Hope, from the island of Java in the East Indies, its native residence. The general size of the Rhinoceros Hornbill is that of a hen turkey > but its shape is more slender in proportion : the neck is of moderate length, and the tail slightly cuneated; the colour of the whole bird is black, 4 RHINOCEROS HORNBILL. except the lower part of the abdomen and tip of the tail, which are white: the bill, which is enor- mous in proportion to the bird, measures about ten inches in length, and is of a slightly curved shape, sharp-pointed, serrated in a somewhat irre- gular manner on the edges, and furnished at the base of the upper mandible with an extremely large process, continued for a considerable space in a parallel direction with the bill, and then turned upwards in a contrary direction, or in the manner of a reverted horn: this process is divided into two portions by a longitudinal black line, the part above the line being of a bright red, the part below yellow7, and the back part or rising base, next the head, black: the bill itself is of similar colour with the process, being black at the base, the remainder yellow, tinged with bright red towards the base: the legs are short, strong, and of a pale yellow colour. In the specimen described by Monsr. Levaillant the abdomen was entirely black ± the tail, as in the above described specimen, tipped with white, and the whole plumage exhibited a slight blueish gloss when exposed to a strong light: the eyes were blackish; the eye-lashes long, black, and flattish. This bird was of a timid disposition, endeavouring to conceal itself from view, and of a dull and heavy appearance. It did not walk, but hopped along in the manner of a crow. The only appearance of liveliness which it exhibited was when its food was brought by the. person who had the care of it : at such times it ran forwards with extended wings, opening its bill and uttering a RHINOCEROS MORNBILL. 6 slight scream of joy. It was fed with biscuit steeped in water, flesh either raw or dressed, rice, pease, &c. Monsr. Levaillant one day offered it some newly killed small birds which he had lately shot, and which it readily devoured entire, after bruising them for a considerable time in its bill. It was said also, during its voyage from India, to have always pursued rats and mice whenever it perceived them, though it never was nimble enough to catch one. Its monstrous bill, which at first appears so formidable a weapon, is by no means such in reality, and Monsr. Levaillant assures us that he several times put his hand into the bill without feeling the slightest pain, though the bird exerted ail its endeavours to wound it. Monsr. Levaillant adds, that the Hornbills in general are, in his opinion, naturally carnivorous, all those which he observed in Africa feeding on serpents, lizards, insects, &c. and sometimes on carrion. I must not omit to observe that the specimen of the Rhinoceros Hornbill in the Leverian Museum differed from that described by Monsr. Levaillant in having the lower part of the belly, and the tail white, the latter marked by a broad black bar across the middle; agreeing in this respect with the de- scription given by Brisson. AFRICAN HORNBILL. Buceros Africanus. B. niger subcrutatus, abdonrine albo, gaka ascendent?, supra pJana. Slightly-crested black Hornbill, with white abdomen, and ascend- ing casque flat at top. Buceros Africanus. B. mger subcristatus, fronte ossea plana an- trorsum subulata> corpora nigro, abdomine rectricibusqne apice albis. Lath. ind. orn. Rhinoceros Avis. Will. orw. t. \7.f. *2. Besl. mus. t. 0. No. /". Brae, on Calao d'Afrique. Buff. ois. African Hornbill. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Labat and others as of the size of a turkey, and entirely of a black colour: the beak both in shape and colour seems considerably allied to that of the Rhinoceros Hornbill, but the process or casque runs strait forwards instead of reverting at the tip as in that species. A specimen is said to have been in the Ley den Museum which differ- ed in having the abdomen and vent white, the head somewhat crested, and the tail tipped with white. Native of Africa. CRESCENT HORNB1LL. Buceros nigcr , femoribus caudce basi opiccqnc albis, rostroJlaTcscentf, galea sursum litnata. Black Hornbill, with thighs, base, and tip of tail white, yellowish bill, and casque Innated upwards. Le Calao a casque en croissant. Levaill. Cal. pi. 13. ALLIED in size and general appearance to the Rhinoceros and two-horned Hornbills: colour black with a blueish gloss: thighs, vent, and tail tawny- white, but the latter crossed in the middle by a very broad black bar: bill of similar size and pro- portion to that of the Rhinoceros Hornbill, and of a yellowish colour: the casque large, and shaped like a crescent or boat longitudinally affixed by its bottom to the ridge of the upper mandible: it is not concave at the top, but flattened, and the two ends rise up one before and the other behind the base of the mandible, that in front somewhat ex- ceeding the length of the other: the legs are short and of a brown colour. Native of Java, where, according to the account of a Dutch officer, com- municated to Monsr. Levaillant, it frequents large woods, uniting in troops in order to devour carrion. UNICORN HORNBILL. Buceros Mouoceros. B. subcri*iatus niger, obdominc lateribvsquo rectricwn albis, rostrofavescenfe, galea compressa anticc acuminafa supra nigra. Slightly-crested Black Hornbill, with abdomen and sides of the tail-feathers white $ the bill yellowish, with compressed casque black above and pointed in front. Buceros Malabaricus. ? Lath. ind. orn. Pied Hornbill.? Lath. syn. Le Calao Unicorne. Levaill. CaL pi. g. 10. 11. 12. THIS species has been well described by the Count de Buffon under the name of Calao de Ma- labar. " It was brought, says he, from Pondi- cherry, and lived the whole of the summer in the court yard of the Marchioness de Pons, who was so obliging as to present it to me. It was as large as a common Raven, or twice as large as a crow, measuring two feet and a half in length from the tip of the bill to that of the tail, which it had lost in its passage to France, and which, though be- ginning to grow again, had by no means attained its full length ; so that we may presume the whole length of the bird may be about three feet: the bill was eight inches long, and two broad, and was bent fifteen lines from the strait position: the second bill, if it may be so called, sat, like a horn, close on the first, following its curvature, and ex- tending from the base to within two inches of the point: its height was two inches and two lines, so that, measuring in the middle, the bill, together uxicouy IIORXBILL, 9 with its horn, formed the height of four inches i near the head they were both of them fifteen lines across: the horn was six inches long, and its extre- mity appeared to have been shortened and split by accident, so that we may reckon it to be half an inch longer: this horn, on the whole, has the shape of a real bill, truncated and closed at its extremity; but at the junction it is marked by a very percep- tible furrow, drawn near the middle, and following all the curvature of this false bill, which does not adhere to the skull, but its posterior portion, which rises on the head, is still more extraordinary; being naked and fleshy, and covered with living skin, through which this parasite member receives its nu- tritious juices: the true bill terminates in a blunt point, and is strong, consisting of a horny and almost bony substance, extended in laminae, the layers and undulations of which may be perceived: the false bill is much thinner, and may be even bent by the fingers: it is of a light substance, dis- posed internally into small cells, in some degree, as Edwards observes, resembling those of an honey- comb: Wormius says it consists of a matter like crab's eyes: the false bill is black from the tip to three inches behind it, and there is a line of the same black at its origin, as well as at the root of the true bill : all the rest is yellowish white. Wor- mius observes the same thing, and adds that the inside of the bill and the palate are black. A white, folded skin meets the root of the true bill above on both sides, and is inserted near the cor- ners of the bill in the black skin that encircles the 10 UNICORN HORNBILL. eyes: the eyelid is furnished with long lashes arched behind: the eye is red-brown, and appears brighter or more animated when the bird is irritated: the head, which appears small in proportion to the enormous bill it supports, bears a considerable re- semblance to that of a Jay: the whole form of the bird seeming to be composed as it were of the feathers and movements of the Jay, Raven, and Magpie. These resemblances have struck most observers, and have obtained it the name of the Indian Raven, Horned Crow, and Horned Pie. The feathers of the head and neck were black, and it had the power of bristling them up like those of a jay : the back and wings were also black, and accompanied by a slight reflexion of green and violet: the breast and belly were of a dull white; the exterior quill-feathers tipped with white: the tail consisted of six white quills, black at the root, and four entirely black: the legs were black, scaly, thick, and strong, and the claws long, but not sharp. This bird hopped with both feet at once, forwards and sideways, like a jay or magpie: when at rest its head seemed to recline on its shoulders: when disturbed it swelled and raised itself with an air of boldness, but its general gait was heavy and dull; its resemblance to the raven and magpie giving it a kind of ignoble aspect, suited to its dis- position. It swallowed raw flesh, and would also eat lettuces, which it first bruised with its bill: it caught rats, and even devoured a small bird which was thrown to it alive: its voice was a short hoarse croak ; and it also uttered at intervals a sound UXIC011S HOIiyBILL* 11 exactly similar to the clucking of a hen: it was fond of warmth, spreading its wings to the sun, and shuddering at a passing cloud or breeze: it lived only three months at Paris, dying before the end of summer." This species, according to Monsr. Levaillant, is found not only in Malabar, but in many other parts of India, as well as in Ceylon and other In- dian islands. Its length, according to this author, is thirty inches from the top of the head to the end of the tail, which itself measures twelve inches: its colour is black, glossed with green and purple; the breast, belly, thighs, and vent-feathers white : the three outer feathers both of the wings and tail are white, the three outer tail-feathers, being somewhat shorter than the rest, cause the tail to be slightly rounded at the extremity: the lower mandible, as Buffon observes, is surrounded by a white wrinkled skin, and the orbits of the eyes by a black one : the casque or rostral appendix is flat on its hind part, where it is wider than in other parts, and is covered by the living skin of a black colour. This species, according to Levaillant, has the largest beak in proportion to its size of any bird of the genus, since it measures nine inches in length, and nearly five in depth, reckoning the appendix toge- ther with the beak: the mandibles are curved and strongly toothed: the casque is prolonged in front into a kind of horn, and is flat on the sides, and marked by two or three parallel furrows or streaks. The female differs from the male in size, being rather smaller, and in having the casque less ele- 12 UNICORN HORNBILL, vated and its point less prominent. These birds frequent high woods, perching on large trees, and in preference on the dead boughs: they nestle in the hollows of the decayed trunks, laying four eggs of a dirty white colour. The young are at first entirely naked, and their bills have merely a slight ridge or longitudinal crest of about three or four lines high ; but by the time their bodies are cover- ed with a greyish- rufous down, the ridge or crest of the bill enlarges, and rises every day in height, and in the space of about twelve or fifteen days begins to exhibit something of its future form, though by no means sufficient to shew the decided character of the species, which is not clearly de- fined till the space of three months, when the young take their flight. The casque at this period exhibits the lateral furrows and the black patch in front; the point however does not project till the bird has arrived at the full period of its growth and plumage. This part is subject to frequent acci- dents, from striking against the branches of trees while the animal is endeavouring to detach the bark in order to obtain the insects, small lizards, and tree-frogs which lurk beneath. The above curious particulars were communicated to Levail- lant by Monsr. Lecors, who had passed many years in the island of Ceylon in the Dutch service, and who had amused himself with rearing several of these birds. The description of this species given by Sonnerat is, according to Levaillant, incorrect, and the ac- companying figure faulty, and this, in the opinion WHITE-BEAKED HORNBILL. 1 of our author, is the case with the rest of the de scriptions and figures in that publication. WHITE-BEAKED HORNBILL. Buceros albirostris. B. subcristatus niger, abdomine apicibusque rc- migum et rcctricum albls, rostro albido, galea cumpressa antice obtusa macula nii^ra. Slightly-crested Black Hornbill, with the abdomen and tips of th« wing and tail-feathers white, the bill whitish with compressed obtuse-fronted casque marked by a black spot. Pied Hornbill.? Lath.syn. Buceros Malabaricus.? Lath. ind. orn. Le Calao a bee blanc. Levaill. Cal. pi. 14. So extremely near is the resemblance between this bird and the Unicorn Hornbill that it requires all the eloquence of Monsr. Levaillant to persuade us that it is any thing more than a variety, or per- haps a sexual difference of the preceding species; differing perhaps in the less advanced stage of growth of the rostral appendix, which instead of projecting into an absolute point or horn in front, finishes obtusely on that part. We must however state what Monsr. Levaillant advances in defence of his ranking it as a separate species. , " This bird, says he, which was sent me froni Chandernagor, where it had been killed, appears to me to be a new species hitherto undescribed by authors. Its length, from the top of the head to the end of the tail, is tv\7enty inches, of which the tail alone measures half: the bill, if taken along 14 WHITE-BEAKED HORNBILL. its curvature, measures four inches and three lines, and the thickness of both mandibles, taken toge- ther, is about eighteen lines: they are nearly equal, irregularly toothed on their edges, and end in ob- tuse points : the casque or process occupies nearly two thirds of the length of the bill, covering the front, to which it adheres: it is truncated in front, where it terminates in a thin edge, swelling gra- dually upwards on the sides, the ridge or upper part forming a more elevated arc of a circle in the middle: it is terminated behind by a large rounded point, black above and round its border: in front is also a black patch, which descends a little on the upper mandible, which is edged at its base by an irregular black band of only two lines in width: the lower mandible is bordered on each side its base by a much broader black band, which termi- nates in a point beneath the bill: both mandibles- are also edged with black along the serrated part, and, as well as the mouth, are black internally; while externally both the bill and casque are of an ivory whiteness. After this description of the bird we might readily suppose it a mere variety of the Unicorn Hornbill; but, on a careful comparison of the two birds, I am convinced that they are distinct species, notwithstanding this similarity. In the Unicorn Hornbill the casque is flattened and fur- rowed on its sides, and terminates behind in a living skin. In the present bird on the contrary it is smooth, swelled on the sides, exceeding in its middle part the diameter of the mandibles, and is closed behind by a horny substance similar to that WHITE-BEAKED HOUNBILL. 15 of the rest of the casque, and even more solid, since on the other parts it yields to the pressure of the fingers: these two characters therefore evidently prove that these birds form two distinct species. The feathers of the hindhead are long, slender, loose-webbed, and form a pendent crest of a black colour, as are also the neck, shoulders, back, sea- pulars, wings, and tail ; the latter and the wing- coverts exhibiting a greenish gloss: the wings and side-feathers of the tail are tipped with white, the two middle tail-feathers being totally black: the breast, belly, sides, thighs, and vent-feathers are white: the legs and claws black: the orbits of the eyes, and the base of the lower mandible are sur- rounded by a bare skin, which in the dried bird is of a brownish colour: the upper eyelids are ciliated, and the nostrils covered with hairs rising over the edge of the casque." Monsr. Levaillant received no account of the manners of this bird, but considers the above de- scription fully sufficient to prevent its being con- founded with the preceding species. 16 BIFID-CASQUED HORN BILL. Buceros bicornis. B. subcristatus niger, abdomine medioque re- migum fy rectricum albis, rostrojiavescente, galea concava antror- fum bicorni. Slightly- crested black Hornbill, with abdomen and middle of the wing and tail-feathers white, yellowish bill, and concave casque with two-horned front. Buceros bicornis. B. fnmte ussea plana, ant rorsum bicorni. Lin. Syst. Nat. Buceros bicornis. Lath. ind. orn. Philippine Hornbill. Lath. ayn. Le Calao bicorne. Lcvaill. Cal. pi. /. 8. Calao avis. Petiv. gaz. t. 31 ./. 1. Ruff. 7. p. 157- SIZE of a female Turkey, but of a more slender shape : colour black, slightly glossed with blue, the upper part of the breast, belly, thighs, and vent-feathers white: the base of the larger wing- feathers, except of the two exterior ones, of the same colour, forming a white patch on each wing: the tail crossed in the middle, except on the two middle feathers, by a white bar. The bill is as large in proportion as in the Rhinoceros Hornbill, and is of a yellowish colour, with a very large casque, longitudinally hollowed above, and termi- nated in front by two lengthened hornlike pro- cesses : the base of both mandibles, and the back of the casque edged by a bar of black. It is ob- served by Levaillant that Willoughby and Petiver in their descriptions of this species say that there is only a single white feather on each side the tail, BIFID-CASQUED HORNBILL. 17 "a particularity, says Levaillant, which, so far as my examination of more than three thousand species of birds allows rne to pronounce, exists in no bird yet known." In fact, as we have stated above, the tail has three white feathers on each side. The bifid-casqued Hornbill is a native of India and the Indian isles. VAR. Size of a Hen: bill somewhat bent, serrated, dia- phanous, and of the colour of cinnabar, measuring seven inches in length : upper mandible furnished at the top with a helmet a span long, nearly three inches broad, and flat on the top: tongue scarcely an inch long: head small, and as far as the eyes, black: pupils blue: irides white: eyelids beset with black bristles: head and neck rufous; belly black: back and rump brownish ash: legs and thighs yel- lowish: greater quill-feathers fulvous: tail white. Native of the Philippine isles: has a voice like that of a hog or calf: considered by the Gentoos as a sacred bird: lives in woods, and feeds on the In- dian fig, pistachios, &c. &c. described by Camelli in the Philosophical Transactions, vol. 23. p. 1394. V. vm. p. i. 18 CONCAVE-CASQUED HORNBILL. Buceros cavatus. B. subcristatus niger, collo subferrug'meo, rostro jlavescente apice subrubro, galea concava antrorsum obtusa. Black Hornbill, with subferruginous neck, yellowish bill with reddish tip, and concave casque obtuse in front. Le Calao a casque concave. Levaill. Cat. pi. 3. 4. 5. 6. GREATLY allied to the bifid-casqued Hornbill, but differing in colour, and in the rostral casque being truncated in front instead of being produced at the tips into two lengthened processes: the general shape of this part is similar in both species, being longitudinally concave, with a deep middle furrow : in the present species however the base of the bill is not marked as in the preceding with a black bar, and the hind part terminates in a rounded or bulging back, while in the bifid-casqued Hornbill it is flattened on that part : the whole bill, with the casque, is of a whitish colour, tending to brown towards the tip: the face and chin are black; the neck pale ochre-coloured, and the whole remainder of the plumage black: the feathers of the back part of the head are slightly lengthened, and of a narrow shape; forming a slight approach to a pendent crest. The plumage of this bird in its young state differs greatly from that which it exhibits in its advanced or perfect state, being ash- grey, with the neck and breast rufous, and the quill-feathers and lower part of the abdomen black- ish; the bill shorter in proportion, and the casque, VIOLACEOUS HORNBILL. 19 as may be supposed, less elevated than in the full- grown bird. This species is supposed to be a native of the Philippine isles. The bird in its young or unadvanced state is mistakenly consider- ed by BulTon as a distinct species, and described under the name of Calao des Moluques. See the Bontian Hornbill of the present work. VIOLACEOUS HORNBILL. Buceros violaceus. B. nigro-violaccns, abdominc caudx latcribus rcmigumque apicibus albis, rostro albido, galea compressa antror- sum obtusa macula nigra. Violaceous-black Hornbill, with the abdomen and sides of the wing and tail-feathers white, whitish bill, and compressed casque obtuse in front and marked by a black spot. Le Calao violet. Lcvailt. Cal.pl. IQ. THIS also is very much allied to the Unicorn Hornbill, from which it differs in its somewhat smaller size, which is intermediate between that of the Unicorn and White-Beaked species: of the two however it is, according to Levaillant, most allied to the former, having the rostral casque flat on the sides, not swelled as in the white-billed species: from both it differs in the colour of its plumage, of which the disposition is the same. When viewed in a full light it is very richly glossed with violet, green, and purple reflexions, though when viewed in the shade it appears of a greenish black : the lower part of the breast, the belly, tips of the wings, 20 VIOLACEOUS HO11NB1LL. and three lateral tail-feathers are white: the bill is of a yellowish white, shaped like that of the white- beaked Hornbill, the base of both mandibles, as well as that of the casque, being ornamented by a band of crimson, which at the base of the lower mandible extends to some distance beneath the eyes, and is crossed by two narrow black bars: the casque, like that of the immediately preceding species, is marked on each side by two longitu- dinal furrows, and by a large black patch in front: the eyes are of a bright reddish-brown. The bird is a native of Ceylon, and was exa- mined in a living state by Monsr. Levaillant in a menagerie at the Cape of Good Hope, whither it had been brought by a Dutch vessel returning from India. It shewed a remarkable degree of docility and attachment towards its keeper, and was fed with meat, either raw or dressed, as well as with various kinds of vegetables. It also pursued and readily caught both rats and mice, which it swallowed entire, after having rubbed them in its bill. It was a general peace-maker in the mena- gery, and whenever a quarrel arose among any of the other birds, it immediately ran to them, and by the strokes of its beak enforced a suspension of hostilities. It even kept the larger birds in awe, and Levaillant once saw it cause an Ostrich to run away with all its speed, pursuing it half flying and half running. In short it became the formidable tyrant of the whole menagery, which it imposed upon by the size of its enormous bill rather than ABYSSINIAN HORNBILL. 'by any genuine power; thus proving the general truth, that appearance alone often proves a suc- cessful substitute for reality. ABYSSINIAN HORNBILL. Buceros Abyssinicus. B. nigcr, reniigibus primoribus albis, sccun- dariisferrugineis, rostro nigrot galea abrupto-orbiculata. Black Hornbill, with white primary quills, ferruginous secondary, and black bill with abrupt-orbicular casque. Buceros Abyssinicus. B. rostro nigro compresso,fronte gibbosa or- biculata cccrulea, corpore nigro: remigibus primoribus albis, secun- dariisfulvo'fuscis. Lath. ind. orn. Abba Gumba. Bruce tr*v. Calao d'Abyssinie. Buff. ais. PI. Enl. 779- THIS species seems to have been first distinctly described by Mr. Bruce, who informs us that in the eastern parts of Abyssinia it is known by the name of Abba Gumba, and in the western side of Tacazz£ by that of Erkoom: the first of these names being apparently given it from the groaning noise which it makes. In the region of Sennaar it is called Teir el Naciba, or the Bird of Destiny. " This bird, says Mr. Bruce, is all of a black, or rather black mixed with soot-colour; the large feathers of the wing are ten in number, milk-white both without and within: the tip of his wings reaches very nearly to his tail : his beak and head measured together are eleven inches and a half, and his head three inches and a quarter: at his neck he has those protuberances like the Turkey- 22 ABYSSINIAN HORNBILL. Cock, which are of a light blue, but turn red upon his being chafed, or in the time when the hen is laying. The colour of the eye is of a dark brown or rather a reddish cast, but darker still as it ap- proaches the pupil; he has very large eye-lashes both upper and lower, but especially his upper: from the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail is three feet ten inches ; the breadth, from one point of the wing to the other extended is six feet : the length of the thighs is seven inches, and that of the legs six inches and five eighths : it has three toes before, and one behind, but they are not very strong, nor seemingly made to tear up carcasses: the length of the foot to the hinder toe is one inch six lines, the innermost is one inch seven lines, the middle two inches two lines, and the last outer one two inches one line. I have seen the Erkoom with eighteen young ones: it runs upon the ground more willingly than it flies, but when raised, flies both strong and far: it has a rank smell, and is said to live in Abyssinia upon dead carcasses. I never saw it approach any of these, and what con- vinces me this is untrue is that I never saw one of them follow the army, where there was always a general assembly of all the birds of prey in Abys- sinia. It was very easy to see what was its food by its place of rendezvous, which was in the fields of ten0, upon the tops of which are always a number of green beetles; these he strips off by drawing the stalk through his beak, so that it appears to be serrated, and, often as I had occasion to open this bird, I never found any thing in him but the green ABYSSINIAN HORNBIJ.L. 23 scarabaeus or beetle. He has a putrid or stinking smell, which, I suppose, is the reason he has been imagined to feed upon carrion. The Erkoom builds in large thick trees, always, if he can, near churches; has a covered nest, like that of a Magpie, but four times as large as an Eagle's: it places its nest firm upon the trunk, without endeavouring to make it high from the ground: the entry is always on the East side." Mr. Bruce adds that this bird walks in the manner of a Raven, and does not jump or hop in the manner that many of the Crow kind do; that at times it runs with very great velocity, and that in its running it very much resembles the turkey or bustard when his head is turned from the spectator. Mr. Latham describes the bill of this species as measuring nine inches in length, slightly bent the whole length, and compressed on the sides; both mandibles channelled on the insides, and blunt at the tips: on the top of the upper a protuberance of a semicircular shape, two inches and a half in diameter, and fifteen lines broad at the base, which is over the eyes: this excrescence is of the same substance with the bill, but so very thin as easily to yield to the pressure of the fingers: the height of the bill, with the appendix, measures vertically almost three inches and three quarters. The young, according to Levaillant, are of a brownish black colour, with the larger wing-fea- thers rufous-white, and such seems to have been the specimen described by Buffon. GALEATED HORNBILL. Buceros Galeatus. B. niger, abdomine caudaque albis, fascia caudali nigra, rostra conico subflavo, galea subquadrato-convexa rubra. Black Hornbill, with abdomen and tail white, the latter marked by a black bar; the bill conic and yellowish, with squarish- convex red casque. Buceros galeatus. jB. rostro conicot bast mandibulce superioris supra maxime gibbosa subquadrata. Lath. ind. orn. Calao a casque rond. Buf.ois. PI. Enl. 933. Edw. 281. c. Helmet Hornbill. Lath. syn. KNOWN till very lately by the bill alone, which has long since made its appearance in the European museums. In a specimen described by Mr. Latham the length of this bill was eight inches. It is nearly strait, and, as far as the mandibles reach, is of a conical figure ; the top of the upper mandible being continued upwards into a gibbosity of a squarish form, making the bill at this part four inches and a half in depth : this is rounded behind, and almost flat in front; the front being a true or solid bone, an inch in thickness, and of a white colour, while the sides are thin, transparent, and, together with the half of the bill next the base, of a deep red colour; the tip of the bill being white: the nostrils are seated immediately above the orbits of the eyes, and from them commences a wrinkled ridge, passing across the gibbous part to the front : at the back part of the skull are usually attached a few small black feathers. GALEATED HORNBILL. 25 Edwards observes that this beak seems to imply a bird of a different genus from that of the Horn- bills; an observation so much the more important, since Monsr. Levaillant, whose extensive know- ledge of the feathered tribe so justly entitles his opinion to attention, has no hesitation in pro- nouncing that this bill must belong to a bird widely removed from the Hornbill tribe; and he even ventures to affirm that it must belong to the class of aquatic birds. This he considers as suffi- ciently proved from the nature of the plumes which sometimes adhere to the specimens: these, he says, have smooth and close-set barbs like those of the Anseres. Monsr. Levaillant proceeds still farther, and infers, from the extreme solidity and heaviness of the skull, that the bird is of the number of those which have not the power of flight, unless it should have wings of a very extraordinary amplitude. Un- fortunately however for the above plausible conjec- tures of Monsr. Levaillant, and as a proof how cautious a naturalist should be in indulging specu- lations of this nature, the bird itself has been lately introduced into the British Museum, and is a ge- nuine Buceros, agreeing in point of habit and pro- portions with the rest of the tribe. Its total length is four feet, of which the tail measures two: the head, breast, back, and wings are black; the abdo- men, thighs, vent-feathers, and tail white, but the latter is marked near the tip by a broad black bar, and is pretty strongly cuneiform, the two middle feathers measuring twenty-four inches, the two next twenty-one inches, and the three exterior 26 UNDULATED HORN BILL. ones on each side twelve inches : the legs are strong, and of a black colour: the wings reach only about three inches along the tail. This spe- cies is said to inhabit the same regions with the major part of the genus. UNDULATED HORNBILL. Buceros undulatus. B. subcristatus nigro-violaceus, gula nuda ca- rulescente, cauda 'alba, rostro albido, galea transversim fusco- sulcata. Slightly-crested black Hornbill, with naked blueish throat, white tail, and whitish bill with the casque transversely undulated by brown furrows. Le Calao a casque festonne. Levaill. Cal. pi. 20. 21 . THIS species may be considered as the most beautiful, or, to speak perhaps more properly, the least deformed of all the Hornbills, the beak exhibiting an appearance more proportioned to the size of the bird, and the colours a greater degree of variety and elegance than in the rest of the tribe. The length of the bird, exclusive of the bill, is about thirty inches, and the bill mea- sures only five inches in length, and two in thick- ness, including the crest or casque. The colour of the bird is black, with a strong gloss of blue: the tail is entirely white, and at the lower part of the neck, between the shoulders, is a moderately large patch of red-brown, adding a considerable ornament to the plumage of that part: the chin, to a considerable distance beyond the base of the UNDULATED HORNBILL. 2? lower mandible, the orbits of the eyes, and the space immediately between them and the upper mandible are covered by a bare skin of a blueish colour: the bill is of a yellowish white colour, tinged with pale brown towards the base: its size, as before observed, is but moderate for a bird of this genus: it is moderately curved, sharp-pointed, and exhibits hardly any appearance of serratures on the edges: the crest or appendix on the upper mandible is continued about half way along the beak, and is about five or six lines only in height at its highest part: it is also marked on each side by four or five deep perpendicular furrows or un- dulations; thus causing the appearance of so many alternate depressions and projections. This bird is described by Monsr. Levaillant, from a specimen in the collection of Mr. Temmink of Amsterdam, who received it from Batavia, accompanied by its female, which differs only in being somewhat small- er, and is destitute of the reddish-brown patch between the shoulders. Nothing seems to be known of its particular residence, manners, or history. JAVAN HORNBILL. Buceros Javanicus. B. cristatus nigro-violaceus, collo caudaque albis, gula nuda subflava, rostro subfusco subcristato. Crested violaceous-black Hornbill, with white neck and tail, yel- lowish throat, and subcristated brownish bill. Le Calao Javan, Levaill. Cat. pi. 22. THIS species, which is described by Monsr. Le- vaillant, is rather larger than a Raven, measuring near thirty inches in length: the head is pale ru- fous, inclining to yellow on the sides, and furnished with a pendent crest : the neck rufous white, and the tail of similar colour; all the rest of the plumage black, with a gloss of green: the bill is large, but not very long, of a pale brown colour, and not per- ceptibly serrated on the edges: beneath the chin is a naked yellowish-white skin: the legs are brown- It is said to be a native of Java as well as of some parts of India, and is described by Levaillant from a dried specimen in the collection of Mr. Temmink of Amsterdam. '-9 WHITE HORNBILL. Buceros albus. B. albus, rostro nigro maxima, pedibus nigris. White Hornbill, with very large black bill, and black legs. Buceros albus. B. rostro maximc incurvato nigro, corporc nivco, pedibus nigris. Lath. ind. orn. White Toucan. Hawkesw. voy. 1. p. 123. White Hornbill. Lath. syn. THIS is mentioned on the authority of Hawkes- worth's Voyages, vol. i. p. 123, where it is termed a White Toucan. It is said to be of the size of a Goose, and entirely snow-white, except the bill and legs, which are black: the bill is described as much curved, and of such a length and thickness that it was not easy to conceive how it could be supported by so slender a neck in proportion. It was taken between the isles of Tinian and Pulotimien, and was kept alive on board for the space of four months, feeding on biscuit. 30 SENEGAL HORNBILL. Buceros nasutus. B. albo nigroquc varius, rostro simplid rubro, pedibus rubris. Black and White Hornbill, with simple red bill, and red legs. Buceros nasutus. B.f route Icevi, rectridbus apicc albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Tock. Buf. ois. PL Enl. 260. 890. Black-billed Hornbill. ) Red-billed Hornbill. f L SIZE not much superior to that of a Magpie: length rather more than twenty inches: the bill is large for the size of the bird, and of considerable length, measuring near three inches and a half from base to point : it is slightly curved, but is en- tirely destitute of any crest or casque on the upper mandible. The Count de Buffon observes that this species varies, according to age, both in colour of plumage and bill: in its young state the plumage is cinereous, and the bill black; but in its advanced or full-grown state the plumage becomes black above, and white beneath, as well as round the front and on the neck: it is also said that the bill and legs are black in the young, and red in the full-grown bird. This species is common in Senegal, where it is known by the name of Tock. When young it is very simple and unsuspicious, and will suffer itself to be approached and taken, but becomes shy as it advances in age. It freqaents woods, the old BONTIAN IIORNBILL. 31 birds perching on the summits of the trees, and often soaring with lofty and rapid flight, while the young generally remain in the lower parts of the trees, sitting motionless, with the head retracted between the shoulders. I must not omit to observe that, according to Monsr. Levaillant, the red and the black-billed Hornbills above described are in reality totally distinct species, though generally considered as the same. BONTIAN HORNBILL. Buceros Hydrocorax. B. fuscus, frontc nigra, rostro fusco; gaka plana mutica post ice rotundata. Brown Hornbill, with black front, brown bill, and flat obtuse casque rounded behind. Buceros Hydrocorax. B. fronts ossea phina antrorsum muticaf ab- domine fulvo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Bontius's Indian Raven. Will. orn. Calao des Moluques. Ruff. ois. PI. Enl 283. Indian Hornbill. Lath. syn. N. B. This, though usually described as a distinct species, is in reality no other than the young of the Concave-Casqued Hornbill. SOMEWHAT larger than a Cock: length two feet four inches: bill dusky 3 five inches and a half long, and two and a half thick at the base, slightly bent, and subserrated: on the top a kind of casque, of a flattened form, widening towards the back part, which is rounded, and projects over the back part 32 BONTIAN HORNBILL. of the head: cheeks and throat black, edged with grey: remainder of the bird brown, but the quills black, and the breast and belly blackish mixed with grey: tail even at the end, eight inches long, and white. Native of the Molucca isles: said to feed much on nutmegs: is kept in houses and rendered domestic, on account of its services in destroying rats and mice. On collating Mr. Levaillant's plate of his Calao a casque concave or Concave-Casqued Hornbill in a young state with that represented in the Planches Enluminees, belonging to the present species, I cannot avoid entertaining a strong suspicion that the Bontian Hornbill just described is in reality no other than the Concave-Casqued Hornbill in its first year's plumage. Mr. Levaillant himself is perfectly convinced of this, and justly complains of an unnecessary multiplication of species in the present genus. FURROWED HORNBILL. Buceros Panayensis. B. subcristatus niger, (femind varid,) cauda basi alba, mandibulis fuscis transversim rubro sukatis, galea com- presso-obtusa. Slightly -crested black Hornbill, (the female variegated,) with tail white at the base, brown mandibles transversely furrowed with red, and blackish compressed-obtuse casque. Buceros Panayensis. Lin. Gmel. Lath. ind. orn. Le Calao de 1'Isle Panay. Buff. ois. Calao a bee cisele. PI. Enl. 780. 781. Le Calao a bee cisele. Leoaill. Cal. pi. iG. 17- 18. THE Furrowed Hornbill, so named from the la- teral furrows on its beak, seems to have been first described by Monsr. Sonnerat. Its size is that of a Raven, but longer in proportion, as in the rest of this genus: its colour is black with a gloss of blue, and the tail is of a tawny white colour at the base or upper half: the feathers on the back of the head are long and loose, so as to form a pendent crest : the bill is large, of a dusky or blackish horn-colour, both mandibles being marked transversely, but in an oblique direction, half way from the base, by se- veral deep furrows of a brick-red colour, the inter- vening prominences being blacker than the rest of the bill. Above the upper mandible rises a simple longitudinal crest or process of the same colour with the rest of the bill, and terminating obtusely in front. The female is rather smaller than the male, and differs in having the head, neck, and breast of a dull white ; the tail of the same colour, v. vni. p. i. 3 34 STRIPE-TAILED HORNBILL. tipped with black-, and the belly and thighs rufous- brown : the bill resembles that of the male, but is rather smaller. According to Levaillant, Monsr. Sonnerat's figure of the pretended female is no other than that of the male, reversed by the en- graver. In its young state this bird is said to be of a dull white colour, with brown wings and tail, the latter crossed by a rufous-white bar, and the bill browrn, without any furrows. This species is a native of the Indian islands. STRIPE-TAILED HORNBILL. Buceros fasciatus. J5. niger, abdomine rectriceque utrinque secunda tertiaque albis, rostro subcristato pallido apice rubro. Black Hornbill, with the abdomen, second and third feather on each side the tail white, and pale slightly-crested bill with red tip. Le Calao longibandes. Levaill. Cat. pi. 233. DESCRIBED by Levaillant. Size that of a Mag- pie: bill pale yellowish-brown, with dasky-red tip: upper mandible furnished with a slightly rising crest or casque, somewhat undulated or streaked trans- versely, and passing from the base of the mandible to about two thirds of its length : colour of the bird black, except on the breast, belly, and the second and third tail-feathers on each side, which are white. Native of Africa, inhabiting the country of Angola. CROWNED HORNBILL. Buceros coronatus. B. nigcr, abdomine stria vtrinqus occipitali apiceque rcctricum albis, rostro subcristato rubro. Black Hornbill, with the abdomen, stripe on each side the hind- head, and tip of the tail white, and slightly-crested red bill. Le Calao couroiiiie. Levaill. Cat. pi. 234. 235. Tins Monsr. Levaillant considers as a new and hitherto undescribed species. It size is rather smaller than that of a Magpie, and its colour black, with a narrow oblique white stripe passing from behind each eye to the nape, and thus sur- rounding the crown of the head: the breast, belly, and vent-feathers are also white, as well as the tips of three feathers on each side the tail, the four middle feathers being black: the bill is bright red, and furnished at the top of the upper mandible with a sharp-edged, smooth, slightly-rising crest, passing about two thirds towards the tip, and de- clining nearly to the outline of the bill at that part. The female differs merely in not being furnish- ed with the white crown or stripe on the head; and the young are of a pale brownish-black above, and dull white beneath. This species is a native of Africa, and is common about the Eastern coasts of the lower part of that continent, frequenting woods, and perching on lofty trees; chiefly dead ones. Monsr. Levaillant has seen a flock of more than five hundred of these 36 GINGI HORNBILL. birds assembled in company with crows and vul- tures, and preying on the remains of slaughtered elephants. The female deposits her eggs, which are white, and four in number, in the hollows of trees. GINOI HORNBILL. Buceros Ginginianus. JB. cristatm griscus, remigibus caudaquc fuscis, fascia caudali nigra, rostra albido, galea antrorswn acu- minata nigra. Crested Grey Hornbill, with brown quill-feathers and tail, the latter marked by a black bar; the bill whitish with black casque acuminated in front. Buceros Ginginianus. B. rostro compresso incurcato^ronte ossea antrorsum subulata, corpore griseo subtm albo, remigibus fascia- que rectricitm intermediarum apice nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Le Calao de Gingi. Sonncr. voy. Ind. 2. pi. 121. Le Calao de Gingi. Levaill. Cal. pi. 15. FIRST described by Sonnerat: length two feet from the tip of the bill to that of the tail, of which the length is about ten inches: bill three inches long, measured in a strait line : it is curved, and of a black colour, the upper ridge of the upper man- dible and the lower of the under white: the process or casque follows the curvature of the upper man- dible; is continued to nearly half the length of that part, and terminates in a projecting horn or pro- cess: the colour of the whole bird above is pale cinereous, the quills and tail darker than the rest; the smaller quill-feathers tipped with white, and the GINGALA HORNBILL. 3? tail marked at the end by a black bar tipped with white: the two middle feathers are longer than the rest and tipped with black: the breast, belly, thighs, and vent are white, and the legs dusky: the fea- thers on the top of the head are lengthened into a pendent crest. This species, which, according to Levaillant, has been very ill figured in the work of Sonnerat, is a native of Gingi, and probably of other parts of India. GINGALA HORNBILL. i Buceros Gingalensis. B. violaceo-griseus subtus albicans, fascia caudalinigra, rostro simplici pallido supra nigro. Violaceous-grey Hornbill, whitish beneath, with a black bar across the tail, and simple pale bill black above. Le Calao Gingala. Leoaill. Cal. pi. 23. THIS is considered by its describer Monsr. Le- vaillant as an entirely new species. It is the smallest of the genus, not exceeding the size of a Magpie. Its general shape resembles that of most other species, but the bill, which is very large, is not distinguished by any crest or prominence: the colour of the upper part of the head and the back is blackish-brown, with a cast of blueish-grey; the wings are of a fine blueish-grey, the smaller coverts edged with black, marking out that part of the plumage into so many scale-like divisions: the face, fore-part of the neck, breast, belly, and thighs are of a greyish white, growing deeper on 38 WREATHED HORNBILL. the belly and thighs: the tail is longish, the two middle feathers blueish-grey, the rest tipped pretty deeply with white: the bill is pale or yellowish- white on the sides, but the upper arch of the upper mandible is blackish or dusky; the lower mandible dusky, but whitish or pale beneath: both mandibles are serrated in the usual manner of this genus: the legs are dusky. This species is a native, of the island of Ceylon. WREATHED HORNBILL. Buceros plicatus. B. niger, caitda alba, rostra Jlavesccnte, gaka gibbosa septemplicata. Black Hombiilj with white tail, yellowish bill, and gibbous seven- plea *ed casque. Buceros plicatus. jB. restro incurvo, f route elevata septemplicata, corpure nigro, rectricibus albis. Lath. ind. orn. Indian Raven. Will. orn. pi. 78. lower 'figure. Wreathed Hornbill. Lath. sijn. SIZE of a Crow: colour black, except the tail, which is white. In some specimens however the neck is said to be yellow or rufous, and in others the tail black, with the exterior feathers white: the bill is very large, of a yellowish colour, and distin- guished by having the casque or crest on the upper mandible formed into several transverse convexi- ties or broad pleats, which probably vary in num. ber according to the age of the bird. Native of the island of Ceylon. V/^, JIM.'/. Ffrrt . 39 CRIMSON HOUNBILL. Buceros ruber. B. subcristatus ruber, fronte verticeque nigris, fascia humerali alba, rostro rimplici nigricante. Slightly-crested red Hornbill, with black front and crown, white bar across the shoulders, and simple blackish bill. Buceros ruber. B. ruber, capite ?iigrot fascia dorsali alba. Lath. ind. orn. suppL 2. Crimson Hornbill. Lath. syn. svppL 2. THIS species is described in Mr. Latham's se- cond Supplement, from a drawing in the collection of a Mr. Smith. It is to be lamented that neither the size nor any other particulars of the bird are known, so that the whole rests merely on the faith of the drawing, a copy of which having been long in my own possession, I have introduced it into the present work. The whole bird is of a fine crimson, or rather deep scarlet colour, except the top of the head, which is black, while across the upper part of the back passes a white band: the brll and legs are dusky or blackish. 40 GREY HORNBILL. Buceros griseus. B. griseus vertice nigro, rostroflaw, galea antice dedinata, postice truncata. Grey Hornbill, with black crown, yellow bill, and casque sloping in front and abrupt behind. Buceros griseus. B.fronte ossea antice dedinata, postice truncatas corpore griseo, vertice nigro, tectricibus alarum nigro variegatis, remigibus apice albis. Lath. ind. orn. Grey Hornbill. Lath. syn. suppl. SIZE uncertain : colour grey, with the crown of the head and part of the wing-feathers black ; the ends of the quills white; the tail long and white, with the two middle feathers and the lower part of the side feathers black. Native region uncertain; described by Mr. Pennant. GREEN-WINGED HORNBILL. Buceros viridis. B. niger, alis virescentibus, abdomine albo, rostro Jlavescente, galea truncata. Black Hornbill, with green-glossed wings, white abdomen, and yellowish bill with truncated casque. Buceros viridis. B.fronte ossea truncata^ corpore nigro, alis vire- scentibus, rectricibus exterioribus basi remigum abdomineque albis. Lath. ind. orn. Green- Winged Hornbill. Lath. syn. suppl. SIZE uncertain: colour black with a gloss of green; the exterior tail-feathers, upper part of the NEW HOLLAND HORNBILL. 41 quill-feathers, and the belly white: bill pale yellow: on the upper mandible a prominence which is ab- rupt at each end; the further half being partly yellow, and partly black: the base of the lower mandible black, and near it a naked spot of blue- ish white: beneath the eye a tuft of black feathers : legs blueish. Described by Mr. Pennant. NEW HOLLAND HORNBILL. Buceros Orientalis. B. nigricans, orbitis nttdis rugosis, rostro con- vexo carinato, basi gibbosa. Blackish Hornbill, with naked wrinkled orbits, and convex cari- nated bill with gibbous base. Buceros orientalis. B. rostro cotwexo carinato, basi gibbosiore, or- bitis nudis rugosis cinereis, eorpore alis caudaque nigricantibus. Lath. ind. orn. New Holland Hornbill. Lath, suppl. SIZE less than that of a Jay: colour on the upper parts dusky; paler beneath: the shafts of the wings and tail-feathers white beneath : orbits of the eyes naked, wrinkled, and cinereous; bill convex, cari- nated, very gibbous at the base, and covered with a naked skin: nostrils pervious, seated at about a third part of the length of the bill from the base. Described by Mr. Pennant. Native of New Hol- land. The specimen having been mutilated by clipping away the ends of the wings and the tail, it remains doubtful whether the colour of those parts differed from the rest. MOMOTA. MOMOT. Generic Character. Rostrum validum, incurva- tum, lateribus dentatum. Nares tectae. Lingua pennacea. Cauda cuneiforrnis. Pedes gressorii. Bill strong, incurvated, toothed at the sides. Nostrils covered. Tongue feather-shaped. Tail cuneiform. Feet gressorial. BRASILIAN MOMOT. Momota Brasiliensis. M. Viridis, subtus gilva, vertice cceruke macula nigra, rectricibus duabus wediis elongatis. . Green Momot, buft-colouied beneath ; with blue crown marked by a black spot, and the two middle tail-feathers elongated. Ramphastos Momota. R. pcdibus gressoriis, rectricibus duabus intimis medio dtnudatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Moniotus Brasiliensis. M. viridis, frontc cctruko-v'ridi, occipite violaceo, rertice et striga per oculos nigra, rectricibus duabus in- tztmediia longioribus. Lath. ind. orn. Momotus. Bris. «r. 4. p. 405. Moniot. Raii syn. 164- Le Houtou ou Momot. Buff. 6 p. 430. PI. Enl. 370. Brasilian saw-billed Roller. Edw.pl. 328. Biasilian Momot. Lath. syn. p. 338. HIS bird, remarkable for the beauty of its plumage, and the only species hitherto discovered, is a native of the hotter parts of South America, BBASI i BRASILIAN MOMOT. 43 and seems to be chiefly found in Brasil. It appears to have been first described by Hernandez in his History of Mexico. His description, however, is very slight and inaccurate. " It is, says he, of the size of a Dove, and has scarlet eyes, with a black pupil : a crooked blackish bill, almost three inches long, sharp-pointed, with the lower mandible short- est, and the upper serrated: the head is blue like that of a Peacock; the legs and feet brown, and the rest of the bird green ; and what is extraordinary is, that the tail has one quill longer than the rest, and feathered only at the end." This mistake of Hernandez did not escape the notice of Mr. Ray, who, in his edition of Willoughby's Ornithology, thus expresses himself. " This is, I dare say, more strange than true; for the tails of all birds I ever yet saw have their feathers growing by pairs, that is, two of a sort, on each side one." In the year 1764 was published a very correct description of this elegant bird by the ingenious Edwards, accompanied by an accurate figure. Edwards considered it as a kind of Roller, and has named it the Saw-billed Roller. (e It is, says he, short-legged in proportion, and not long- winged: the bill is pretty strait, moderately bend- ing downwards at the point, toothed on the edges like a saw; the upper mandible dusky, the nethern flesh-coloured towards its basis: the nostrils are covered with small black feathers, and some black bristles pointing forward round the upper mandi- ble: the upper part and sides of the bill are in- compassed with black, from which run black lines 44 BRASILIAN MOMOT. through the eyes, and broader black lists, mixed with a little blue, from the corners of the mouth down the sides of the neck: the top of the head is of an ultramarine blue, though next the bill in- clining to sea-green: in the middle of this blue space on the crown of the head is a black spot: it hath a spot of black feathers edged with blue on the fore-part of the neck a little below the throat; otherwise the whole under side, from the bill to the covert-feathers beneath the tail, is of an olive or greenish buff-colour. Marcgrave says the eyes are yellow : on the neck behind is a crescent-like mark of a reddish colour: the sides of the head, hinder part of the neck, back, rump, and covert- feathers of the wings, are of a parrot- green colour: the greater quills are blue with dusky tips: a few of the first row of coverts above them are also blue : a few of the quills next the back are green : the coverts withinside the wings are of a yellowish brown, the insides of the quills dark ash-colour. I counted only ten feathers in the tail, which seemed to me to be perfect: the tail-feathers are of a fine blue colour, gradually changing to green at their bottoms, having all of them black tips: the under side of the tail is of a dark dusky colour. What is very singular in this bird is, that the two long feathers in the middle of the tail seem as if they were stripped of their webs on each side for an inch space a little within their tips, which is however natural, and particularly taken notice of by Marcgrave: the side feathers of the tail gra- dually shorten to a third of the length of the mid- BRA8ILIAN MOMOT. 45 dlemost: the legs, feet, and claws are of a brown- ish flesh-colour, (Marcgrave says black.) It hath three toes forward and one backward: the outer fore toes are joined to the middle ones almost their whole length: the feet are broad and flat: the toes seem to have narrow membranes on their sides, which give them breadth. I have been as parti- cular as I could in its description ; there being, I think, some difficulty, from the uncommonness of the bill and tail, how to class it; so that I hope the system-makers of this age will easily find it a proper place." The most celebrated system-maker of that age, Linnaeus, accordingly considered the bird as a species of Ramphastos or Toucan, under the name of Ramphastos Momota ; but our own con- summate ornithologist, Dr. Latham, has, with stricter propriety, instituted for it a separate genus; the structure of the feet forbidding it to be associated with the genuine Toucans, which are all furnished with what Linnaeus calls scan- sorial or climbing feet, having the toes placed two forwards and two backwards, as in the Parrot tribe. Mr. Latham has also noticed an important circumstance relative to the plumage of this bird; viz. that though the tail in many specimens exhi- bits the very remarkable particularity described and figured by Edwards, yet in its truly natural or perfectly complete state the two middle fea- thers are entirely webbed throughout their whole length. The Momot is nearly equal in size to a Magpie, 46 BRASILIAN MOMOT. measuring about eighteen inches in length. It is said to be a bird of a solitary nature, frequenting thick woods, and being only seen singly. It makes its nest on the ground, frequently in the deserted hole of an Armadillo or other quadruped ; the nest being composed of dry grass and stalks, and the eggs generally two in number. j ( ) I JET Pi ^OSTTAHS 1E 47 MUSOPHAGA. PLANTAIN-EATER. Generic Character. Rostrum crassum, trigo- num, mandibula superi- ore basi supra frontem elevata, maxillis dentatis. Nares in medio rostri. Lingua Integra, crassius- cula. Fcdes ambnlatorii. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Bill stout, triangular, the upper mandible elevated at the base above the front ; both mandibles dentated at the edges. Nostrils in the middle of the bill. Tongue entire, thick! sh. Feet with three toes before, and one behind. VIOLET PLANTAIN-EATER. Musophaga violacea. M. nigro-violacca, verticc ftmigibusquc pftceiuceis, fascia suboculari alba. Blackish-violet Plantain-Eater, with crimson crown and quill- feathers, and a white stripe beneath the eyes. Cuculus regius. C. mgro-coerultscens, remigibus phceniceis, rostro rubro super frontem Jtavo, occipile purpureo. Museum Leveria- num, p. 165. t. 4O. Royal Cuckow. Museum Levericuium, p. 167. pi. 40. Musophaga violacea. M. c«/T. w'j. IV. Enl. 757. White-headed Kingfisher. Lath. syn. OF somewhat larger size than the two immedi- ately preceding species, measuring twelve inches in length: the head, neck, and whole under parts are of a straw-colour, but the crown of the head slightly dashed or streaked longitudinally with brown : the wings and tail line deep blue, glossed or clouded with deep green, but the larger quills black: the whole back and rump bright pale-blue with a greenish cast: across the breast a narrow bar of blue, joining that of the shoulders. Native of Java. SMYRNA KINGFISHER. Alcedo Smyrnensis. A. ferruginea, gula albida, alls dorso cauda- que nitide cceruleis, rostro pedibitsque rubris. Ferruginous Kingfisher, with whitish throat, glossy blue wings, back and tail, and red bill and legs. Alcedo Smyrnensis. A. macroura Jerruginea, alls cauda dorsoquc •ciridibiis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Alcedo Smyrnensis. Briss. av. Lath. ind. orn. Le Martin-pecheur bleu et roux. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 232. 894. Great Gambia Kingfisher. Edw. pi. 8. Smyrna Kingfisher. Lath. syn. Albin. 3. pi. 37. Great Bengal Kingfisher. Albin. 3. pi. 28. THIS, when in full perfection of plumage, may be considered as one of the most brilliant of the whole feathered race, the lucid blue of the wings scarcely yielding in lustre to those of the splendid butterfly called Papilio Menelaus. The bird, how- ever, varies in point of colour in different indivi- duals. It seems to have been first described and figured in the wretched work of Albin, under the name of the large Kingfisher from Bengal, and afterwards by Edwards, who calls it the great Kingfisher from the River Gambia. " For bigness, says Edwards, this bird equals, if not exceeds the Missel-Bird or Greater Thrush: it is great-headed, short-necked, the body neither over-long or round: the tail is long, the wings pretty long, the legs very short : the bill is l9ng and strait, pretty thick to- wards the head, ending in a sharp point, of a bright scarlet colour: the upper mandible is channelled on SMYRNA KINGFISHER. 6-9 each side, in which channels are placed the nostrils, pretty near the head: the angles or corners of the mouth are deep-cut, and fall directly under the eyes: under each eye is a narrow border of white feathers: the head, neck whole under side, and part of the back, are covered with dirty orange-coloured feathers: the chin and breast lighter than the back: in the middle of the breast some of the tips of the feathers are white: the wings are purple in the up- per part, the greater feathers being blue: yet the foremost of the prime-quills are black: though the upper part of the wing be mostly purple, yet there is a narrow space of blue runs round the purple: the ridge of the wing is white: the lower part of the back and rump is of a blue-green changeable colour: the wing-feathers which border on the back partake of the same changeable cplour: the tail is of a fine blue colour, yet it in some lights has a greenish cast : the legs and feet are of a red colour, with black claws: the middle and outer toe joined together as in our Kingfisher.'* The above specimen was communicated to Ed- wards by Mr. Peter Collinson, and, from no men- tion being made of the peculiar brilliancy of the wings, we may conclude that it was either a female bird, or one in the first year's plumage. Albin's specimen seems to have been of a brighter cast, and was probably a male. In some specimens the wing-coverts are marked by a patch or bar of black, and in others a few spots oi that colour are observ- ed on the sides of the breast, which is sometimes of a clear white, and sometimes of a yellowish cast. In 70 BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER. all the bill and legs are of a bright red colour. This elegant species appears to be an extended inhabitant of the warmer regions of the Old Continent, being found about the coasts of the Grecian islands, in the midst of Africa, and in several parts of India. BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER. Alcedo atricapilla. A. Tiolaceo ccerulea, collari pcctorcque albis, vert ice humcrisque nigris, abdomineferrugineo. Violet-blue Kingfisher, with white collar and breast, black crown and shoulders, and ferruginous abdomen. Alcedo atricapilla. A. vio(aceo-c&rulea, capite cervice humeris rr- migibusque apice nigris, collo inferiore et torque albo, abdominc rufo. Lath. ind. orn. Le Martin-pecbeur a coiffe noire. Ruff. ois. PL Enl. 673. Black-capped Kingfisher. Lath. syn. Var. Martin-pecheur de 1'isle de Lu£on. Sonner. toy. pi. 31. A MOST beautiful species, in size equal to the Smyrna Kingfisher, and of equal brilliancy of co- lour, but the blue, instead of verging towards a sea- green hue on a change of light, is rather of a smalt- colour. The Black-Capped Kingfisher appears to have been first described by Sonnerat. Its length is about ten inches: the bill and legs are red : the crown of the head, the shoulders, and tips of the wings are deep black: the back, wings and tail of the rich blue above-mentioned; the throat and breast white, passing behind the neck so as to form a broad collar, separating the fylack colour of the crown from the blue of the back: the abdomen ru- .„ .iftn.Aufi.'iJ.nnAon, Published b\ , f-'/ert Strrrr . CRAB-EATING KINGFISHEB. 71 fous or orange-colour. Native of India, China, ;mje middle part of the two longest tail- feathers may not be truly natural, but may be owing to a temporary loss of the webs on that COROMANDEL KINGFISHER. ^5 part, as in the bird just mentioned. This, how- ever, being merely conjecture, can only be ascer- tained by a more complete knowledge of the bird. COROMANDEL KINGFISHER. Alcedo Coromanda. A. pallidc violaceo-rosea, subtvs rnfescens, uropygio txnia longitudinali coeruleo-alba , gula alba. Lath. ind. or tt. Pale violaceous-rose-coloured Kingfisher, rufescent beneath ; with the rump marked by a longitudinal blueish- white band, and white throat. Martin-pecheur violet de la cote de Coromandel. Sonner. voy. pi 218. SIZE of a Blackbird : bill and irides reddish: head, hind part of neck, back, wings, and tail reddish lilac-colour, glossed with violet: quills, externally, the same, but within yellowish rufous: on the rump a perpendicular blueish-white streak: throat white: rest of the under parts light rufous : legs reddish. Native of Coromandel, inhabiting the coasts: a highly elegant species, first described and figured by Sonner at. SPOTTED BRASILIAN KINGFISHER. Alcedo Maculata. A, fusca, jlavesccnti-maculata, subtus alba fusco-maculata, gulajlava. Lin. Gmel. Lath. ind. orn. Brown Kingfisher with yellowish spots ; beneath white with brown spots, and yellow throat. Matuiti. Raii. syn. Will. orn. Buff. . Brasilian spotted Kingfisher. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Marcgrave: size that of a Star- ling: bill red, with the upper mandible a little bent at the tip : upper parts of the body brown, spotted with pale yellow : quills and tail brown, marked by transverse pale yellow spots: throat yellow: under parts white, marked with small brown spots: legs cinereous. Native of Brasil. CAYENNE KINGFISHER. Alcedo Cayanensis. A. cceruka subtus alba, fascia infra occiput tiigra, uropygio mridi-cceruko. Lath. ind. orn. Blue Kingfisher white beneath, with a black bar below the hind- head, and blue-green rump. Taparara. Buff. ois. Cayenne Kingfisher. Lath. syn. THIS species, which is described by Buffon under the name of Taparara, is a native of Cayenne and Guiana: its size is that of a Starling, and its length, according to the accurate Brisson, nine inches and GREEN-HEADED KINGFISHER. 77 five lines : the upper part of the head, the back, wings, and tail are of a fine blue; but the quills and tail-feathers are blackish or dusky on their inner webs: the rump and covert -feathers of the tail of a brilliant beryl-blue or sea-green colour: beneath the hind head is a transverse black band: the throat, neck, breast, belly, thighs, and lower tail-coverts are white: the upper mandible is black; the lower red, as are also the legs and feet. GREEN-HEADED KINGFISHER. Alcedo chlorocephala. A. viridi-ccerulea subtus alba, vert ice viridi ?iigro marginato. Blue-green Kingfisher white beneath, with green crown margined with black. Alcedo chlorocephala. A. viridis, collo albo, torque nigro, alis caudaque thalassinis. Lin. Gmel. Alcedo chlorocephala. A. cceruleo-viridis subtus colloque albo, capite viridi, torque nigro. Lath. ind. orn. Martin pecheur a tete verte. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 783. /. 2. Green-headed Kingfisher. Lath. syn. A HIGHLY elegant species; length about nine inches: colour of the upper parts green, deepest on the back, and changing to blue-green on the wings and tail; the lower part of the quill-feathers dusky: crown of the head deep green, bounded by black, a stripe of that colour passing from the base of the bill across the eyes, and uniting behind : the neck and under parts of the bird are white, but some- what dusky on the abdomen. Described by Buffon 78 SACRED KINGFISHER. from a specimen brought by Commerson from Bouro, one of the Molucca islands. In the work entitled Planches EJuminees it is erroneously said to be from the Cape of Good Hope. SACRED KINGFISHER. Alcedo sacra. A. coeruleo-viridis subtus alba, superciliis strigaquc sub oculis ferrugineis, remigibus caudaque nigricantibus. Lath, ind. orn. Blue-green Kingfisher white beneath, with a ferruginous streak above and beneath the eyes, and blackish wings and tail. Sacred Kingfisher. White's Voy. p. 1Q3. and pi. oppos. "car. crested. Sacred Kingfisher. Lath. syn. pi. 27. var. subfulvous beneath. SIZE of the Green-Headed Kingfisher, to which it seems considerably allied, and appears to be found, in many varieties, throughout the smaller scattered islands called the Society Isles in the South Sea, as well as in some parts of the vast is- land, or rather continent of New Holland. The crown of the head and upper parts are blue-green, palest on the lower and deepest on the upper parts of the back: the quills and tail dusky, with blue edges, appearing entirely blue when closed: over the eyes generally passes a ferruginous streak, bounding the green of the crown; the throat is white ; the remainder of the under parts very pale ferruginous, passing upwards, in the form of a moderately broad collar, round the neck: the bill is dusky, the under mandible whitish towards the SACRED KINGFISHER. 79 base: the legs blackish. In some specimens a dark or blackish streak or band passes from the angles of the bill through the eyes, encircling the crown ; and in others the vent and thighs are dusky, the green on the upper parts darker, and the wings and tail deep blue. Specimens have also been observed in which the crown of the head, wings, and tail were of a very dark or blue- ish green, the wing coverts alone being pale-blue. Far. CRESTED SACRED KINGFISHER. The most remarkable variety seems to be the crested one, described and figured in Mr. White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. In this variety the head is strongly crested; the bill black, and the legs reddish. The description ac- companying the figure runs thus. " This bird is about the size of a Thrush, and measures nearly ten inches in length: the top of the head is blue and crested ; sides of the head and back part of it black; over the eye, from the nostrils, a rusty- co- loured streak; the chin, middle of the neck all round, and all the under parts of the body, buff- colour, more or less inclining to rust; the upper part of the plumage chiefly blue ; but the begin- ning of the back is black, as are also the quills and tail-feathers within, being blue only on the outer edges: the bill is large and black, but the base of the under jaw is whitish: the legs are brown." In 80 COLLARED KINGFISHER. most of the regions where these birds are found, the inhabitants are said to hold them in particular esteem, and hence the title of sacred, applied to the present species. COLLARED KINGFISHER. Alcedo collaris. A. viridi-ccerulea, corpore subtus collarique albis. Lath. ind. orn. Blue-green Kingfisher, white beneath, and with white collar. Le Martin-pecheur a collier blanc. Buff. ois. Sonner. voy. pi. 33. Sacred Kingfisher. Var. D. Lath, syn, THIS, which is described by Sonnerat, is a na- tive of the Philippine islands, and is said to be smaller than a Blackbird : the bill is black, with the lower mandible yellowish at the base : the head, back, wings, and tail blue, tinged with green: the under parts of the body white, sur- rounding the neck like a collar. This species seems much allied to the Alcedo ccerulea or White- Collared Kingfisher, but differs in being white be- neath. Dr. Latham, in his Synopsis of Birds, con- sidered it as a variety of the Sacred Kingfisher, but in his Index Ornithologicus stations it as a distinct species. 81 VENERATED KINGFISHER Alcedo vencrata. A. fusca viridi naria^ subtus pallida, fasrid su» pcrciliari riridi-albida. Lath. ind. orn. Brown Kingfisher, varied with green, beneath pale, with a green- ish-white band over each eye. Venerated Kingfisher. Lath. syn. LENGTH nine inches: upper parts of the body pale brown, but more or less glossed with green^ especially along the sides of the head, forming a kind of zone: the wing-coverts, quills, and tail- feathers are also edged with green: the under parts of the body are whitish : the bill black, with the base of the lower mandible white; the legs dusky. Native of the Friendly Islands in the South Sea, where it is said to be held in venera- tion, like the preceding kind. RESPECTED KINGFISHER. Alcedo tuta. A. macroura viridi-olivacea, subtus alba, coUari >ci- ridi-tiigro, superciliis albis. Lath. ind. orn. Olivaceous-green Kingfisher, white beneath, with black-green collar, and a white streak over the eyes. Respected Kingfisher. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Dr. Latham. Size of the Com- mon Kingfisher : length eight inches and a half: bill depressed, black, an inch and half in length; v. vin. p. i. 6 82 FLAVESCENT KINGFISHER. the lower mandible white; the upper parts of the body olive-green : over the eye a white streak : round the neck a collar of greenish black : the under parts of the body white: tail longish; legs black. Native of Otaheitee, where it is held a sa- cred bird. FLAVESCENT KINGFISHER. Alcedo flavescens. A. supra viridis, subtusjlavescens, rostro rulra, cauda cceruka. Green Kingfisher, yellowish beneath, with red bill and blue taU. Alcedo flavicans. A. subtus flavicans, capite dorsoque viridibus, rostro rubro, cauda carulea. Lath. ind. or/?. Ten-rou-joulon. Hist. gen. d. voy. 10. p. 14Q. Buff. ois. THIS species, which is slightly described by Voyagers, is a native of the island of Celebes, where it is named Ten-rou-joulon. It is said to be of the size of a Lark, with the bill red, the head and back green, the belly yellowish, and the tail of a most beautiful blue. M'OTTJ.I) K [NOFISHERi Alccdo Inda. A. atro-i-irid'ts nitens, albo-punctata, subtus fulva, fuicia pcctorali ois. Brasilian Kingfisher. Lath. syn. THIS, according to Brisson, is of the size of the Common Kingfisher: the head, upper part of the neck, the back, wing and tail coverts are pale ru- fous, mixed or varied with chesnut, brown, and white : the quill-feathers rufous, marked by trans- verse white spots; and the tail is of similar co- lour: the bill black, and the legs brown. Native of Brasil. SUPERCILIOUS KINGF1SHEIJ. Alcedo superciliosa. A. viridis svltus fuhci , gula abdomincqnc al- bidis, fascia pectorali viridi. Green Kingfisher, fulvous beneath, with whitish throat and abdo- men, and green pectoral bar. Alcedo superciliosa. A. submacroura viridis, subtiis alba fascia viridi, superciiiis fulvis. Little green and orange-coloured Kingfisher. Edw.pl. 245. Le Martin-pecheur vert et orange. Biff. ois. PL Enl. ?56. Supercilious Kingfisher. Lath. syn. THIS elegant species is accurately described by Edwards, and is in length about five inches. " The SUPERCILIOUS KINGFISHER. 87 bill, says Edwards, is of a blackish or dusky colour, except the lower mandible, which is reddish: the throat is orange-coloured, and it hath a mark of the same colour passing from the base of the bill on each side, over the eyes: the head, hinder part of the neck, back, tail, and covert-feathers of the wings are of a fine parrot-green colour : it hath also a bar of the same green across the breast; the sides, under the wings, and sides of the belly are of a bright reddish orange-colour: the middle of the belly, the thighs, and covert feathers under the tail are white: the tail hath twelve feathers, the middle ones a little longer than the others: the inner webs of the tail-feathers are spotted with white : the inner coverts and the ridges of the wings are of a light orange-colour: the quills are dark brown or dusky, spotted with light clay-co- lour on their outer and inner webs, except a few of the outer quills, which are without spots: the legs and feet are small; the toes connected, as in other Kingfishers, and of a flesh-colour : it hath the tail a little longer in proportion than the Common Kingfisher." The individuals of this species, like most others, are observed to vary a little in point of plumage; the orange stripe over the eyes, which gives rise to the Linnaean trivial name, being less conspiciir ous in some specimens than in' others; in some also the orange-colour of the throat is continued on each side, so as to form a complete collar round the neck; and lastly, in the female bird the green bar across the breast is wanting. 88 SHORT-TAILED KINGFISHERS. COMMON KINGFISHER. Alcedo Ispida. A. atro-mridis, subtusfttha, dorso cccruleo siniOy vert ice maculis transversis c&ruleis. Dark-green Kingfisher, fulvous beneath, with brilliant-blue back, and crown marked by transverse blue spots. Alcedo Ispida. A- bracfyyura, supra cyanea, subtus fttlva, loris rufis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Ispida. Gesn. Aldrov. SfC. fyc. The Kingfisher. Will. orn. Pemi. Brit. Zoo!. Le Martin-p£cheur. Ruff. ois. PL Enl. 77. Common Kingfisher. Lath. syn. THE Alcedo Ispida or Common Kingfisher is the only species of this genus found in Europe, where, as well as in other parts of the Old Conti- nent, it is chiefly observed in the temperate re- gions. Of the British birds it is by far the most brilliant, and indeed no European bird can equal it iii splendor of colours except the Coracias Gar- rula or Roller, and the Merops Apiaster or Bee- Eater, neither of which are natives of Britain, though sometimes seen as occasional stragglers. The Kingfisher is a bird of a retired and solitary nature, and is only to be found near rivers, brooks, or stagnant waters, living entirely on the smaller kind offish: its general length is about seven inches, its breadth eleven inches, and its weight about Strut, £ th* othss COMMON KINGFISHER. 89 aa ounce and quarter: its shape is not elegant, the body being of a heavy form, the head large, the bill Jong, and the legs very short: the parti- cular distribution of colours on the Kingfisher may be thus described : the upper mandible is blackish, the lower orange-coloured or reddish : the crown of the head very dark green, crossed or undulated by numerous short, transverse, bright-blue streaks : the shoulders and whole wings of the same dark- green colour, but the edges of the quill-feathers glossed with pale blue, and the shoulders marked by numerous small spots of the same colour: from the neck, down the middle of the back to the tail, passes a broad stripe of the most brilliant pale blue, formed of fine long-fibred feathers: the tail is very short, and of a deep blue colour: on each side the head, between the bill and eye, is a small rufous spot: from the corners of the lower man- dible on each side is a dark green stripe, crossed by numerous blue undulations, like the crpwn of the head: above this, on each side, beyond the eye is an oblong orange streak, and behind this a white one: the throat is white to a small distance, but soon becomes tinctured with rufous or orange- colour, which possesses the whole remainder of the lower part of the body: the irides and legs are red: the claws black. The male and female bear an ex- treme resemblance to each other. The Kingfisher builds, or at least deposits its eggs, in the banks either of rivers or stagnant waters, the eggs being generally from five to seven or nine in number. This bird is supposed to be 90 COMMON KIXGFISHETt. the poetical Alcyon or Halcyon of the ancients, which was believed to build %a floating nest; an idea which perhaps originated from a view of the nests of some of the Colymbi or Grebes, which build their nests among aquatic plants, and which are sometimes so loosely attached as to be occa- sionally carried to some little distance on the sur- face of the water. The nest of the Kingfisher is variously described by different authors; some maintaining that the bird deposits its eggs on the bare surface of the mould at the end of the hole in which it resides: this hole is constantly observed to be in an ascending direction, and is often two or three feet in length, terminating in a cavity, which is generally strewed or lined with a layer of small fish bones, intermixed with scales. Aristotle affirms that the nest is in the form of a long-necked gourd, and composed offish-bones. pk!a Bengalensis torquata. L'ws. ar. L< Marthi-pecheur a front jaunc. Buff. ois. Bengal Kingfisher. A/bin. 3. pi. 29. R&Kheaded Kinfisher. Lath. ind. orn. A MOST beautiful species: size of the Common Kingfisher: length about six inches and a quarter: in the individual described by Brisson the upper part of the head was dull red, with a yellow spot in front; and from each side the base of the bill passed a black band or streak across the eyes, be- hind which was a second streak of deep blue : the upper part of the neck was surrounded by a white collar, the remainder of the neck, the back, and scapulars were deep blue: the wings cinereous: the rump and upper tail-coverts, as well as the tail itself, dull red: the throat white; the sides of the head beneath the eyes, lower part of the neck, and whole under parts of the bird, fine yellow : the bill and legs red. VAR. This is of smaller size than the preceding. It is figured in Mr. Pennant's Genera of Birds, from 9$ PURPLE KINGFISHER. an original drawing communicated by Governor Loten, and differs in having the wings black, the coverts edged with blue, and the under parts of the bird pale yellow with a cast of rufous: the head and hind part of the neck orange-red, and from each eye a purple bar, continued into a black one at the back part of the head, while below the junction of the purple and black parts of the bar is a white spot : on the front is also a white spot, and the throat is of the same colour : upper part of the back rich deep blue; lower part paler, gra- dually sinking into purple-lilac: tail orange-ferru- ginous: bill orange-colour, legs bright red. PURPLE KINGFISHER. Alcedo purpurea. A. purpureo-cceruUa, subtus rufu-alba, capite uropygio caudaque rufo-aureis, pone oculos striga purpurascente. Lath. ind. orn. Purple-blue Kingfisher, rufous-white beneath, with golden-rufous head, rump and tail, and a purplish streak behind the eyes. Alcedo purpurea. Lin. Gtnel. Martin-p£cheur pourpre. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 778. f. 2. Purple Kingfisher. Lath. syn. A VERY beautiful bird; in size similar to the preceding, of which it is not improbable that it may be rather a variety, than a truly distinct spe- cies. The wings and upper part of the back are black, spotted and edged with deep blue: the lower part of the back purple-lilac, continued in the manner of a stripe down the middle of the (PUE jSuJnq.'jJj0nd0n. Published 'bv C.KearslfV .Flfft Strftt. PURPLE KINGFISHER. 97 tail-coverts, which, as well as the tail itself, the head, breast, and sides, are of a bright reddish orange-colour: from the bill on each side, over the eyes, passes a rich blue streak, clouded with lilac- colour: behind which is a yellowish white patch: the throat is white, the abdomen yellow, and the bill and legs red. VAR.? RUFOUS KINGFISHER. Of similar size with the former, but entirely of a very bright orange-rufous colour above, except the quill-feathers, which are dusky or black, with rufous edges : the whole under parts, from bill to rent, white: bill and legs orange-red. Said to in- habit Madagascar, where it was observed by Com- merson. Perhaps a female, or a young bird. v. viir. p. i, CRESTED KINGFISHER. » Alcedo cristata. A cristata ccerulta, crista nigro undulata, snbttes fulva, gula crissoquc albidis. Crested blue Kingfisher with the crest undulated with black; beneath fulvous, with whitish throat and vent. Alcedo cristata. A. brachyura subcristata cxrulca, subtus rufat crista nigro-wdulata. Lin. Syst. Nat. The Crested Kingfisher. Edw. pi 33(5. Alcedo cristata orientalis, #c. Seb. 1. pL §7.f. 4, Le vintsi. Ruff. ois. PL Enl. 756.f. 1. Crested Kingfisher. Lath. syn. Nat. Misc. I. pi. 13. A SPECIES of singular brilliancy and elegance, It seems to have been first described by Edwards, whose specimen appears to have been of rather larger size than those of other authors, measuring about five inches and a half in length. Edwards describes it in the following manner* " The bill is strait, sharp-pointed, ridged both above and beneath, and of a blackish colour : from the lower mandible of the bill the throat is white, which whiteness passes round the neck, and forms a col- lar: the crown of the head is covered with long blue-green feathers variegated with black lines : these feathers being long and loose, form a crest, which I suppose the bird can raise or lower at pleasure: the feathers immediately above the eyes are blue : the hinder part of the neck, the back, rump, wings, and tail are of an exceeding fine ul- tramarine blue, the rump something lighter than the other parts: the tips of the quills are dusky: CREST mli-n, 1'.. l\>.i WHITE-BILLED KINGFISHER, 99 the inner covert- feat hers of the wings orange-co- loured: the quills within are dusky, with their edges of a faint orange-colour: the underside of the tail is dusky or blackish: the breast, belly, thighs, and covert-feathers under the tail are of a bright orange-colour : the legs and feet are made as in other Kingfishers, and of a red or scarlet colour: it was shot in the island of Johanna to the northward of Madagascar." I know not how it happens that Dr. Latham has neglected to quote Ed wards 's description and figure of this bird in his most excellent Ornitho- logy, since there can be no doubt of its being the same species with the Crested Kingfisher of that author, and the Vintsi of Button, whose specimen appears to have been merely somewhat smaller, and with a red bill, as was the case also in a beau- tiful specimen in the Leverian Museum, which has been figured in the Naturalist's Miscellany, and is also represented in the present work. WHITE-BILLED KINGFISHER. Alcedo albirostris. A. cccrulea, verticc pwpureo-castaneo, remigi- bus subfuscis, subtus albo-jlarescens, rostro albido. Blue Kingfisher with purple-chesnut crown and brownish quill- featliers ; beneath yellowish-white, with whitish bill. Alcedo Americana, seu Apiu&tra. Seb. 1 . pi. 53. f. 3. Le Martin-p£cheur a bee blanc. Buff", oi*. White-billed Kingfisher. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED and figured in the work of Seba: length about four inches and three quarters : bill 100 BLUE-HEADED KINGFISHER* white: head and hind part of the neck purplish chesnut: back, wing-coverts, scapulars, rump, up- per tail coverts, and tail bright beryl or blue-green: quill-feathers cinereous: whole under parts yellow- ish white. Native, according to Seba, of America, but of what particular part is not specified. BLUE-HEADED KINGFISHER. Alcedo cyanocephala. A. ccerulea subtus fulva, vertice »>gro-««- dulata, rostra pcdibusque rubris. Blue Kingfisher, fulvous beneath, with the crown undulated with black, and red bill and legs. Alcedo ccerulocephala. Lin. Gmel. Lath. ind. orn. Martin-pe"cheur a tete bleue. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 356. Blue-Headed Kingfisher. Lath. syn. THIS is an elegant small species described by Bufftm, and figured in the Planches Enluminees. In colours and general appearance it is nearly allied to the Crested Kingfisher, and measures about four inches in length: its colour above is fine ultramarine blue, the crown of the head trans- versely undulated with paler or greenish blue : the quill-feathers dusky: the whole under parts bright rufous, except the throat, which is white: the bill and legs are red : the rufous colour of the under parts is in some specimens continued found the neck in form of a collar, Dr. Latham in his Supplement mentions a va- riety of this species, in which the head a*id neck were of a yellowish rufous colour; the crown va- BLUE-HEADED KINGFISHER. 101 with black and blue, and the abdomen white. Native of Madagascar, and, according to Monsr. Daudin, (who describes it under the title of Aicedo ultramarina,} of the country of Malimba iu Africa, where it is not uncommon. VAR.? MINUTE KINGFISHER. This very small Kingfisher has been generally considered as belonging to the genus Todus rather than Aicedo, and is the Todus cceruleus or Blue Tody of Latham, and the Todier de Juida of the Planches Enluminees. Monsr. Daudin, however, in the Annales du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, is decidedly of opinion that it is a ge- nuine Kingfisher, and no other than a variety of his Aicedo ultramarina^ which is doubtless the same with the Blue-Headed Kingfisher. I have myself described it as a species of Kingfisher in the fifth volume of the Naturalist's Miscellany, under the name of Aicedo pusilla or Minute Kingfisher. Its Jength is three inches and a half: the crown of the head and whole upper parts of the bird deep blue: the cheeks and whole under parts orange-red , but the throat is white, and beneath the eye on each side is a purple spot : the bill and legs are pale flesh-colour. The specimen represented in the Naturalist's Miscellany is still smaller than that figured in the Planches Enluminees, and has on jeach side the head, beneath the eyes, a broad LITTLE INDIAN KINGFISHER. purple stripe or band, extending to a considerable distance on the neck; the wings and tail are also of a dusky colour. 'The Minute Kingfisher is said to be a native of Africa, but Buffon, considering it as a species of Todus, concluded that, like the rest of that genus, it must be an inhabitant of America. LITTLE INDIAN KINGFISHER. Alcedo Bengalensis. A. quadruncialis vtridi-carvlea, vertice nigro~ undulato, subtus rufa. Blue-green Kingfisher, measuring about four inches in length; beneath rufous ; the crown unduiated with black. Little Indian Kingfisher. Edw. pL U . Alcedo Ispida. Var. Lin. Syst. Nat. Alcedo Bengalensis. A. cceruleo-viridis, subtus rufa, capite cceruleo- striato, gula alba, per oculos vitta rufa. Lath. ind. orn. Martin-p£cheur a tete bleue. Bujf. ois. Blue-headed Kingfisher. Lath. syn. A VERY small species, measuring about four inches and a half in length. It is described and figured by Edwards, who observes that the general likeness is so great between this bird and the Com- mon Kingfisher that one description might serve for both; and Linnaeus, from the contemplation of Edwards's figures, seems to have been convinced of its being no other than a diminutive variety of the European Kingfisher: the quill-feathers and tail are however of a brown colour, without any appearance of green on the edges, and the bill of the male is red. The female seems to differ in EASTERN KINGFISHER. 103 wanting the rufous eye-streak, instead of which a small spot only of that colour is visible on each side the back part of the head. Native of Bengal. EASTERN KINGFISHER. Alcedo orientals. A. viridis, subtus rvfa, svperciliis albis, verticc gula fascia per oculos remigibusque cceruleiy, sub oculis macula rufa. Lath. ind. orn. Green Kingfisher, rufous beneath, with white brows, blue crown, throat, eye-stripe and quill-feathers, and a rufous spot under the eyes. Ispida Indica. Briss. av. 4. pi. Sj.f. 1. Eastern Kingfisher. Lath. syn. Alcedo orientalis. Lin. Gmcl. DESCRIBED and figured by Brisson, from a draw- ing by Monsr. Poivre. It is about a third part less than the Common Kingfisher; with the head and throat fine blue ; the upper parts of the neck, the body, wings, and tail brilliant green, but the quill-feathers blue: over the eyes passes, on each side, a white stripe, and beneath them is a rufous spot : the bill is red, and the legs black. Native of the East Indies. 104 THREE-TOED KINGFISHERS. TRIDACTYLE KINGFISHER. Aleedo tridactyla. A, brachyura supra caudaque rufa, subtusjluva, pedibus tridactylis. Lath. ind. orn. Short-tailed rufous Kingfisher, yellow beneath, with three-toed feet. Aleedo tridactyla. A. pedibus tridactylis. Lin. Mant.l'tfl. Pall. spic. 6. t. 2./. 1. Votmaer monogr. 1/68. t. 1. Var. A. brachyura pallide violacco-rubescens, mbtus alba, alif cwuleo- atritf remigibus margine cceruleis. Lath. ind. orn. Short-tailed lilac-coloured Kingfisher, white beneath, with dark- blue wings edged with paler blue. Martin-pecheur de Flsle de Lu^on. Sonner. voy. pi. 32. THIS species was first described by Monsr. Vos- maer. It is considerably smaller than the Com- mon Kingfisher, measuring only four inches in length, and admits of two varieties: perhaps sex- ual differences. In one the crown is ferruginous, with a cast of violet : on the temples is a blue spot, beneath which is a white streak: the parts between the shoulders and the tips of the wing-feathers are also blue : the cheeks and under parts of the body yellowish white; the throat pure white: the quills brown black, ferruginous within $ and the tail fer- ruginous. In the other variety the bird is rufo-ferruginous TKIDIGITATKD KINGFISHER. above: the crown of the head, rump, and tips of some of the feathers on the back tinged with vio- let: the breast more inclining to ferruginous than in the former; the belly whiter, and the blue spot on the temples wanting. In both kinds the bill is square, and of a yellowish white colour. The specimen described by Sonnerat, under the title of Kmgjishtr from the island of Luzonui, was extremely beautiful. The whole head and upper parts of the body being deep lilac; the wings blue* black; the quills edged with blue, and the under parts of the body white: the legs reddish, and the toes only three in number. TR1D1GITATED KINGFISHER. Alcedo Tribracbyg. A. cyanea, subtus ferruginea, bus, pedibus tridactylis. Deep-blue Kingfisher, ferruginous beneath, with blackish wings, and three-toed feet. Alcedo Tribrachys. Vivar. Nat. 16. t. 681. Tridigitated Kingfisher. Nat. Misc. l6.pl. 681. THIS elegant species is a native of New Holland, and was first described in the sixteenth volume of the Naturalist's Miscellany. Its size is that of the Common Kingfisher, and its colour on the upper parts very fine deep ultramarine blue; the wings are blackish, with a slight cast of blue on the coverts: the under parts, from bill to tail, pale orange-ferruginous, the throat being nearly white. 106 TRIDIGITATED KINGFISHER. At some distance beyond the eye, on each side the head, is a lengthened pale-orange spot, and a very small one of a much deeper colour is placed on each side the base of the upper mandible : the bill is black, and very sharp-pointed; the legs and feet red, with three toes only, the two foremost con- nected, as usual in the Kingfisher tribe. The Azure Kingfisher, described by Dr. Latham in his second Supplement, seems much allied to the above, but no mention is made in the descrip- tion of any particular structure in the feet. Dr. Latham describes his Azure Kingfisher as follows, viz. " Length six inches and a half: size of the European species : bill an inch and half long, and black: the plumage on the upper parts of the body, wings, and tail, is of a fine deep blue: between the bill and eye a buff-coloured streak: on each side of the neck a long oblique streak of white: all the under parts of the body, from chin to vent, deep buff-colour: quills brown: legs red." 107 SITTA. NUTHATCH, Generic Character. Rostrum subulatum, tereti- usculum, rectum, porrec- tum, integerrimum: man- dibula superiore paulo longiore, apice compres- so. Lingua emarginato-lacera. Nares vibrissis tectae. Pedes ambulatorii. Lin. Syst. Nat. Bill subulate, strait, strong, sharp-pointed ; the upper mandible rather longer than the lower. Tongue rather short, horny and jagged at the tip. Nostrils covered by reflected bristles. Feet with three toes forward and one backward. AN this genus, as in that of Alcedo, only one European species is hitherto known to exist. In their general manners the Nuthatches resemble the Woodpeckers, chiefly frequenting trees, in the cavities of which they breed, and feeding on nuts, insects, berries, &c. 108 EUROPEAN NUTHATCH.. Sitta Europea. S. plumbea, subtus subferruginea, fascia transoculari irigra, rectricibus lateralibus nigris props apicem albidis. Lead-coloured Nuthatch, subferrugiiious beneath, with a black streak across the eyes, and black lateral tail-feathers whitish near the tip. Sitla Europa. S. rectricibus nigris, lateralibus quatuor infra apicem albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. The Nuthatch or Nutjobber. Will. orn. The Nuthatch. Perm. Brit. Zool. La Sittelle ou Torchepot. Buf.ois. PI. Enl. 623. f. !„ THIS bird is very correctly described by Mr. Pennant in the British Zoology. " The Nuthatch weighs near an ounce: its length is near five inches three quarters ; breadth nine inches : the bill is strong and strait, about three quarters of an inch long; the upper mandible black, the lower white: the irides hazel; the crown of the head, back, and coverts of the wings are of a fine blueish grey: a black stroke passes over the eye from the mouth: the cheeks and chin are white: the breast and belly are of a dull orange-colour; the quill- feathers dusky: the wings underneath are marked with two spots, one white, at the root of the ex- terior quills, the other black, at the joint of the bastard wing: the tail consists of twelve feathers; the two middle are grey; the two exterior feathers tipped with grey; then succeeds a transverse white spot; beneath that the rest is black : the legs are EUROPEAN wtrr OATCB . EUROPEAN NUTHATCH. 109 of a pale yellow; the back toe very strong, and the claws large." " This bird, adds Mr. lYnnnnt, runs up and down the bodies of trees, like the \\ nod- pecker tribe; and feeds not only on insects but on nuts, of which it lays up a considerable provision in the hollows of trees. It is a pretty tight, says Mr. Willughby, to see her fetch a nut out of her hoard, place it fast in a chink, and then standing above it with its head downwards, striking it with all its force, breaks the shell, and catches up the kernel. It breeds in the hollows of trees; if the entrance to its nest be too large, it stops up part of it with clay, leaving only room enough for admission: in autumn it begins to make a chattering noise, being silent for the greatest part of the year. Dr. Plott tells us, that this bird, by putting its bill into a crack in the bough of a tree, can make such a violent sound as if it was rending asunder, so that the noise may be heard at least twelve score yards. " Plott's account of this particular is given in his History of Oxfordshire as follows. " But amongst the inhabitants of the air, or lowermost heaven, it cannot be expected in so small a county I should produce many not already noted, since the fea- thered kingdom has been so lately arid so carefully surveyed by the learned and industrious Francis Willughby, Esq. nor indeed could I meet with any omitted by him, except perhaps a little bird, some- times seen, but oftener heard in the park at Wood- stock; from the noise that it makes, commonly called the Wood-Cracker; described to me, (for I had not the happiness to see it,) to be about the 110 EUROPEAN NUTHATCH. bigness of a sparrow, with a blue back, and a red- dish breast, a wide mouth, and a long bill, which it puts into a crack or splinter of a rotten bough of a tree, and makes a noise as if it were rending asunder with that violence, that the noise may be heard at least 240' yards, some have ventured to say a mile from the place." But the ingenious Colonel Montagu, in his Or- nithological Dictionary, affirms that the noise above descrihed is in reality produced by Wood- peckers, and not by the Nuthatch. " The singu- lar noise, says this author, produced by some spe- cies of Woodpeckers, by reiterated strokes of the bill against the decayed limb of a tree, has been erroneously ascribed to this bird." Colonel Montagu further informs us, that cc the Nuthatch chiefly affects wooded and inclosed situa- tions, choosing the deserted habitation of a Wood- pecker in some tree for the purpose of nidification. This hole is first contracted by a plaster of clay, leaving only sufficient room for itself to pass in and out : the nest is made of dead leaves mostly of oak, which are heaped together without much order. The eggs are six or seven in number, white, spot- ted with rust-colour, so exactly like those of the Great Titmouse in size and markings, that it is impossible to distinguish a difference. If the bar- rier of plaster at the entrance is destroyed when they have eggs, it is speedily replaced; a peculiar instinct, to prevent the nest being destroyed by the Woodpecker and other birds of superior size who build in the same situations. No persecution EUROPEAN NUTHATCH. Ill will force this little bird from its habitation when sitting: it defends its nest to the last extremity, strikes the invader with its bill and wings, and makes a hissing noise; and after every effort of defence, will suffer itself to be taken in hand rather than quit." " The Nuthatch is more expert in climbing than the Woodpecker, for it runs in all directions up and down a tree; whereas the other is never ob- served to descend; the stiff tail of those birds sup- port them in the act of climbing and hacking. The flexible tail of the Nuthatch gives it no such advantage, nor does it seem to want it;jfor its most favourite position, when breaking a nut, is with the head downwards. In autumn it is no uncommon thing to find in the crevices of the bark of an old tree a great many broken nut-shells, the work of this bird, who repeatedly returns to the same spot for this purpose. When it has fixed the nut firm in a chink, it turns on all sides, in order to strike it with most advantage. This, with the common hazel-nut is a work of some labour ; but it strikes a filbert with ease. In defect of such food, insects and their larva? are sought after, amongst the moss on trees and old thatched build- ings. It is commonly met with about orchards, and is sometimes seen in the cyder season picking the seeds from the refuse of the pressed apples. The note is various; in the spring it has a remark- able' loud shrill whistle, which ceases after incuba- tion; in the autumn is a double reiterated cry." 112 VAR. ? LITTLE NUTHATCH. This is mentioned by Belon, who affirms that i is much smaller than the common Nuthatch, am of a more noisy disposition. It resides in similai situations, and is equally solitary : associating onl} with its mate, and attacking any other which it happens to see. BLACK-HEADED NUTHATCH. Sitta Carolinensis. S. cinerea subtus candicans, abdomine imo rufes- centef capite et collo superiore nigris, rectricibus lateralibus albo nigroque variis. Lath. ind. orn. Cinereous Nuthatch, whitish beneath, with the lower part of the abdomen inclining to rufous, the head and upper part of the neck black, and the tail-feathers varied with black and white. Black-headed Nuthatch. Penn. Arct. Zool. Lath. syn. suppl. SMALLER than the European Nuthatch: bill, head, and hind part of the neck black ; over each eye a white line : back of a fine grey: wings dusky, edged with grey : breast, belly, and vent feathers red: two middle tail-feathers grey; the rest black with white tips. Native of the temperate parts of America. 113 SMALL NUTHATCH. Sitta pusilla. S. cinerca, subtus sordide alba, capife fusco, macula occipitis sordide alba, rectricibus latcrulibus nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Cinereous Nuthatch, dull white beneath, with brown head, dull- white occipital spot, and black lateral tail-feathers. Small Nuthatch. Catesb. Carol. 1. pi. 22. Least Nuthatch. Lath. syn. MUCH smaller than the European Nuthatch, mea- suring only about three inches and a half: head brown, with a white spot at the hind part: back grey: wings deep brown: under parts of the body dull white: two middle tail-feathers grey, the rest black: bill black: legs grey. Inhabits North Ame- rica, and is said to be found in Carolina throughout the whole year. GREAT NUTHATCH. Sitta Major. 5. grisea, subtus albescens, gula alba, revnigibus rcc- tricibusquefuscis, margine fufcis. Lath. ind. orn. Grey Nuthatch, whitish beneath, with white throat, and brown quill and tail-feathers with fulvous edges. Another sort of Loggerhead. Sloan Jam. p. 301. Great Nuthatch. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Sir Hans Sloane in his History of Jamaica; length seven inches and a half: bill v. vin. p. i. $ 114 SPOTTED NUTHATCH. thickest in the middle, and curved at the end: head and back grey: under parts whitish: wings and tail brown with orange edges : native of Ja- maica, feeding on worms, insects, &c. SPOTTED NUTHATCH, Sitta naevia. S. plumbea albo-maculata, subtus cceruko-cinerca, lincis longitudinalibus albis. Lath. ind. orn. Lead-coloured Nuthatch spotted with white, beneath blue-grey with longitudinal white streaks. Wall-creeper of Surinam. Edw. pi. 346. Spotted Nuthatch. Lath. ind. orn. DESCRIBED by Edwards under the title of Wall- Creeper of Surinam. " The bill of this bird is long in proportion, strait, somewhat compressed sideways, a little hooked at the point, and of a dusky brownish colour: the head, hinder side of the neck, back, rump, tail, and wings, are of a .dark blueish lead-colour: all the covert-feathers on the upper side of the wings are tipped with white : the inner coverts of the wings are dusky, edged with white: the insides of the quills, and under side of the tail-feathers are ash-coloured, lighter than they are above: the throat is white: the breast, belly, thighs, and coverts beneath the tail are of a blueish ash-colour, lighter than the upper side of the bird : from the throat as far as the legs the breast is marked with white lines, drawn down the middle of each feather, which end in points : the legs and feet are of a dusky brown colour." JAMAICA NUTHATCH. 115 The length of this bird, according to Edwards's plate, which represents it of the natural size, is about six inches. It is a native of Surinam. ; JAMAICA NUTHATCH. Sitta Jatnaicensis. S. cinerea subtus alba, vertice ni%rot rectricibut lateralibus nigricantibus, apicc lineis tranaversis albis nutatis. Lath. ind. orn. Cinereous Nuthatch white beneath, with black crown, and blackish lateral tail-feathers marked at the tip with transverse white lines. Sitta Jamaicensis. S. pileo nigro. Lin. Syst. Nat. Loggerhead. Brown Jam. p. 4/5. Sloan Jam. p. 30Q.pl. 25g.f. 1. Jamaica Nuthatch. Lath. syn. \ DESCRIBED by Sir Hans Sloane in his Natural History of Jamaica: size of the Common Nut- hatch: length five inches and a half: bill near an inch long, and black : head large, with black crown : upper parts of the body cinereous; under parts white: quill-feathers blackish, with grey edges: tail blackish, with all the feathers, except the two middle ones, crossed towards the ends by trans- verse white lines. Native of Jamaica and South America, feeding on Insects, arid having the cha- racter of a stupid bird, easily suffering itself to be taken. From the size of its head it is known in Jamaica by the title of Loggerhead. VAR.? SMALLER JAMAICA NUTHATCH. This is considered by most ornithologists as a variety of the immediately preceding, from whick it is said to differ in size only. CANADA NUTHATCH. Sitta Canadensis. S. cinerea, subtus dilute ruf a, fascia supcrciliari Candida pone oculos nigricante, rectricibus later alibus quatuor ex- timis apice intus albis. Lath. ind. orn. Cinereous Nuthatch, pale rufous beneath, with white brows grow- ing blackish behind the eyes, and the four exterior tail-feathers white on their inner tips. Sitta Canadensis. S. superciliis albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. La Sittelle ou Torchepot du Canada. Buff. ois. PL Enl. 623./. 2. Canada Nuthatch. Penn. Arct. Zool. Lath, syn, SIZE of the European species: bill blackish-, crown of the head, hind part of the neck, and shoulders black: back and rump light blue-grey: over each eye a white line: cheeks white: larger quill-feathers dusky, with grey edges: breast and belly pure white: the two middle tail-feathers grey, the rest black with a white spot at the tip: vent ferruginous: legs brown. Native of Canada, and extending as far south as New York. It is consi- CAPE NUTHATCH. 11? dered by Mr. Pennant as a mere variety of the European Nuthatch, but both Linnaeus and Dr. Latham suppose it a distinct species. CAPE NUTHATCH. Sitta Caffra. S. supra Jlavo nigroque varia, subtus jlava, pcdibus nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Nuthatch varied above with black and yellow, beneath yellow, with black legs. Sitta Caffra. Mus. Carls, fasc. 1. t. 4. Cape Nuthatch. Lath. syn. THIS is described by Sparmann in his Museum Carlsonianum, and is said to be nine inches in length, with a strait blueish- black bill: the front, hind part of the neck, and back mixed brown and yellow: cheeks, neck, breast, and under parts dusky yellow, as are also the edges and tips of the wing- feathers: the tail dusky black, beneath olive: the two middle feathers longer than the rest: legs black. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 118 LONG-BILLED NUTHATCH. Sitta longirostra. S. ccerulescens, subtus pallide rufesccns, remigibus primoribus apice fuscis, loris m^ris. L,ath. ind. orn. Blueish Nuthatch, pale ruiescent beneatli, with black lores, and larger quill-feathers tipped with brown. Long- billed Nuthatch. Lath. syn. suppl. THIS is a species described by Dr. Latham from a drawing, and is said to measure nine inches: the bill is above an inch long, and black; but the base pale or whitish: the crown of the head and whole upper parts of the bird are pale blue-grey, but the cheeks and forehead are white, and a black streak passes through each eye along the sides of the neck: the wings are tipped with brown, and the under parts of the bird are pale tawny: the legs pale brown. Inhabits Batavia. CHINESE NUTHATCH. Sitta cristata ferrugincn, capite colloque nigris, pectore abdominequc albis, macula postoculari nigra alteraque nivca. Crested ferruginous Nuthatch, with black head and neck, white breast and abdomen, a red spot behind the eye, and another white one. Chinese Nuthatch. Lath. syn. Lanius jocosus. £. Lath. ind. orn. DESCRIBED by Dr. Latham: size somewhat su- perior to that of a Goldfinch : bill and head black : SURINAM NUTHATCH. 119 back deep blueish-ferruginous : throat, breast, and belly white, but the throat bounded or encompass- ed by a black band, descending from the sides of the head, which is black and crested: near the eye is a small scarlet spot, succeeded by a large white one: rump yellpw: tail blackish, with white tip: bill and legs black. Native of China, where it is said to be much esteemed on account of the ele- gance of its colours, and is, according to Dr. La- tham, a frequent ornament on Chinese papers. It appears to me to be much allied to the Lanius jocosus or Red- Vented Shrike, and if only described from the account of Osbeck, and the figures on Chinese papers, may, perhaps, prove, on future investigation, to be no other than the same bird. SURINAM NUTHATCH. Sitta Surinamensis. 5. castaneo-rufa, subtus rufescente-alba, alts nigris, tectricibus albo maculatis, cauda nigra apice alba. Lath. ind. orn. Rufous-cbesnut Nuthatch, whitish-rufescent beneath, with black wings varied on the coverts with white, and black tail with white tip. Surinam Nuthatch. Lath. syn. A VERY small species, first described by Dr. La- tham : total length three inches and a half: colour fine chesnut brown, paler beneath ; the feathers on the head and back having black shafts: wings and tail black, the coverts tipped and the smaller quill- feathers edged with white: bill brown: legs blagk. Native of Surinam. 120 ORANGE-WINGED NUTHATCH. Sitta chrysoptera. S. cinerea subtus albida, alls caudaque fuscis, remigibus medio aurantio-ferrugineis. Lath. ind. orn. svppl. Cinereous Nuthatch whitish beneath, with brown wings and tail, the quill-feathers orange-ferruginous on the middle. Orange-winged Nuthatch. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. pi. ] 2/. A VERY small species, at least according to the drawing from which the description was made: colour above olivaceo-cinereous, with orange-co- loured quill-feathers tipped with brown: under parts and rump blueish white: tail short, and slightly tipped, except on the two middle feathers, with white: bill -brown: legs blueish. Native of New Holland. GREEN NUTHATCH. Sitta Chloris. S. corpore supra viridi, subtus candido, cauda atrti, ultimo apicejla'cicante. Luth. ind. orn. Nuthatch with the body green above, and white below; the tail black, with the extreme tip yellowish. Sitta Chloris. Mus. Carls, fuse. 2. /. 33. DESCRIBED by Sparmann in his Museum Carl- sonianum: size of the Surinam Nuthatch: colour green above, milk-white beneath: wings brown, edged with olive, and with a transverse yellowish middle bar: tail short and black, with yellowish tip: bill longer than the head: legs rather long. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 1*1 TODUS. TODY. Generic Character. Rostrum tenue, depressum, latum, basi setis patulis. Nares ovatae, parvae. Pedes gressorii, digitus ex- terior medio basi connex- us. Lath. ind. am. Bill thin, depressed, beset at the base with spreading bristles. Nostrils ovate^ small. Feet gressorial; the outer toe connected at the base to the middle one. HE birds of this genus, which are principally natives of the warmer parts of America, are cha- racterised by a peculiar flatness or depression of the beak. They may be considered as greatly allied to the Muscicapae or Flycatchers, though somewhat differing in the structure of the feet, which have the outer and middle toes connected, whereas in the Flycatchers they are perfectly se- parate. BROAD-BILLED TODY. , Todus rostratus. T. rostro latissimo, corpore luteo-fusco, subtus iuteo, gula maculfique verticis albis. Lath. ind. orn. Tody with very broad bill, luteo-fuscous body, luteous beneath, with white throat and a white spot on the crown. Todi species octava. Pall. spic. 6. Broad-billed Tody. Lath. syn. THIS species was first described by Dr. Pallas. Its size is that of a Nightingale; the crown of the head lead-colour, with an oblong white spot: back luteous-brown : wings and tail brown : throat whitish: remainder of the under parts luteous: bill extremely broad, flat, pointed, and of a whit- ish colour. Native region uncertain: described from a specimen in the Museum of the Prince of Orange. GREAT-BILLED TODY. Todus nasutus. T. niger, rostro latissimo, gula abdomine crissoque coccineis, scapularibus subulatis incurvatis albis. Black Tody with very broad bill, red throat, abdomen, and vent- feathers, and incurvated white subulate scapulars. Todus nasutus. T. rostro latissimo, corpore nigro, gula uropygi& abdomine crissoque coccineis. Lath. ind. orn. Great-billed Tody. Lath. syn. SIZE of the Broad-Billed Tody, and allied to it in the excessive breadth of the bill, which is of a WHITE-CHINNED TODY. 123 blackish colour with whitish edges and tip: colour of the plumage glossy bine-black, with the abdo- men and vent fine purple-crimson, and a bar or crescent of the/same colour beneath the throat: the edge of the alulet or spurious wing, at the shoulders, pale orange, and the scapular-feathers, to the number of six or seven, white, lanceolate, and spread ing over the coverts: legs black: middle and outer toes connected. This curious species was preserved in the Leverian Museum, but its native country was unknown : probably South America. WHITE- CHINNED TODY. Todus gularis. T. fuscvs, subtus albidus, pcctore fusco varicgato, gula alba. Lath. ind. orn. Brown Tody, whitisli beneath, with the breast variegated with brown, and white throat. White-chinned Tody. Lath. syn. THIS was first described by Dr. Latham, and measures about nine inches in length: its colour is brown above, with the chin and under parts white, slightly mottled round the neck and breast with brown : bill an inch and three quarters long, much compressed, three quarters of an inch broad at the base, and rather bending upwards at the point: legs brown: outer toe unittd with the middle one. Native region uncertain. 124 ROYAL TODr. Todus regius. T. cristatus fuscus, subtus albidus fusco undulatus, cristaferruginea apice nigra. Crested brown Tody, whitish beneath with brown undulations ; the crest ferruginous, tipped with black. Todus regius. T. fusco-nigricans cristatus, pectore albido nigri- cante transversim striato, gula superciliisque albis, abdomine uro» pygio caudaque ntfis. Lath. ind. orn. Le Roi des Gobe-mouches. Biiff". ow. PI. Enl. 280. King Tody. I^ath, syn. Todus cristatus. Crested Tody. Nat. Misc. ll.pl. 405. THIS most elegant species is described in the Ornithology of the Count de Buffon, where it is considered as a species of Muscicapa or Flycatcher, and it must be acknowledged that it might perhaps be arranged under that genus as well as in that of Todus. Its size is but little superior to that of the common European Fly catchers, but the bill is some- what disproportionately broad, very much flatten- ed, about ten lines in length, and beset with nu- merous strong bristles at the base: the colour of the plumage on the upper parts is a deep yellow- ish brown or chesnut, passing round the fore part of the neck in the manner of a collar: the throat, whole under parts, beneath the collar, and the rump, are pale or whitish yellow, the breast being crossed by numerous dusky undulations: the tail is bright ferruginous, and on the head is situated a most beautiful broad, transverse crest, consisting . vAJL T01JY- TO ID IT ROYAL TODT. 125 of very numerous feathers, disposed in several series, lengthening as they recede from the front or base : these feathers are of a bright or red-ferru- ginous colour, and are each terminated by a black tip, so that the crest resembles that of a Hoopoe, placed in a transverse direction: over each eye passes a narrow white streak: the bill is dark brown, and the legs flesh-colour. This curious bird is a native of. Cayenne, where it is said to be yery rare. Var.f In a German work entitled Naturforscher is described and figured what appears to be a variety of the above species. In this the colour of the upper parts, as well as of the tail, appears to be deep-brown, with the wing-coverts varied by a few scattered white specks; the whole under parts white, without the brown collar, and the breast marked, as in the former, by numerous dusky un- dulations: the crest is of a fine purple-crimson, each feather tipped, as in the former, with black : the bill is brown, and the legs pale. This bird appears to be of smaller size than the preceding, and is said to be a native of Guinea. Perhaps, however, this supposed difference of native country may be owing to a typographical error in the pub- lication abovementioned j Guinea having been sub- stituted for Guiana. 126 RED-BREASTED TODY. Todus Rubecula. T. cinereus, gula pectoreque aurantiis, abdomine albo. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Cinereous Tody, with orange throat and breast, and white abdo- men. Red-breasted Tody. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. SIZE of a Yellowhammer: bill stout, broad: tongue bifid, with the points slightly feathered or divided: colour on the upper parts slate-grey: wings and tail brown: throat and breast orange; from thence to the vent nearly white: crown of the head rather full-feathered: legs long, slender, and dusky. Native of New Holland. FERRUGINOUS-BELLIED TODY. Todus ferrugineus. T. ferrugineo-nigricans, subtus ferrugineus, gents albo nigroque rnaculatis, rcniigibus semifascia fcrruginea* Lath. ind. orn. Ferruginous-blackish Tody, beneath ferruginous, with the cheeks spotted with black and white, and the wing-feathers marked by a half bar. Ferruginous-bellied Tody. Lath. syn. LENGTH about seven inches and a half: bill three quarters of an inch; very much compressed, slightly incurvated at the tip, and blackish: upper parts sub-ferruginous black, most of the feathers SHORT-TAILED TODY. 127 being edged with ferruginous: cheeks varied with white: all the under parts dull ferruginous: over each eye a pale streak: on the wings a short ferru- ginous bar: tail brown. Native of South America. WHITE-HEADED TODY. Tod us leucocephalus. T. nigricans, capite gula colloquc superiors albis. Lath. ind. orn. Blackish Tody, with the head, throat, and upper part of the neck white. Todus leucocephalus. Pall. spic. 6. t. 3./. 2. White-headed Tody. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Dr. Pallas. Size of a Redstart : colour of the whole bird, except the head and neck, dull black: bill blackish: legs black: head rather full of feathers, so as to appear almost crested. Native of South America. SHORT-TAILED TODY. Todus brachyurus. T. niger, sincipite genis corporequf subtus albit, cauda abbreviata. Lath. ind. orn. Black Tody, with the forehead, cheeks, and under parts of the body white, and very short tail. Todi species septima. Pall. spic. 6. p. 18. Short-tailed Tody. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Dr. Pallas. Smaller than a Red- start : forehead, cheeks, and under parts of the body 128 PLUMBEOUS TODY. white: upper parts black, but the inner margins of some of the quill-feathers, and the under coverts of the wings white: tail very short: bill dusky: legs black. Native of America. PLUMBEOUS TODY. Todus plumbeus. T. plumbeo-nigricans, subtus nivcus, Venice r lixltfd l> \ • G=..l\tw -sic \ ' , J'lct f S/rtrt. ^tJif 06 ler Proprietor s? 129 DUSKY TODY. Todus obscurus. T. olivaceo-fuscus, subtus albo-flaTctcens, gufa pallida. Lath. ind. orn. Olivaceous-brown Tody, yellowish white beneath, with pale throat. Todi species quarta. Pall. spic. 6. p. 17 • Dusky Tody. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Dr. Pallas. Size of a Hedge- Sparrow: upper parts olive-brown: under parts yellowish white: chin pale; quills and tail pale, with grey edges: bill ahd legs dusky. Native of North America. GREEN TODY. Todus viridis. T. viridis, pectore rubro. Lin. Syst.Nat. Green Tody, with red breast. Rubecula viridis elegantissima. Raii. syn. 187. Green Sparrow, or Humming- Bird. Edw. pi. 121. Todier de TAmerique septentrionale. Buff. PI. Enl 52. HIS elegant bird appears to be a pretty gene- ral inhabitant of the warmer and temperate parts of the Old Continent, migrating occasionally, at different seasons, in different directions. In our own island it is much more rarely seen than in 136 COMMON HOOPOE. other northern climates. Its size is that of a common Thrush: the colour of the head, neck, and body is pale ferruginous or cinnamon-brown; darkest on the back and shoulders: the wings and tail are black, the former crossed by five white bars, the latter crossed in the middle by a white crescent, the horns pointing towards the end: the rump and lower part of the abdomen are white, and the sides of the body generally marked by a few longitudinal dusky streaks : on the head is a most elegant crest, composed of numerous length- ened feathers of different proportions, and disposed in a double longitudinal series : this it can either erect and expand, or depress and close at pleasure : the feathers composing it are cinnamon-coloured, with black tips, a white bar separating the tip from the rest of the feather: the crest is usually carried in a flat or recumbent state, and is raised only on surprize, or at particular intervals: the general length of the largest feathers is about two inches : the bill is long, slender, slightly curved, sharp- pointed, and black, with the base of the lower mandible flesh-coloured: the legs short and black- ish. The Hoopoe migrates during the spring season from Africa into various parts of Europe, and again returns in winter. This migration, how- ever, is not universal, since it is observed that great numbers of these birds are constantly found about many towns and villages in various parts of Egypt, where they may be considered as nearly do- mesticated ; building and breeding even among the houses. The flesh of these domestic Hoopoes COMMON HOOPOE. 137 is rank and uneatable, but that of the migrating birds is considered in many parts of Europe as an agreeable food, particularly in Italy, the south of France, and in the Grecian islands. The nest, or rather hole of the Hoopoe is generally said to have a peculiarly fetid smell: sometimes, however, it is said to be strewed with moss, wool, dry leaves, &c. and to have no disagreeable scent. Sometimes the bird breeds in the hole of a wall, but more gene- rally in the hollow of a tree ; seldom higher than about ten feet from the ground; and instances have been known in which the eggs have been placed on the ground, or among the roots of old trees. The number of eggs is from five to seven, and their colour a blueish white, speckled with brown. The disagreeable smell proceeding from the nest or hole of the Hoopoe is supposed to be chiefly owing to the remains of various kinds of insects, with which it is generally crowded, and among which the young are as it were imbedded. In Egypt the wild or migrating Hoopoes are never observed to associate with those of the towns, but frequent remote and solitary places. Those which make their appearance in Europe are generally of this disposition; but in Africa they associate in great numbers. The ordinary food of the Hoopoe consists of various kinds of insects and worms, and hence, as Buffon observes, " it usually haunts wet grounds, where its long and slender bill can easily pene- trate ; and hence in Egypt it follows the retreat of the Nile ; for in proportion as the waters subside, 138 BLUE-CRESTED HOOPOE. the plains are left covered by a coat of slime, swarming with immense numbers of insects ; and accordingly the wild or migratory Hoopoes are fat, and a delicious food, while those which fre- quent the city of Cairo, where they breed in full security on the house-tops, are uneatable. It is indeed easy to conceive that -such as live in the plains must be better food than those which fre- quent the streets or environs of a large city ; the former subsisting on the insects inhabiting the ground, while the latter prowl among all kinds of filth ; a circumstance which cannot fail to commu- nicate an offensive odor to their flesh." The flight of the Hoopoe is observed to be rather slow and undulating than strong and rapid, and the bird is generally seen on the surface of the ground, being very rarely observed to perch on trees. VAR. ? BLUE-CRESTED HOOPOE. This supposed variety rests on the authority of the Marquis Gerini, author of a work on Italian ornithology, and who affirms that he observed it at Florence, and again on the Alps, near the town of Rota, and that it differs from the Common Hoopoe in having the crest-feathers tipped with sky-blue instead of black. 139 % SMALLER HOOPOE. Upupa minor. U.ferruginea, alls albo variis, crista apice nigra. Ferruginous Hoopoe, with the wings varied with white, and the crest tipped with black. La Huppe d' Afrique. Aud. et Vicll. pi. 2. THIS species, if such it really be, and not a mere variety of the Common Hoopoe, differs in being a trifle smaller, with the beak rather shorter, and the legs rather longer in proportion : the white on the wings is not distributed into such regular bars the white crescent on the tail is situated somewhat; nearer the base, and the feathers of the crest are tipped with black only, without any white bar between that colour and the rest of the feather, as in the Common Hoopoe. It is an inhabitant of the southern parts of Africa, being found in the kingdom of Congo, and at the Cape of Good Hope, frequenting low grounds, especially in the neighbourhood of thickets, and is not, like the Common Hoopoe, of a migratory nature. 140 MADAGASCAR HOOPOE. Upupa Madagascariensis. U. alba, alis caudaque cinereo-fuscis, crista decomposita. White Hoopoe, with cinereous brown wings and tail, and loose- webbed crest. Upupa Capensis. U.fusco-mbulosa, crista corpore subtus macula- que alarum albis. Lath. ind. orn. La Huppe noir et blanche du cap de Bonne-Esperance. Buff", ois. PL Enl. 697. Madagascar Hoopoe. Lath. syn. THE Madagascar Hoopoe is described by Buf- fon, or rather by his associate Monsr. Monbeillard, who informs us that its length is sixteen ?* inches, and its breadth eighteen : the bill shorter in pro- portion than in the Common Hoopoe, and of a yellowish colour, with the upper mandible notch- ed on each side near the tip : the tongue rather broad, and divided at the extremity into several fibres : the crest is of a much looser or more fibrous structure than in the Common Hoopoe, and lastly, the tail-feathers are twelve in number. The colour of the crest, throat, and all the under parts of the bird., is white, without any variegation : that of the upper parts, from the back of the head to the end of the tail, dusky or greyish brown, deepest on the wings and tail : on the edge of the * The specimen described by Viellot measured but ten inches : he therefore suspects a mistake in the measure given by Buffon. BLACK HOOPOE. 141 wing is a white spot, the tips of two or three of the larger coverts being of that colour : the legs and feet are yellowish. It is a native of the Island of Madagascar, as well as of some of the smaller African isles, and is said to feed on seeds and berries. From the structure of the tongue in this bird it should seem to be nearly related to the genus Merops or Bee-Eater. It is figured in the Planches Enluminees, and in the much more superb publi- cation of Monsr. Viellot, who suspects an error in the measure of this bird in the ornithology of Buffon ; the two specimens in the Paris Museum measuring only ten inches in length. BLACK HOOPOE. Upupa nigra. U. tota nigra. Hoopoe entirely black. Une espece de Huppe dont le plumage est entierment noir. Son- nini Buff. 54. p. 18?. note. OF this species nothing but its existence and native country seems to be known. It is men- tioned by Sonnini, on the authority of Monsr. Viellot, who affirms that it is found in Africa, towards the kingdom of Congo. 142 PROMEROPS, PROMEROPS. Generic Character. Rostrum Upupae. Pedes ambulatorii. Cauda elongata plerisque cuneata. Bill as in the genus Upupa. Feet formed for walking. Tail lengthened, and in most species cuneated. BLUE PROMEROPS. Promerops caeruleus. P. ccerukus, rostra pedibusque nigris. Blue Promerops, with black bill and legs. Upupa Indica. U. indico-ccerulea, cauda cuneiformi, rostro nigro, pedibus plumbeis. Lath. ind. orn. Blue Promerops. Lath. syn. svppl. Le Promerops bleu. And. et Viell. Pi-om. pi. Q. of a Common Hoopoe : length twelve inches : bill two inches long, curved, and black: whole bird of a fine but rather pale blue, lightest on the head and under parts of the body : tail above four inches in length, and slightly cuneiform : legs lead- colour. Native of India. First described by Dr. Latham, from a drawing communicated by Capt. Paterson. CAPE PROMEROPS. Proraerops Cafer. P. fuscus, subtus albidus, pectorc rufescentc, cauda longissima. Brown Promerops, whitish beneath, with rufescent breast and very long tail. Upupa Promerops. U.fusca, subtus alba, pectore rufescente, uro» pygio viridi-olivaceo, crisso luteo, rectricibus sex intermediis lon- gissimif. Lath. ind. orn. Upupa Promerops. Lin. Syst. Nat. Merops Cafer. Lin. Syst. Nat. Miller Illustr. pi. 6 (femina.) Promerops. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 637. 4ud. et Viell. Prom. pi. 4. Cape Promerops. Lath. syn. LENGTH about seventeen inches: size that of a lark : colour rufous brown, somewhat deeper on the wings and tail : forehead whitish, and covered with narrow feathers: throat white, with a narrow, longitudinal, dusky streak on each side : under part of the abdomen whitish, dashed with dusky streaks: vent yellow : tail very strongly cuneated, as in the Striped Promerops : bill about an inch and half long, and of a black colour, as are also the legs. In some, probably the males, the breast, as well as the abdomen, is spotted, and the wings are crossed by a narrow grey or whitish stripe. Na- tive of Africa, and said to be a very common bird about the Cape of Good Hope. 144 STRIPED PROME110PS. Promerops striatus. P. fuscus, subtus albo nigroque wdulatus, cauda tongissima. Brown Promerops, beneath white with black undulations, and very long tail. Upupa Papuensis. U.fusca, subtus albo nigroquefasciata, capite colloque atris, rectricibus duabus intermediis longissims. Lath. ind. orn. Promerops brun a ventre ray£. Buff. ois. PL Enl. 638. A ud. et Fiell.Prom.pl.j. New Guinea brown Promerops. Lath. syn. FIRST described and figured by Sormerat : total length about twenty-two inches : colour of the head similar to polished steel : throat black : neck, back, wings, and tail brown : breast and remainder of the under parts white, undulated by numerous transverse black stripes, each feather having two white and two black bars : the tail is very long, and strongly cuneated, the two exterior feathers measuring about four inches, and the rest length- ening gradually towards the two middle ones, which measure thirteen inches : the bill is about two inches and a half long, considerably curved, and of a blackish colour : the legs yellowish brown. In the female the head and neck are brown : in other respects the sexes resemble each other. Na- tive of New Guinea, inhabiting large woods. If the above description by Sonnerat be cor- rect, it follows that this bird must be perfectly SUPERB PROMEROPS. 145 distinct from the Superb Promerops, with which it has sometimes been confounded. SUPERB PROMEROPSt Proraerops superbus. P. niger violaceo viridique nitcns, pennis scapularibus falcatis aureo-nitentibus, cauda longissima. Black Promerops with violet and green gloss, falcated golden- shining scapular-feathers, and very long tail. Upupa superba. U. atro-violacea, vert ice cervice abdomincque sup fr lore viridi-nitentibus, pennis scapularibus lateralibmquc caudcefalciformibus, cauda longissima. Lath. ind. orn. Grand Proraerops a paremens frisks. Buff. ois. PL Enl 63£. Le Grand Promerops. And. et Viell. Prom. pi. 8. Grand Promerops. Lath. syn. pL 32. THIS magnificent species, which exceeds all the rest in the splendor and elegance of its plumage, was first described by Sonnerat, and is a native of New Guinea. Its total length is nearly four feet, the tail being almost three times the length of the remainder of the bird, which is not larger in body than a common Pigeon. Its shape is slender : the bill narrow, black, and pretty much curved : the general colour of the whole bird is also black, ac- companied, according to the different directions of the light, by varying reflexions of blue, green, and violet : the head, hind part of the neck, and middle of the abdomen are of a golden green : the scapular feathers or those situated along the sides of the body rise up into two rows of reversed, falciform plumes, gradually enlarging from the shoulders to v. vnr. p. i. 10 146 SUPERB PROMEROPS. the rump, beyond which they become much longer, but far less curved, and are stretched to some dis- tance on each side the base of the tail : all these feathers are of a purplish black colour on their inner or shallower webs, but along the edges and tips of the wider Web are of a brilliant golden green : on each side the lower part of the body, beneath the wings, is also situated a thick and moderately long groupe of loose-webbed, pendent, brownish feathers, as in some of the Paradise- Birds, to which this species, in the disposition of its plumage bears a considerable resemblance : the tail is most strongly cuneiform, and consists of twelve feathers, the two exterior ones being about five inches in length, the rest lengthening in pro- portion, and the two middle feathers measuring about twenty-eight inches : these are of a much broader and less pointed form than the side-fea- thers : the legs are of a moderate length, strong, and black. Nothing particular seems to be knowi* of the history or habits of this beautiful bird. 147 PARADISE PROMEROPS. Promerops paradiseus. P. castancus, subtus can us, capite cristato nigro, cauda longissima. Chesnut Proraerops, grey beneath, with black crested head, and very long tail. Upupa paradisea. U. rcctricibus duabus longissimis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Upupa paradisea. U. cristata spadicea, subtus cincrascens, capite coiloque nigrls, rectricibus duabus intennediis longiasimis. Lath. ind. orn. Avis paradisiaca cristata, &c. Scb. mus. 1. t. 30. f. 5. Crested Promerops. Lath. syn. THIS bird seems to have been first described in the magnificent work of Seba, where it is consider- ed as a species of Paradise- Bird. It is about the size of a Starling, and measures nineteen inches in length, of which the tail is fourteen inches and a quarter : the bill is rather more than an inch long, curved, and of a lead-colour, as are also the legs: the head and neck fine deep black, the crown says Aldrovandus, I observed this bird in the pos- session of a Roman knight of the name of Caval- lieri. The head was nearly white, sprinkled with yellow and gold-coloured spots: the eyes were luteous, with red eye-lashes : the bill between green and yellow, two fingers breadth long, and rather curved : the tongue red, longish, and sharp, not 160 CAYENNE BEE-EATER. unlike that of a Woodpecker, and calculated for piercing insects : the breast was reddish : the back, wings and belly whitish, but the upper parts and tips of the wings ferruginous : the upper part of the back yellowish, but becoming reddish or ferru- ginous at the rump : the tail-feathers were white at the base, but ferruginous for the remainder of their length, arid the two middle feathers exceeded the rest two palms in length. The wings, in Al- drovandus's figure, appear very long in proportion to the bird, and the author says they measured five palms in length : the tail itself also, exclusive of the two middle feathers, appears of considerable length. ' CAYENNE BEE-EATER. Merops Cayanensis. M. viridis, alis caudaque riifis, remigibus basi albis. Lath. ind. orn. Green Bee-Eater, with rufous wings and tail ; the base of the quill-feathers white. Le Guepier vert a ailes et queue rousses. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 454. Cayenne Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Buffon. Size of the Common Bee-Eater, or rather smaller : colour pale subci- nereous green, except the quill-feathers and tail, which are bright ferruginous or red: the green colour is paler beneath than above, and the throat- feathers, according to the representation in the Planches Enluminees, appear to have white shafts, *s in some of the Rollers: the smaller wing-coverte SUPERB BEE-EATER. 161 are tipped with white, forming a slight bar of that colour across the upper part of the wings : tail rather long than short, and even at the end : bill black : legs brown. Native, according to the Planches Enluminees, of Cayenne. SUPERB BEE-EATER. Merops superbus. M. ruber, frontc gula uropygioque cterulcu, rectricibus duabus intcrmediis longioribus. Vivarium Naturae, t. 78. Red Bee-Eater, with front, throat, and rump blue, and the two middle tail-feathers longer than the rest. Nat. Misc. pi. /8. THE size of this splendid bird is nearly that of the Common or European Bee-Eater, and its co- lour a fine ruby-red, with the front, throat, and rump blue, the tips of the secondary quill-feathers dull green, and those of the larger or primary ones black : the two middle tail-feathers are producer! to a very considerable extent beyond the rest, the lengthened part being very narrow and of a black colour : the bill is also black. irp 9 ,fm 'to V. VIII. P. I. 11 BRASILIAN BEE-EATER. Merops Brasiliensis. M. ruber, alls fuscis subtus jtavicantibus* remigibus primoribus caudaque cequali camlets. Red Bee-Eater, with brown wings yellowish beneath ; the larger quill- feat hers and tail blue; the latter even at the end. Pica Brasiliensis. Seb. mus. 1. t. 66. f. 1. Merops Brasiliensis. M.fusco nigroque varius, capite gula tectri- cibus alarum minoribus corporeque subtus rubris, remigibus cauda- que cxruleis. Lath. ind. orn. Brasilian Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. THE Brasilian Bee-Eater is described as of nearly similar size with the European species, and is said by Seba, who seems to have been its first describe^ to have the head, throat, and all the under parts of the body of a bright ruby-red, the wing-coverts deep red, the rest of the wings, and upper parts, varied with black and brown: the under wing- coverts yellow, the quill and tail-feathers pale blue, and the bill and legs yellow : the tail is even at the end. 163 SENEGAL BEE-EATER. Merops Senegalensis. M. supra rufo-castaneus uropygio cceruleo, subtus cceruleus, rectricibus duabus intermediis elongatis apice nigricantibus. Bee-Eater rufous-chesnut above with blue rump, beneath blue ; the two middle tail-feathers elongated and blackish at the tips. Guepier a longue queue du Senegal. PI. Enl. 314. Chesnut Bee-Eater. Far. A. Lath. syn. THIS is allied in a very great degree to the Brasilian Bee- Eater, and it seems by no means clear that it may not in reality be the same species, differing in the cast of its colours. The upper part of the head and neck, together with the back, wings, and tail, are of a bright rufous chesnut- colour, the cheeks and whole under parts, together with the rump, blue: the bill black, and the legs brown : the two middle tail feathers are produced into two narrow, black, pointed extremities, very considerably surpassing the rest of the tail. Native of Senegal. VAR.? CHESNUT BEE-EATER. Lath. This, which Dr. Latham makes the species, I ra- ther choose to consider as the variety. It differs from the former bird in being of a chesnut colour on the crown, back, and scapulars : the wings, tail, 164 SUPERCILIOUS BEE-EATER. and whole under parts blue : the quill-feathers are fulvous internally, and have dusky tips : the bill is black y the legs reddish ; the tail similar in shape to the preceding, the two middle feathers being pro- duced considerably beyond the rest. SUPERCILIOUS BEE-EATER. Merops superciliosus. M. viridis, vtrtice rufescente, fascia supra infraque oculos alba, gulajlavicante, rectricibus duabus elongatis. Green Bee-Eater with rufescent crown, white stripe above and beneath the eyes, yellowish throat, and the two middle tail-feathers elongated. Merops superciliosus. M. vindis, lineafrontis supra infraque oculos alba, gulaflavicante, rectricibus duabus elongatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. THIS is described by Brisson and BufFon. Its length is rather more than eleven inches, and its prevailing colour dusky green, palest on the rump^ changing into a bright rufous brown on the head : above and beneath each eye is a white stripe : the under parts of the bird are paler than the upper : the tips of the quill-feathers dusky or blackish : the middle tail-feathers reach considerably beyond the rest : the bill is black, and the legs brown. Native of Madagascar. 165 PHILIPPINE BEE-EATER. Merops Pliilippinus. M. wricks, subtusfla'cesccns, vropygio c&ru- leo, cauda (equali. Lin. Syst. Nat. Green Bee-Eater, yellowish beneath, with blue rump, and eveo tail. Apiaster Philippensis major. Briss. orn. Guepierde Madagascar. PL Enl. 215. Philippine Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Brisson. Length about nine inches : colour green above, with a slight gloss of copper-colour : beneath yellowish : rump and tail blue or sea-green : quill-feathers tipped with black, and fulvous on the inner webs : across the eyes a black stripe : bill black ; legs brown : tail rather short, and even at the end. Native of the Philip- pine isles. PIED BEE-EATER. Merops picatus. M. albo nigroqve varius, rostro albido apicefusco, pedibus nigris. Bee-Eater varied with black and white; the bill whitish with dusky tip : the legs black. SIZE of a small pigeon: length about twelve inches : bill whitish, with dusky tip : whole bird varied with glossy jet-black and milk-white, in the following manner, viz. head and neck, both above 166 COWLED BEE-EATER. and below, black, continued beneath, round the lower part of the neck, and forming a very broad pectoral zone, deepening on the middle of the breast; above continued to the back, the whole of which, as far as the rump, is black: smaller scapu- lars, or those between the shoulders, mixed black and white : wings black, with the smaller coverts white, the larger white at the base half, black at the other half, and tipped with white : on one or two of the exterior smaller coverts an oval black spot : over the eyes a white streak : whole under side, from the breast, white, as are also the under- coverts of the wings: rump and base-half of the tail white ; the end part crossed by a moderately broad black bar, leaving the tips of the feathers white: the black colour on the two middle feathers runs higher up towards the base than on the others : legs black. Native of New Holland ; a very ele- gant species. COWLED BEE-EATER. Merops Monacbus. M. supra fuscus, subtus albus, capite subto- mentoso nigro, icrtice e/ciato. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Brown Bee- Eater, white beneath, with black and somewhat downy head with raised crown. Cowled Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. " THIS, says Dr. Latham, is a large species : the bill stout and bending : colour black : tongue very bristly at the end, appearing like a brush: the head and part of the neck are black, and covered EMBROIDERED BEE-EATER. 16? with a sort of down : the nape at the back part is elongated with a kind of bristly tuft : the hind parts of the neck and back are brown ; the first mottled with a paler colour : the under parts white, marked on the chin and throat with dusky sagittal streaks: quills and tail brown : legs dusky blue." Native of New Holland. EMBROIDERED BEE-EATER. Merops phrygius. Merops niger jlavo varius. Zool. New HolL pi. 4. Black Bee-Eater variegated with yellow. Black and yellow Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. siippl 2. THIS beautiful species I have long ago described in the work entitled Zoology of New Holland. Its size is that of a Thrush, and its colour black, most elegantly variegated witli bright and pale yellow: the sides of the head, round the eyes, are covered by a naked, yellow, granulated skin : the back and breast undulated by numerous pale or whitish yel- low crescents, the tips of the black feathers being of that colour: the smaller wing-coverts are marked in a similar manner ; the larger tipped with bright yellow, and the quill-feathers edged with the same colour, as are also the exterior tail-feathers : the bill is black, of a very moderate length, and sharp- pointed : the legs brown. Native of New Holland. 368 BLUE-HEADED BEE-EATER. Merops caerulocephalus. M. ruber, capite vropygioque beryllinis, caufla suhcequali. Red Bee-Eater, with beryl-blue head and rump, and nearly even tail. Merops caerulocephalus. M. ruber, capite gula uropygioque cceru* leo-viridibus, cauda subfoijicata. Lath. ind. orn. Le Guepier rouge a tete bleue. Bvf. ois. PL Enl. 64Q. Blue-headed Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Buffon, and figured in the Planches Enluminees : size rather less than that of the Common Bee-Eater : colour of the upper parts fine rufous, deepest on the wing-coverts and tail : under parts pale crimson : head and throat beryl-blue, deepest on the throat : rump and upper tail-coverts of the same colour : the middle quill- feathers edged with blue ; the larger ones brown towards the tips : tail nearly even, or very slightly subfurcated ; the feathers edged with blue-green : bill black : legs ash-colour. Native of Nubia, and described by BufFon or Montbeillard from a draw- ing or specimen communicated by Mr. Bruce. BTLUK HEABEB BEE 32 ATE: J , FOE BEE -K AT i-. u idnJirov*i.Lonjd0nJ3u2>lLfJi£d, bv C.Eearylni •Fles(S(rret.,t-t/ip oth f Frr/ ' 169 POE BEE-EATER. Merops cincinnatus. M. atro-Tiridia nitens, cincinno collari utrin- tjue faacid'/ue huwerali albis. Glossy blackish-green Bee-Eater, with a feathery white curl on each side the neck, and a white band on each shoulder. Merops cincinnatus. M tiridi-atro-nitens, lateribus juguli utrin- que cincinno fascia(] ue alarum albis. Lath. ind. orn, Poe Bee-Eater. Cook' A Voy. 1. p. 48. 150. Lath. syn. The Poa. Rubt. I varies plate. Kew Zealand Creeper. Brown ill. t. Q. THIS most elegant species is a native of New- Zealand, and of some of the scattered islands in the South Seas. Its size is that of a Blackbird, and its length about eleven inches : the general colour of the whole bird is glossy greenish black, but the rump is glossed with rich deep blue, and strong varying glosses of green accompany the general plumage of the back and wings: the larger wing-coverts are white, forming a bar of white across the wings : the feathers of the neck are of a loose silky texture, and of a lengthened shape, curving slightly upwards at the tips : each is also marked down the middle by a whitish streak ; but the principal mark of distinction in this elegant bird is a moderately large and lengthened pendent tuft of broadish white feathers curving upwards at the tips, and situated on each side the neck be* neath the ears : the bill is slightly curved, and of a black colour, as are also the legs. This bird is greatly valued by the natives of the Southern 170 HOODED .BEE-EATER. islands ; its glossy plumage often contributing to the ornaments of the feathered mantles worn by the chiefs and persons of distinction. In the British Museum is a mantle of this kind, appearing to be wholly composed of the feathers of this bird, which is esteemed not less for its song than its plumage, having, according to our late voyagers, a remark- ably sweet note : they also add, that it is a delici- ous food, and may be considered as the greatest luxury afforded by the woods of New Zealand. HOODED BEE-EATER. Merops cucullatus. M.fusco-phmbeus, subtus albidus fusco linea- tus, cucullo verticali per oculos ducto nigro. Lath, ind, orn. suppl. Dusky lead-coloured Bee-Eater, beneath whitish with dusky lines ; the crown of the head black, including the eyes. Hooded Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. .suppl. 2. VERY correctly described by Dr. Latham in his second Supplement. " Length from nine to ten inches : bill yellow, curved, and rather stout : tongue twice the length of it, and fringed at the tip: front of the head whitish; across the crown of the head black, which colour passes through the eyes on each side to the throat : the rest of the head whitish grey and dusky, in fine transverse lines: upper parts of the body pale lead-coloured brown : lower belly and vent white: the six outer quills brownish ; the first very short ; the others incline to brown ; but six or seven of the middle ones are of a greenish yellow in the middle of the CHATTERING BEE-EATER. 1?1 outer webs, and the tips greenish yellow : tail rounded; of a pale greenish lead-colour, with a dirty white tip: legs yellow-brown." Native of New Holland. BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER. Merops cyanops. M.fascus subtus albus, capite svpra gulaque nigris, macula ocufari cyanea. Lath. ind. orn. stippl. , Brown Bee-Eater, white beneath, with black crowu and throat, and blue eye-spot. Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. suppL 2. LENGTH sixteen inches: colour brown above, white beneath : crown of the head, back of the neck, and throat black, but the eyes are surround- ed by a naked ? blue patch : tail even : bill black ; legs blue. Native of New Holland. CHATTERING BEE-EATER. Merops garrulus. M. fmcus subtus albus, fascia verticis nigra, macula pone oculos remigibusquc magna ex partc Jtams. Lath, ind. orn. suppl. Brown Bee-Eater, white beneath, with a black stripe on the crown, a yellow eye-spot, and the greater part of the quill- feathers yellow. Chattering Bee-Eater. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. 2. SIZE of a Thrush : body pale brown above, white beneath ; the breast spotted and the thighs barred with brown : wings black, but most of the larger quill-feathers yellow with black tips: across the top of the head a black bar, passing downwards 172 YELLOW-TUFTED BEE-EATER. on each side beyond the eyes in a pointed form : immediately behind each eye a yellow spot : tail long and cuneiform : bill and legs yellow. Native of New Holland, and said to be of a noisy chatter- ing disposition. YELLOW-TUFTED BEE-EATER. Merops fasciculatus. M. nigro-nitens, crisso fasciculoque axillari jlavis, cauda maxime cuneiformi, rectrice extima tota, proxima latere exteriore alba. Lath. ind. orn. Glossy-black Bee-Eater ? with yellow rump and axillary plumes, and greatly cuneiform tail, with the exterior feather entirely white and the next white on outside. Yellow-tufted Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. TOTAL length about fourteen inches; of which the tail measures half: general colour glossy black; head and throat covered with soft, short, pointed feathers : beneath each wing a large pendent tuft of yellow plumes : vent yellow : tail strongly cunei- form ; the two exterior feathers measuring about two inches, and the two middle ones seven ; these two feathers are edged and tipped with white : the rest are black : bill and legs black. Native of the Sandwich islands, where it is much esteemed on account of the tufts of yellow feathers beneath the wings, which are used in various ornamental articles of dress among the natives, and which might justify placing this species among a parti- cular division of the genus Certhia. 178 WATTLED BEE-EATER, Mcrops carunculatus. M. fuscus, abdomine flavo, palcaribus cariMCulat'iSy cauda cuneiformi apice alba. Lath. ind. orn. Brown Bee-Eater, with yellow abdomen, with reddish wattles beneath the bill, and cuneated tail with white tip. New-Holland Bee-Eater. Phill. Bot. Bay, pi. p. 164. Lath, ind. orn. Corvus paradoxus ? Daudin. orn. SIZE of a Missel Thrush, but much longer in proportion, measuring about fourteen inches : the feathers on the upper part of the head are some- what longer than the rest, giving the appearance of a slight crest: the plumage of the bird is brown, the feathers long and pointed, and each feather has a white longitudinal middle streak: beneath the eye on each side the head, beyond the base of the lower mandible, is a lengthened pendent wattle of an orange-colour : the middle of the belly is yellow: the tail wedge-shaped, like that of a Magpie, and the feathers tipped with white : the bill and legs are brown. In some individuals a silvery streak appears beyond each side of the bill, and in the young birds the white streaks on the plumage ter- minate in a kind of dilated spot at the tip of each feather. Native of New Holland; described and figured in White's Voyage to New South Wales. There can be little doubt that the Corpus paradoxus of Monsr. Daudin, already described under that genus, is in reality the same bird with the present. 174 MALIMBA BEE-EATER. Merops Malimbicus. M. cmereo~violaceus, subtus roseo-sangm- fieus, stria oculari nigra, gula alba, remigibus duabus elongatis. Cinereo violaceous Bee-Eater, sanguine rose-coloured beneath, with black eye-stripe, white throat, and two lengthened tail- feathers. Merops bicolor. M. supra atro-iiolaceus, subtus roseus mento albo, cauda longa et bifurcata. Daud>n. Ann. Mus. Merops Malimbicus. Malimba Bee-Eater. Nat. Misc. vol. \*f. THIS species is described by Monsr. Daudin, in the Annales du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle. Its length is about ten inches, and its extent of wings sixteen : the irides are red : the bill and legs black: the head and neck of a slate-grey colour ; the chin white ; the colour passing from the corners of the lower mandible in the form of a streak on each side the throat : the upper parts of the body, wings, and tail are of a vinaceous ash-colour ; but the quill-feathers blackish brown; and across the eyes runs a blackish brown stripe : the lower part of the throat, breast, belly, and thighs are of a fine deep or sanguine rose-colour, somewhat paler towards the vent : the two middle tail-feathers exceed the rest by about an inch and six lines, terminating in a narrow point or slightly webbed shaft, as in the Common Bee-Eater. This species is an inhabitant of Malimba in the kingdom of Congo in Africa, where however it only continues about three months in the year ; migrating in troops, flying with the swiftness of a Swallow, and principally RED-WINGED BEE-EATER. feeding on hymenopterous insects ; rarely perching on trees, nor even on the ground for any great length of time. When a troop of these birds has established itself in any particular spot, they are seen flying about for whole days together in pursuit of insects; after which they repose for a time on the nearly bare top of some tree, and then seek another spot well peopled with insects. RED-WINGED BEE-EATER. Merops erythropterus. M.fusco-'tiridis, sub t us albidus, remigibut rectricibusque rubris apice nigris, gula lutea. LatJi. ind. orn. Dusky-brown Bee-Eater, whitish beneath, with red wing and tail- feathers black at the tips, and luteous throat. Le Guepier rouge et vert du Senegal. Buf. ois. PI. Enl. 318. Red-winged Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED byBuffon from a specimen brought by Adanson from Senegal, of which country it is a native. Total length about six inches : colour of the crown, upper part of the neck, back, wing- coverts, and rump olive green : wings and tail dull red, with black or dusky tips : under parts, from the throat, dull white : throat yellow : behind each eye a dusky spot : tail even : bill and legs black. 176 YELLOW-THROATED BEE-EATER. Merops chrysocephalus. M. viridi-aureus, gula futea, sindpite superciliis corporeque subtus viridi-cceruleis, vertice cerviceqite aureo-rubris. LatK. ind. orn. Gold-green Bee-Eater, with luteous throat, blue-green forehead, brows, and under parts, and gold-red crown and nape. Le grand Guepier vert el bleu a gorge jaune. Buff. ois. Yellow-throated Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. THE length of this species, according to Buffon, is ten inches : the crown of the head and upper part of the neck bright golden red; the upper parts of the bird golden green : the throat bright yellow, bounded by brown : the forehead, eye- brows, and all the under parts from the throat, blue-green : the two middle tail-feathers near an inch longer than the rest. Native country not particularized. Described from a specimen brought by Sonnerat. ANGOLA BEE-EATER. Merops Angoleusis. M . viridi-nitens, subtus viridi-ccerulcus, gula lutea, jugulo castaneo, per oculos fascia cinerea nigro maculata. Lath. ind. orn. Glossy-green Bee-Eater, blue-green beneath, with luteous throat, chesnut under-neck, and a spotted grey and black eye-stripe. Le Petit Guepier vert et bleu a queue etagee. Buff, ois. Angola Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Brisson from a drawing by Monsr. Poivre : length five inches and a half: co- , Fleet Strstt . RED-THROATED BEE-EATER* 1?7 lour above green, accompanied by a slight gilded gloss : throat yellow : forepart of the neck chesnut ; remainder of the under parts blue : tail strongly cuneated : across the eyes a mixed black and grey stripe : bill black j legs ash-colour* Native of An- gola. RED- THROATED BBE-EATER* Merops gularis. M. niger, frunte uropygioque camlets, abdomine cceruleo maculato, gula rubra. Vivar. Nat. vol. 9. t. 33 J. Black Bee-Eater, with the forehead and rump blue, the abdomen spotted with blue ; the throat red. Nat. Misc. vol. 9. pi. 337. THIS beautiful species I have before described in the Naturalist's Miscellany. Its size is rather smaller than that of the Common Bee-Eater, and its prevailing colour the finest velvet-black : the forehead is of the richest blue, passing a little above and beyond the eyes on each side : the rump is also blue, rivalling that of the Kingfisher : the scapulars and two middle tail-feathers are edged, and the abdomen clouded or mottled with the same colour : the throat is of a bright blood-red, the larger wing-coverts and middle quill-feathers bor- dered with bright ferruginous : the tail is even at the end ; the bill and legs black. Native of Sierra Leona in Africa. v. vni. p. i. 12 178 CINEREOUS BEE-EATER. Mefops cinereus. M. cano-jlcwescens rubro inter mist us, rectridbus duabus mediis elongatis rubris. Yellowish grey Bee-Eater with a mixture of red ; the two middle tail-feathers lengthened and red. Avicula de Quauhcilui. Scb. mus. 1. 1. 31. f. 10. Le Guepier a tete grise. Euff. ois. Cinereous Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Seba. Size that of a Lark: total length nine inches : colour pale whitish grey with a cast of yellow, the feathers both on the body and wings being slightly edged with red: tail rather short, except the two middle feathers, which extend above two inches beyond the rest ; not in a pointed form, but of the same diameter throughout : these feathers are entirely red : the head is grey, but with a patch or streak of brown through the eyes; the bill green, and the legs grey. Seba describes it as a native of Mexico. EASTERN BEE-EATERv Merops Oriental is. M. viridis, rectridbus mediis elongatis, remi- gibus rubris apice nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Green Bee-Eater, with the two middle tail-feathers lengthened ; the quill-feathers dull red with black tips. Eastern Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. DESCRIBED by Dr. Latham from a specimen in the British Museum. " Size of the Red- Winged WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATER. 1?9 Bee-Eater : the general colour dull green : the fea- thers rather full : quills red, but not bright : the outer edges of them dull green with black tips : tail green : the two middle feathers produced be- yond the others, where they are narrow and black, as far as they exceed them : said to come from the Mahratta country in India." WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATER. Merops Albifrons. M. rufus subtus albidus, capite supra nigro, fronte nivea, rcmigibus rectricibusque ccerulescentibus albo macu- latis. Rufous Bee-Eater whitish beneath, with snow-white forehead, and blueish wing and tail-feathers spotted with white. Merops albifrons. M. rufus subtus albidus, capite supra nigro, fronte nivea, remigibus rectricibusque maculatis. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. White-fronted Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. THIS is about eight inches in length : the body is of an elegant rufous-brown above ; the forehead, and all the under parts white; but the shafts of the feathers both on the upper and under parts of the bird are black: the crown of the head and cheeks are also black, and the sides of the body beneath the wings marked with five dark blueish bands : the quill-feathers and tail are pale blue, spotted with white : the bill and legs yellowish brown. The supposed female is described as of duller colours; having the crown and cheeks brown instead of black ; and the wings and tail varied with brown and dull yellow. Native of New Holland. 180 OLIVACEOUS BEE-EATER. Merops olivaceus. M. olivaceus remigibtis caudague subfuscisf subtus ofanceo-flavescens, super ciliia flams, cauda oequali. Olivaceous Bee-Eater with brownish wings and tail, beneath yel- lowish-olivaceous, with yellow brows and even tail. Le Proraerops olivatre. ViellotProm.pl. 5. DESCRIBED and figured by Monsr. Viellot, who considers it as a new species. Length seven inches : head and all the upper parts olivaceous, browner on the wings and tail : all the under parts pale yellowish or whitish olive, growing almost white towards the vent ; across the eyes, or rather be- neath, on each side the head, a yellow streak : tail even : bill and legs brown ; the exterior toe con- nected, as far as the first joint, to the middle one. Native of the Southern isles. GOLDEN-WINGED BEE-EATER. Merops ebrysopterus. M. fuscus, macula alarum fulva, remigi~ bus rectricibusque exterioribus apice albis. Lath. ind. orn. suppL Brown Bee-Eater, with a fulvous spot on the wings, and the ex- terior wing and tail-feathers tipped with white. Golden-winged Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. DESCRIBED from a drawing: size uncertain; general colour brown, the shafts of the feathers very pale : greater quill-feathers darker than the RED-HEADED BEE EATER. 181 others: four or five of the exterior ones orange- yellow in the middle part, with white tips: tail strongly cuneated, and tipped with white, except on the two middle feathers : bill and legs black. Native of New South Wales. BLACK-EARED BEE-EATER. Merops auritus. M. corpore supra rufo, subtus albido, striga pone oculos remigibus rectricibusqitc nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Rufous Bee-Eater, whitish beneath, with black eye-stripe, wings and tail. Black-eared Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. LENGTH about seven inches: bill and legs brown: colour of the upper parts pale rufous brown: quill- feathers black: tail dusky: colour of the under parts white, the abdomen and thighs spotted with black: and behind each eye is a broad, black, pointed streak. Native of New Holland. RED-HEADED BEE-EATER. V i '- V - :•;. ?- * )' • r Merops erythrocephalus. M. viridis, subtusjlavicans, capite rubro, fascia oculari nigra, gula lutea. Green Bee-Eater, yellowish beneath, with red head, black eye- stripe, and yellow throat. Apiaster Indicus erythrocephalus. Briss. ois. Guepier a tete rouge. Buff. ois. Red-headed Bee-Eater. Lath. A SMALL species, described by Brisson from a drawing by Monsr. Poivre. Length six inches : 182 RUFOUS BEE-EATER. crown of the head and upper part of the neck bright red : across the eyes a black streak : all the upper parts of the bird fine green : the throat and under parts yellow, but slightly dashed, from the throat downwards, with red : tail even at the end, and rather short: irides red: bill black; legs brown. Native of Angola. RUFOUS BEE-EATER. Merops rufus. M. rvfus, subtus rufo-Jlavicans, remigibus fuscis extus rvfis. Lath. ind. orn. Rufous Bee-Eater, beneath yellowish rufous, with brown quill- feathers rufous on the edges. Le Fournier de Buenos Ayres. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 739. Rufous Bee-Eater. Lath. syn. DESCRIBEP by Commerson : length about eight inches and a half, colour rufous, deepest on the upper parts, and inclining to pale yellow beneath : the larger quill-feathers brownish : the tail slightly rounded at the end : the bill and legs, according to the Planches Enluminees, yellowish brown. It is observed by BufFon, that as the toes in this spe- cies are not united, as in the rest of the genus, it seems to form as it were a connecting link or shade between the BeeJEaters and the Hoopoes or Pro* jneropes. 183 KNOB-FRONTED BEE-EATER. Merops corniculatus. M. fuscus, capite corpore subtus apicequc caudce albis, corniculo frontali obtuso. Brown Bee-Eater, with the head, under parts of the body, and tip of tail white, and obtuse frontal horn. Merops corniculatus. M . fuscus, capite nudiusculo, corpore subtus rectricibusque apice albidis, corniculo frontali obtuso. Lath. ind. orn. Knob-fronted Bee-Eater. White's Voy. Bot. Bay, p. 190. Le Corbi Calao. Levaill. Cal. pi. 24- DESCRIBED and figured in Mr. White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. It is about the size of a Blackbird, or rather larger : the plumage brown above, and white beneath: the head and upper part of the neck sparingly covered with nar- row white feathers, almost like hairs ; but the fore part of the neck and breast are furnished with long ones, of a white colour with a dark middle streak, and pointed at the ends : the tail is pretty long, and the feathers tipped with white : the bill about an inch in length, and pale; but what is most re- markable is that on the forehead, just at the base of the bill, is a short blunt knob, about a quarter of an inch in height, and of a brownish colour : the tongue is nearly of the length of the bill, and bristly at the end: the legs are dark brown. Monsr. Levaillant, who has figured this species in his work 184 KNOB-FRONTED BEE-EATER. entitled Histoire Naturelle d'Oiseaux Nouveaux tt rares de rAmerique et des Indes, with singular infelicity of arrangement, considers it as belong- ing to the genus Buceros. ! ! ! 185 CERTHIA. CREEPER. Generic Character. flostrum arcuatum, tenue, acntum. Lingua variis varia. Pcdes ambulatorii. Cauda pennis duodecim. Lath. ind. orn. Bill bowed, slender, sharp- pointed. Tongue differing in different species. Feet formed for walking. Tail consisting of twelve feathers. HE numerous genus Certhia, which seems to be generally diffused over all parts of the globe, is principally distinguished from that of Trochilus or Humming-Bird by the structure of the tongue, which in the Creepers is generally of a lengthened form, divided into several processes or filaments at the extremity; while in the Humming-Birds it rather resembles a long double tube, the end of which is also sometimes divided into filaments as in the Creepers. In the splendor and variety of 186 COMMON CREEPER. their colours the Creepers rival the Humming- Birds, to which they are so nearly allied that in some of the smaller species the distinction between the two genera becomes somewhat obscure. The general food of the Creepers consists of insects, while many of the smaller species extract likewise the juices of flowers in the manner of the Humming- Birds. To this must be added, that the alliance between this genus and the preceding one of Me- rops is very close, and that some species might with almost equal propriety be ranked in either genus. COMMON CREEPER. Certhia familiaris. C. castanea nigro albidoque variaf subtus alba, cauda subfulva rectricibus acuminatis. Chesnut Creeper varied with black and whitish, beneath white, with subfulvous pointed tail. Certhia familiaris. C. grisea subtus alba, remigibus fuscis decem macula alba, rectricibus deccm. ' Lin. Syst. Nat. Certhia. Gesn. Aldr. tell. Will. fyc. Common Creeper. Perm. Brit. Zool. Lath. syn. fyc. $c. Le Grimpereau. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 681. /. 1. Vidl. Certh. pi. 72. " THE Creeper, says Mr. Pennant, weighs only five drams, and next to the Crested Wren, is the least of the British birds. The manner it has of ruffling its feathers, and their length, give it a much larger appearance than is real. The length of this bird is five inches and a half; the breadth CHEEPED COMMON CREEPER. 18? seven and a half: the bill is hooked, like a sickle : the irides hazel : the legs slender : the toes and claws very long, to enable it to creep up and down the bodies of trees in search of insects, which are its food. It breeds in hollow trees, and lays some- times twenty eggs. The head and upper part of the neck are brown, streaked with black*: the rump is tawny : the coverts of the wings are varie- gated with brown and black : the quill-feathers dusky, tipped with white, and barred with tawny marks : the breast and belly are of a silvery white: the tail is very long, and consists of twelve stiff feathers, notwithstanding Mr. Willughby and other ornithologists give it but ten : they are of a tawny hue, and the interior ends slope off to a point." In the particular of the eggs Mr. Pennant seems to have somewhat too implicitly followed the ac- counts of Belon and the rest of the older ornitho- logists ; and, as the Count de Buffon observes, it is not improbable that the Creeper has sometimes been confounded with those prolific birds the Tit- mice. The general number of eggs laid by the Creeper is five or seven : they are ash-coloured, with deeper spots and streaks. The Creeper is generally seen engaged in climb- ing up and down the bodies and limbs of trees in quest of insects. It makes its nest either in a hole, or behind the bark of some decayed tree, com- posing it, according to the observations of Colonel * Or rather, according to Willughby, fox-coloured with white streaks. 188 GREEN CREEPER. Montagu, of dry grass and the inner bark of wood, Joosely put together, and lined with small feathers; and during the time of incubation the female is fed by the male whenever she quits her nest for food. The note of the Creeper is monotonous and weak, being repeated several times, in a deliberate manner, and is rarely heard in winter: at this season the bird is constantly active in quest of food; chiefly consisting of the larvae of insects found under moss, and in the crevices of the bark of trees. VAR.? GREATER CREEPER. This is said to resemble the Common Creeper in all respects except in being something larger, and is found in some parts of Germany. GREEN CREEPER. Certhia viridis. C. virescens, subtus Jlavo varia, lateribus colli vitta cceruka, gula macula rvfa. Lath. ind. orn. Scop. ann. 1. No. 60. Greenish Creeper, varied with yellow beneath, with a blue stripe on each side the neck, and a rufous spot on the throat. Green Creeper. Lath. syn. THIS is described by Scopoli, who does not ven- ture to pronounce it specifically different from the { EE I' r-; K , WALL CREEPER. 189 Common Creeper, which it nearly resembles in size, but is of a greenish colour above, and pale yellow beneath with a mixture of green: ou each side the neck is a blue streak, descending from the base of the bill, and on the throat a rufous spot : the quill-feathers are brown with green edges, and the tail greenish brown. k Tills remarkable variety, if such it be, and not rather a distinct species, is a native of the Dutchy of Camiola in Austria. WALL CREEPER. Certhia muraria. C. cinerea, alls caudaque nigris, tectricibus roseis, rcmigibus roseo margmatis. Cinereous Creeper, with black wings and tail ; the coverts rose- coloured ; the quills edged with rose-colour. Certhia muraria. C. cinera, macula alarvmfulva. Lin. Syst. Nat. Picus mu rar ins. Gesn. Aldr. Will. fyc. Grimpereau de imuaille. Buf. vis. PI. Enl. 3/2. Viett. Certh. pL 73. Wall Creeper. Lath. syn. Edw. pi. 36*1. THIS very elegant species, which is principally found in the warmer parts of Europe, is consider- ably larger than the Common Creeper, measuring about six inches arid three quarters in total length: its colour is deep blueish grey, somewhat darker beneath: the wing-coverts and middle quill-feathers black, the smallest or those nearest the body edged with white : the tail short and black, with the two exterior feathers on each side tipped with white ; 190 WALL CREEPER. the bill rather long in proportion to the bird, slen- der, slightly curved, and of a black colour, as are likewise the legs. The male is distinguished from the female by a broad longitudinal black stripe on the throat. The Wall Creeper is considered as one of the rarer European birds, and its principal residence seems to be in Italy and Spain, where it is ob- served to frequent ruins, creeping about the walls of old buildings, &c. in quest of insects, and parti- cularly spiders. It is of a solitary disposition, as- sociating only with its mate, and has a loud, but not unpleasing note. According to Aldrovandus it is not uncommon in the territory of Bologna in Italy, flying in the manner of a Hoopoe ; almost always shaking its wings like that bird ; never resting long in a place, and building in the holes of walls. The best figures of this species are those of Bris- son and the Planches Enluminees. CE v, K i 191 SPLENDID CREEPER. Certhia splendida. C. aureo-viridi-chalybea, alls caudaque nigris, fascia pectorali rubra, pen/us uropygiijibroso-elongatis. Steel-blue and gold-green Creeper, with black wings and tail, red pectoral bar, and fibrose-elongated uropygial plumes. Certhia lotenia. ? C. cacruka, fascia pectorali rubro-aurca, loris atris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Soui-manga a plumes soyeuses. Viell. Certk. t. 82. L'Eclatant. Viell. Ctrtk. t. 2. African Creeper. Far. C. Lath, suppl. THE length of this highly beautiful species is rather more than five inches : the bill and legs are black: the head and throat deep violet-blue, with a gloss of gold on the crown : upper part of the neck, back, wing-coverts, and tail-coverts of a deep but very brilliant golden green j the feathers of a fibrous nature, and the tail-coverts in particular stretching to a greater extent over the tail than in most other species : across the middle of the breast runs a bright-red bar, beyond which the abdomen and thighs are of the same deep violet-blue colour as the breast : the wings and tail are black. Native of Africa. This species is considerably allied to the Certhia Afra of Linnaeus, of which it is even considered as a variety by Dr. Latham. 192 ATRICAN CREEPER. Certhia Afra. C. aureo-viridis, remigibus caudaque fuscis, fascia pectorali rubra, abdomine albo, uropygio carulco. Gold-green Creeper, with brown wings and tail, red pectoral bar, white belly, and blue rump. Certhia Afra. C. viridis, abdomine albo, pectore rubro, uropygio caeruleo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Red-breasted Green Creeper. Ediu.pl. 347. Soui-manga vert a gorge rouge. Buff. ois. African Creeper. Lath. syn. THIS species has long ago been described and figured by Edwards under the name of the Red- breasted Green Creeper, and measures about four inches and three-quarters in length. " The bill, says Edwards, is pretty long, and bowed down- ward : it is of a dusky colour, as are the legs and feet: the head, neck, back, and covert-feathers of the wings are of a shining- green, reflecting glosses like burnished gold and copper-colour: the coverts on the upper side of the tail are of a fine blue : the greater wing-feathers and the tail, which hath twelve feathers, are of a dark brown colour, the edges of the feathers being a little lighter: the in- sides of the wings and under side of the tail of a lighter brown than they are above : the middle of the breast is covered with fine red feathers: the belly, thighs, and coverts beneath the tail are of a light brown or ash-colour, almost white beneath the tail." This bird is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, where it is found in woody situations, SUPERB CREEPER. 193 and is not less admired for its song than its plu- mage, being considered by some as even superior to the nightingale. SUPERB CREEPER. Certhia superba. C. aureo-viridis, alls caudaque fuscis, gula violacea aureo-fasciata, pectore abdominequefusco-phoeniceis. Gold-green Creeper, with hrowii wings and tail, violet throat with golden band, and dusky-crimson breast and abdomen. Le Sougnimbindou. VklL et Aud. Certh. pi. 22. THIS most elegant bird is described in the mag- nificent work of Mons. Viellot. Its length is six inches: the crown of the head, upper part of the neck, smaller wing-coverts, back, and rump are bright green-gold : the throat violet blue, glossed with gold: across the upper part of the breast runs a bar of bright gilded yellow^ beneath which the whole under parts are deep brownish crimson: the wings and tail blackish brown; the bill black, and the legs brown. This species was discovered in Malimba in Africa by Mons. Perrein, and is one of the rarest as well as most beautiful of the present genus. v. vnr. p. i. 13 194 ANGALAD1AN CREEPER. Certhia Angaladiana. C.viridi-aurea, abdomine remigibus can* daque nigris, fascia pectorali violacea. Gold-green Creeper, with black abdomen, quill-feathers and tail, and violet pectoral baud. Certhia Lotenia ? ? Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. L'Angala-dian. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 575. f. 2. 3. Aud. et Vidl. Certh.pl. 3.4. Loten's Creeper. Lath. 6yn. VERY much allied in point of size and habit to the Splendid Creeper, but differs in its colours, having the head, neck, breast, back, rump, and wing-coverts gold-green, the wings and tail black, and the abdomen deep or velvet-black, while across the breast, separating it from the black abdomen, runs a glossy steel-blue band : the bill and legs are black. The female is said to differ in being brown above, with the throat dull gold-green, and the abdomen ash-colour. In the System a Naturas Linnaeus describes the Certhia Lotenia as having a bright red bar across the breast. It is not therefore very improbable that the Splendid Creeper of the present work may be the Linnsean Certhia Lotenia, since it is distinguished by the characteristic which forms a conspicuous feature in the Linnsean character of that bird, viz. the bright red bar across the breast; while on the other hand it by no means agrees with the supposed Linnsean Certhia Lotenia of other writers. , Mfet Strrft . AMETHYST-THROATEtf CREEPER. Certhia Ametbystina. C. subviolaceo-nigra, vcrtice viridi-aureo, gula ttropygioquc arncthystinis. Subviolaceous'black Creeper, with gold-green crown, and ame* thyst throat and rump. JLe Soui-mauga a front dore. Vitll. Certh, pi. J. 0. SIZE and habit of Lolenian Creeper: colour velvet-black, with a slight gloss of violet : forehead gold-green: throat bright violet or amethyst-co- lour, with a changeable cast of blue: rump of similar colour: tips of the shoulders steel-blue: bill and legs black. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. In its young state this species is said to be brown above, and pale ash-coloured beneath, spotted with brown ; the forehead and throat as in the advanced bird, but less bright. 196 COLLARED CREEPER, Certhia chalybea. C. viridi-aurea, remigibus caudaque fuscis pectore rubro, fascia antica chalybea. Green-gold Creeper, with brown wings and tail, and red breast bounded above by a steel-blue bar. Certhia chalybea. C. viridis nitens, pectore rubro, fascia antica chatybea. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Soui-manga a collier. Buff. ois. PL Enl. 246. f. 3. Collared Creeper. Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga a collier. Vidl. Certh. pi. 13. pi. 10. pi. IS? pi. 80. Certhia Capensis. Lin. Syst. Nat. an avis junior ? LENGTH about four inches and a half: head, neck, breast, smaller wing-coverts, and back, gold- green, accompanied by a gloss of copper : across the lower part of the breast, immediately beneath the gold-green colour, a moderately broad, double bar, the uppermost of which is bright violet or steel-blue, and the lower bright red : abdomen and thighs grey-brown : wings and tail dusky brown ; bill and legs black : beneath each wing a tuft of yellow plumes. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, feeding on small insects and the honey of flowers, and said to have a very fine note. The violet or upper bar of the breast is not always dis- tinct: the female is grey-brown, paler beneath, as is also the young, which latter seems to be the Certhia Capensis of Linnaeus. Mons. Viellot, in his splendid work on this genus, figures a specimen a trifle larger in size, tfoui mcuwa ff ml tier \ • r K PJ^E CKEEFBB . fmnt Edn -fird? pi ?tf5* v CMearslf\ . fleet Sti-i ORANGE-BANDED CREEPER. 197 under the name of Soui-Manga a ceinture bleue. It seems however to be no other than a variety of the Collared Creeper, with the red bar wider than usual. VAR. ? ORANGE-BANDED CREEPER. Le Soui-manga a ceinture orang^e. Vicll. Certh. pi. 34. LENGTH about three inches and three quarters : colour of the head, neck, breast, smaller wing- coverts, and back deep gold-green with violet gloss on the face: a glossy band of deep steel-blue passes across the breast, beneath which is a reddish orange-coloured bar: remainder of the under parts black, but deep green for some little distance be- low the orange bar: wings and tail deep brown: beneath the wings a yellow tuft : bill and legs black. Native region unknown: described and figured in the work of Mons. Viellot from a spe- cimen in the Paris Museum. 198 VAR. ? BIFASCIATED CREEPER. Certhia bifasciata. C. mridi-aurea, remigibus, abdominc caudaque fuscO'nigricantibw, fascia pectorali rubra antice chalybea. Green-gold Creeper, with blackrfrrown quill-feathers, belly and tail, and red pectoral bar bounded above by a steel-blue one. Le Soui-manga vert et brun. VielL Certh. pi. 24. LENGTH about four inches and three quarters: general appearance greatly resembling that of the Collared Creeper, of which it might even, accord- ing to Mons. Viellot, pass for a variety, but dif- fers in the deeper cast of its plumage, the colour of the abdomen, and in the total want of the tuft of yellow plumes under the wings : the head, neck, throat, upper part of the breast, and beginning of the back are deep green-gold, which colour on the breast sinks into violet-blue, and is terminated by a deep-red band : the wings, tail, and belly are deep brown : bill and legs black. Native of the country of Malimba in Africa, where it is very common. 199 HOODED CREEPER. Certhia cucullata. C. olivaceo-ccerulesccns, subtus sublutea, rcmi- gibus rectricibus cuculloque frontali adpectus utrinque desccndente nigris. Olivaceo-caerulescent Creeper, subluteous beneath, with Wack quill and tail-feathers, and black frontkt descending on each side the breast. Certhia tenuirostris. C. dorso clnerco, abdominc rufo, capillitio iunula gulae remigibus rectricibusque nigris. Lath, ind orn. wippl. Slender-billed Creeper. Lath. syn. suppt. 2. Le Cap-noir. Viell. pi. 60. THIS elegant species was described and figured by myself for the work of Mons. Viellot. Its length is about six inches and a half, and its colour on the back and wing-coverts fine blue-grey, in- clining to olive on the upper part near the neck : the crown of the head is black, the colour de- scending on each side the neck in form of a long and moderately broad stripe : the throat and upper part of the breast are yellowish white, with a blackish crescent across the former, pointing upwards : the lower part of the breast, abdomen, and vent are orange-coloured : the quill and tail- feathers black, but the latter whitish beneath : the bill is longish, slender, and black, and the leg* brown. Native of New Holland* 200 GREEN-GOLD CREEPER. Certhia omnicolor. C. viridi-aurata, variis coloribus nitens. Lath. ind. orn. Green-gold Creeper, with various-coloured glosses. Avis Ceylonica omnicolor. Seb. mus. 1. 1. 69. f. 5. Certhia omnicolor. Lin. Gmel. Green-gold Creeper. Lath. syn. THIS dubious species is figured, and very slightly described, in the work of Seba, who tells us that it is green, with varying reflexions of all colours, and accompanied by rich golden glosses. Ac- cording to the Sloanian coloured copy of Seba, in the British Museum, it measures about eight inches in length, and is of a bright bluejsh-green above, glossed with gold: the wings and under parts darker, or dusky grass-green with similar glosses: the bill pretty much curved, sharp- pointed, and, together with the legs, greenish brown. Seba adds, that its young sometimes fall a prey to the great wood-spider, (Aranea avicularia. Lin.) 201 COPPER CREEPER. Certhia cuprea. C. aureo-cuprea, riolaceo viridique nitens, abdomine atro, remigibus caudaquejusvis. Golden-copper Creeper, with green and violet glosses, black ab- domen, and brown wines and tail. Certhia aenea. C. ex viridi oric/ialcea, alisfuliginosisj cauda atro- nitcntc, remigibus rectricibusque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Sparrm. Mus. Carls, fasc. 4. t. 78. Le Soui-manga tricolor. Viell. Certh. pi. 23. Cupreous Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. LENGTH about five inches: head, neck, begin- ning of the breast, back, rump, and tail-coverts red- dish copper-colour, with gilded violet and green reflexions, according to the direction of thejight: under parts of the bird, from the breast, deep black: wings and tail brown: bill and legs dusky. Native of Malimba and other parts of Africa. PURPLED CREEPER. Certhia purpurata. C. purpureo-violacea viridi nitens, fascia pec- turali punicea, remigibus caudaque nigricantibus t rostro majusculo. Purple-violet Creeper, with dark-red, pectoral bar, blackish quill* feathers and tail, and largish bill. Purple Indian Creepers. Edw. pi. 265. Soui-manga pourpre. Buff. ois. VielL Certh. pi. 11. THIS, which has sometimes been confounded with the Collared Creeper, is most evidently a very SENEGAL CREEPER. distinct species. It is about four inches and a half Jong, with a very crooked bill, somewhat stouter than in most of the small Creepers, and is of a deep violet-purple colour, slightly glossed on some parts with green: the wings dusky brown, and the tail black ; across the breast is a double bar, the uppermost of which is violet, glossed with green; the lowermost deep red; and on each side the body, beneath the shoulders, hangs a tuft of yellow plumes, a circumstance common to many birds of this genus : the bill and legs are black. Native of India. The specimen figured by Ed- wards appears to have wanted the red bar across the breast. Edwards also figures another specimen, which differs in no other respect than in being a very trifle smaller, and in having the bill some- what less stout: this he supposes the female; but it is more probably a young male. This species may be readily distinguished from the Collared Creeper by its purple colour, as well as by the comparatively indistinct appearance of the red pec- toral or abdominal bar, which in Edwards's spe- cimen seems very obscure, and is not even mention- ed in his description. 203 BLUE-HEADED CREEPER. Certhia cyanocephala. C. olivacea, subtus griseaf capite collopec- toreque violaceo-cceruleis nitentibus. Olive Creeper, with glossy violet-blue head, neck and breast. Le Soui-manga a tete bleue. Viell. Certh. pi. 7. LENGTH about five inches : head, neck, and throat fine violet-blue, with changeable reflexions: remainder of the bird, on the upper parts, olive; on the under deep ash-colour: bill and legs black: beneath the wings a yellow tuft. Native of Ma- limba in the kingdom of Congo in Africa. CEYLONESE CREEPER, Gerthia Zeylooica. C.fusca, subtus jtat:a, gtila pcctorequc azureis. Brown Creeper, yellow beneath, with azure throat and breast. Certhia Zeylonica. C. pileo viridi, dursoferrugineo, abdominejlaio, gula uropygioque azureis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Ceylonese Creeper. Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga a gorge bleue. VidL Certh. pi. 2p, 30. FEMINA? Certhia Philippina. C. (rtctricibus duabiis intermediis longissimisj corpore subgriseo virescente, subtus alba-JlaTesccnte. Lath. ind» orn. Lin. Gmel. Philippine Creeper. Lath. syn. LENGTH about four inches: colour on the upper parts brown : throat and breast fine violet-blue : £04 BROWN AND WHITE CREEPER. belly and vent yellow : bill black ; legs brown. In the specimen described by Linnaeus the crown of the head was green. Native of the Philippine isles. The female is olive-brown above, and dull yellow beneath, without any appearance of blue on the throat, and is according to Monsieur Viellot, the Certhia Philippma of the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Naturas of Linnaeus, and the Philippine Creeper of Latham ; and though described as having the two middle tail-feathers elongated, Mr. V. appears to think that a mistake must have been made in that particular. BROWN AND WHITE CREEPER. Certhia dubia. Certhia fusca, pileo humwisque viridibus, abdominc albo. Brown Creeper, with green crown and shoulders, and white ab- domen. Ceylonese Creeper, var. A. Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga brun et blanc. VidL Certh.pl. 81. LENGTH rather more than four inches: crown of the head, to some little distance below the eyes, and beginning of the throat, green, as are also the smaller wing-coverts: neck, back, and wings brown : rump purplish: tail black: under parts, from the neck, white: under part of the tail pale ash-colour: bill dusky, with the base of the lower mandible whitish: legs dusky. This bird is ranked by Dr. Latham as a variety of the Ceylonese Creeper, to SENEGAL CREEPER. 205 which Monsieur Viellot cannot consider it as at all allied; but regards it as the young of some widely different species. The specimen is in the British Museum. SENEGAL CREEPER. Certhia Senegalensis. C. nigro-violacea, alls caudaque fuscis, ver- lice gulaque viridi-aureisy pectore cocdneo viridi-aureo undulato. Violet-black Creeper, with brown wings and tail, gold-green crown and throat, and scarlet breast with gold-green un- dulations. Certhia Senegalensis. C. nigricans, gutture viridi-nitente, pectore purpures. Lin. Syst. Nat. Senegal Creeper. Mus. Lev. No. 3. Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga violet a poitrine rouge. Vicll. Certh. pi. 8. THIS species I have myself long ago described in the work entitled Museum Leverianum. It is highly distinguished by the splendour and variety of its colours, and measures nearly five inches in length. The back. of the neck, upper part of the sides, and lower part of the abdomen are of a deep velvet-black: the wings and tail brown, with a slight ferruginous cast : the upper part of the head bright gold-green : the throat the same, but on the part immediately beneath the lower mandible somewhat more obscure than on the sides: at each corner of the beak is an oblong black spot: the breast and upper part of the belly of the most vivid crimson, transversly undulated with numerous blueish-green streaks : this appearance is owing to 206 RED-BREASTED CREEPER. the feathers being widely tipped with crimson, while the middle is blueish green-gold, and the base nearly black : the beak is moderately curved, and of a black colour, as are also the legs. Na- tive of Senegal. The bird figured at plate 9/ of the superb work of Monsieur Viellot, under the title of Soui-manga raye, seems to be the female of this species, and differs from the male in being of a ferruginous brown colour, with the breast and belly varied by transverse yellowish white undulations, each feather being tipped with that colour. RED-BREASTED CREEPER. Certliia sperata. G. subferruginca, vertice humerisque viridi-aureis, gula uropygioque riolaceis, pectore abdomineque rubris. Subferruginous Creeper, with gold-green crown and shoulders, violet throat and rump, and red breast and belly. Certhia sperata. C. purpurea, subtus coccinea, capite gula uropy- gioque violaceis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Soui-manga marron-pourpre a poitrine rouge. Ruff. ois. Pl.Enl.246.f. 1.2. Red-breasted Creeper. Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga a gorge violette. Viell. Certh. pi. 32. Le Soui-manga a ceinture marron. Viell. Certh. pi. l6. Certhia aurantia. ? Lath. ind. orn. Orange-breasted Creeper. ? Lath. syn. LENGTH about four inches : crown of the head and smaller wing-coverts green-gold : throat gild- ed violet ; neck, and upper part of the back ferru- LITTLE BROWN AND WHITE CREEPER. ginous: throat and rump glossy violet : breast and belly red, paler as it descends; wings brown; tail blackish brown: bill and legs black. This species appears to vary considerably in the cast of its co- lours, the breast in some specimens being purplish red, and the belly yellow. The female is said to be olive-green above, and olive yellow beneath, and has the two exterior tail-feathers on each side tip- ped with grey. Native of the Philippine isles. The Orange-breasted Creeper of Dr. Latham can surely be no other than a variety of this species. VAR.? .LITTLE BROWN AND WHITE CREEPER* Certhia pusilla. C. cupreo-fasca subtus alba, cauda nigricante, superdliis apicibusque rectricum exteriorum albis. Copper-brown Creeper, white beneath, with blackish tail; tire eyebrows and tips of the outer tail-feathers white. Certhia pusilla. C. grisea subtus alba, superdliis candidis, rcctri- tibusfuscis apice albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Ped-breasted Creeper. Var. A, Lath, syn* LENGTH three inches and a half: colour above copper-brown, beneath white: above each eye a white streak, and from the bill to each eye a dark one: the exterior tail-feather on each side slightly tipped with white: bill and legs brown. Native of the East Indies? This by Dr. Latham is consider- ed as a variety of the Red-Breasted Creeper. 208 VIOLET-THROATED CREEPER. Certhia affinis. C. purpureo-castanea, fronte hwneris uropygioquc viridi-aureis, gula violacea, pectore abdomineque rubris. Purple-chesnut Creeper, with green-gold forehead, shoulders and rump, violet throat, and red breast and belly. Le Soui-manga a gorge violette. ViclL Cert/i. PL 32. LENGTH near four inches: forehead, smaller wing- coverts, and rump green- gold : throat bright violet: breast and belly bright red : thighs and vent yellow: back part of head and upper part of back purplish chesnut : wings and tail olive-brown. Native of the Philippine isles. In reality, this species seems to be no other than the Certhia sperata. VIOLET CREEPER. Certhia Madagascariensis. C. aureo-olivacea, remigibus caudaque fastis, pectore cceruleo ferrugineo fuscoque fasciato, abdomine jiavescente. Gold-olive Creeper, with brown wings and tail, breast barred with blue ferruginous and brown, and yellowish belly. Certhia Madagascariensis. C. otivaceo-viridis nit ens, pectore fusco c&ruleo castaneoque fasdato, abdomine Jlavescente, hwneris macula fulva. Lath. ind. orn. Certhia Madagascariensis violacea. Briss. orn. Le So ui manga. Buff", ois. Violet Creeper. Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga. Viell. Certh.pl. 18. LENGTH about four inches: head, neck, begin- ning of the back, smaller wing-coverts, and upper VIOLET CREEPER. 209 part of the breast green-gold, with a changeable gloss of violet, especially on the breast : across the lower part of the breast a reddish-chesnut bar, and immediately beneath that a brown one : belly pale yellow: wings and tail brown: beneath the wings a yellow tuft. Native of Madagascar. The female is said to be somewhat smaller than the male, of an olive-brown above, and olive-yellow beneath. Monsieur Montbeillard, in Buffon's Or- nithology, mentions a variety of this species, in which the throat, neck, and breast are steel-blue, with green reflexions, and in which the bands are four in number, viz. the lowest violet-black, the next marroon, the third brown, and the fourth yellow. In the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Naturae it is considered as a distinct species, under the name of Certhia Manillensis. It may be added, that the Violet Creeper seems so nearly allied to the Certhia chalybea or Collared Creeper, as to leave a doubt whether it may not belong to the same species. V. VIII. P. Jr 14 210 BEAUTIFUL CREEPER, Certhia pulcbella. C. viridi-aurea, pectorc aurantio-rubro, remi~ gibus caudaquefuscis, rectric.ibus duabus mediis dongatis. Green-gold Creeper, with orange-red breast, and brown wings and tail, with the two middle tail-feathers elongated. Certhia pulchella. C. rectricibus duabus intermediis longissimis, corpore viridi-nitente, pectore rubro. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Soui-manga vert dore changeant a longue queue. Buff. ois. Pl.Enl.67V.f. 1. Le petit Soui-manga a longue queue. ViclL Certh. pi. 40. Beautifiil Creeper. Lath. syn. AN elegant species: length about seven inches and a quarter: colour green-gold, glossed with copper; but the breast orange-red: the wings brown, and the tail, which is strongly cuneiform, blackish brown, edged with gold-green; the two middle feathers greatly surpassing the length of the rest. Native of Senegal. V':iO]L.ET-ELEA33E13 211 VIOLET-HEADED CREEPER. Certbia violacca. C. aureo-viridi-violacea, pectorc abdomineque uurantiisj rcmigibus caudaque fuscis, rectricibus duabus mediis tlongatis. Violet Creeper with green-gold gloss, orange breast and belly, brown quill and tail-feathers, the two middle of the latter elongated. Certhia violaeea. C. rectricibus duabus l&ngissimis, corporc vio- laceo-nitente, pcctore abdomincque lutds. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Certhia crocata. C. olivaceo-fusca, capite aurco-viridi, gula vio- lacco-chalybca, pectore abdomineque creeds, rectricibus duabus intermediis elongatis. Fivar. Nat. vol. 6. Le Soui-manga a longue queue et a chaperon violet. "Buff. ois. PI Eid. 670. f. 2. Le Soui-manga a capuchon violet. Fife//. Certh. pi. 3Q. Violet-headed Creeper. Lath. syn. IN all respects, except in size, which is some- what smaller, this species is extremely allied to the immediately preceding. Its length is rather more than six inches: the head, neck, upper part of the back, scapulars, and smaller wing-coverts are bright violet, appearing glossed with gold-green in particular lights; except in front of the neck, which appears of a deep glossy blue : lower part of the back, rump, wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail olive-brown: breast, belly, and under tail- coverts bright orange, paler near the vent: tail even, but the two middle feathers far longer than the rest. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, re- siding in woods, and said to build a nest of peculiar SHINING CREEPER. elegance. In a specimen of this bird in the Leve- rian Museum, and figured in the sixth volume of the Naturalist's Miscellany, the head was deep but bright gold-green, without any violet-colour, but across the upper part of the breast was a deep steel-blue or violet bar. I have in that work de- scribed it under the title of Certhia crocata or Saffron Creeper. I must add that though this species is generally described as somewhat smaller than the preceding, yet Monsr. Viellot's figure repre- sents it as larger. In reality it may be doubted whether the Certhia pulchella and violacea be truly distinct. SHINING CREEPER. Certhia iamosa. C. cupreo-viridis, loris nigris, alis caudaque nigricantibuS) rectricibus duabus mediis longissimis. Copper-green Creeper, with black lores, blackish wings and tail, with the two middle tail-feathers greatly elongated. Certhia famosa. C. rectricibus duabus intermediis longissimis, corpore viridi-nitente, axillis luteis, loris nigris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Certhia Formosa. Vivar. Nat. vol. 1. Le grand Soui-manga vert a longue queue. Buff", ois. PI. Enf 83 ./. 1 . Vidl. Certh. pi. 37. Famous Creeper. Lath. syn. Cinereous Creeper. Lath. syn. perhaps a var. of female. THIS exceeds most of the African Creepers yet known in point of size, measuring from nine to ten inches in total length : its colour on all parts, ex- cept the wings and tail, is a deep gold-green, with a strong gloss of reddish copper-colour on the back YELLOW-BELLIED CREEPER. 213 and coverts : the wings and tail are violet-black ; but the two middle-feathers of the latter are strongly edged with green, and greatly exceed the length of the rest : under the wings is a tuft of yellow fea- thers: the bill and legs are black, and on each side the head, from the base of the bill to the eye, is a black streak. The female is smaller than the male, and is olive-brown above, and yellow-grey beneath, with all the tail-feathers of equal length. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. It is suspected that the usually received Linnaean name of this species has originated from a typographical error in the Sys- tema Naturae, and that instead offamosa it should have beenformosa. YELLOW-BELLIED CREEPER. Certhia lepida. C. violaceo-nitem, subtvs fava, sincipite viridi, lateribus colli striga longitudinali virescente alteraque violacea, gula rubro-fusca. Lath. ind. or». Glossy-violet Creeper, yellow beneath, with green forehead, with a longitudinal greenish band accompanied by a violaceous one on each side the neck, and ferruginous throat. Certhia lepida. Mus. Carls, fasc. 2. t. 35. Le Grimpereau de Malacca. Son. ind. 2. pi. } l6.f. 1. Yellow-bellied Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. SOMEWHAT larger than a Canary-Bird : bill black: irides red: thighs yellow: legs brown. Described from Sonnerat. 214 ASH-BELLIED CREEPER. Certhia verticalis. C. viridi-olivacea, subtus cinerasccns, vertice viridi, remigibus caudaquefuscis. Lath. ind. orn. Oiive-green Creeper, pale cinereous beneath, with green crown, and brown wing and tail-feathers. Ash-bellied Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. LENGTH five inches and a half: bill black : quili and tail-feathers brown, edged with green : legs black. Native of Africa. Described from a spe- cimen in the British Museum. SNUFF-COLOURED CREEPER. Certhia tabacina. C. tabacina, subtus viridis, cauda viridi-nigri- cante, rectricibus duabus longissimis. Snuff-coloured Creeper, green beneath, with blackish-green tail with the two middle feathers much elongated. Certhia tabacina. C. rectricibis duabus intermediis longissimis, corpora supra capite colloque tabacino, subtus niridi, rectricibus viridi-mgrica?itibus. Lath. ind. orn. Snuff-coloured Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. LENGTH eight inches and a half : bill an inch and quarter, not much bent, and of a blackish brown colour : under wing-coverts yellow : two middle tail-feathers double the length of the rest. This species seems considerably allied to the Cer- thia famosa. INDIGO CREEPER. Certhia Parietum. C. cyanea subtus ritfa, supcrciliis gulaqvt albtSy sub oculis ad nucham tinea nigra. Lath. ind. orn. Blue Creeper, rufous beneath, with white brows ami throat, and black stripe beneath the eyes to the nape. Indigo Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. Le Rossignol de Muraille des Indes. Sonn. ind. 2. p. 208- SIZE of a Fig- Eater : bill black : upper parts pale indigo-blue; under parts rufous. Described from Sonnerat. Native of India* BLACK-TAILED CREEPER. Certhia melanura. C. capite dorsoque violaceis, pectore abdomi- neque viresccntibus; alisfuscist cauda nigra subbifida, tibtis digi- tisque atris. Lath. ind. orn. Creeper with violet head and back, greenish breast and belly brown wings, and black slightly forked tail. Black-tailed Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. Certhia melanura. Sparm. Mus. Carls, t. 5. DESCRIBED from Sparmann's Museum Carlsoni- anum. Length seven inche's : bill and legs black : wing-coverts brown, edged with olive. Native of the Cape of Good Jlope. 216 BARRED-TAIL CREEPER. Certhia taeniata. C. grisea, subtus rufescens, cauda cuneata fasti* apicali nigra. Grey Creeper, rufescent beneath, with cuneated tail marked by a black bar at the tip. Certhia grisea. C. cinereo-grisea, subtus rufescens, cauda cunei- formi, rectricibus duabus intermediis fuscis, lateralibus griseis, omnibus ad apicem fascia nigra. Lath. ind. orn. Grimpereau gris de la Chine. Sonn. ind. 2. pi. llj.f. 3. Barred-tail Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. DESCRIBED by Sonnerat. Size of a Titmouse: bill yellow: colour cinereous grey, beneath pale rufous : tail cuneated and composed of ten feathers, all of which, except the two middle ones, are marked at the tip by a black bar. Native of China. CRIMSON-BELLIED CREEPER. Certhia coccinigastra. C. viridi-aurea, pectore purpurco~amc- thystino coccineo vario, abdomine nigro, fasciculo subaxillarijla'oo. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. 2. Green-gold Creeper, with purple-amethystine breast varied with red, black abdomen, and yellow subaxillary tuft. Crimson-bellied Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. Certhia polita ? C. nigricans, pectore capite corporeque supra vires- centi par -unique purpur co-met allina, macula subaxillarijtava. Lath. ind. orn. Sparm. Mas. Carls. 3. t. 5Q? LENGTH five inches and a half: head, neck and breast bright amethystine purple : on the breast a mixed or broken red bar: upper parts bright ClTAH H: A;X CHE /Shi,,/n,,:t./.cHitr/i. /'///-// '\-iu-ii l'\-(;.l(i- tridbus duabus cxtimis apicejlavis. Lin. Sysl. Nat. Le petit Grimpereau des Philippines. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 576. /.3. Le Soui-manga a cravate bleu. Viell. Certh. pi. 31. Grey Creeper. Var. A. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Brisson: length about five inches: colour grey-brown; yellowish- white beneath: from the lower mandible down the breast runs a deep and glossy violet-coloured stripe, and the smaller wing-coverts are of similar colour: the tail is blackish, with a blue gloss on the sides of the fea- thers. Native of the Philippine isles. In a spe- cimen figured in the work of Monsr. Viellot the violet stripe is continued down the whole abdomen, and it is also observed, that under each wing, as in many of this genus, is a tuft of yellow plumes. Monsr. Viellot, with great probability, considers this bird rather as the young of some other species than as constituting a distinct species itself. He also figures what seems to be a mere variety of the pre- ceding, though he himself is of a different opinion. CARMELITE CREEPER. It is a trifle smaller, and, exclusive of the pectoral violet stripe and wing-coverts, has a tincture of the same colour on the top of the head and the rump. RED-BROWN CREEPER. Certhia rubro-fusca. C. cupreo-ferrvginea, tectricibus violacris, remigibus caudaquefuscis. Copper-ferruginous Creeper, with violet wing-coverts, and brown quill-feathers and tail. Le Soui-manga rouge-dore. Viell. Cert/t. pi. 2?. LENGTH about four inches: habit rather slender: colour of the head, neck, breast, and back dull gilded red: smaller wing-coverts bright violet: ab- domen black : wings and tail deep brown ; the latter slightly forked: bill and legs black. De- scribed by Viellot from a specimen in the Paris Museum. Native region unknown. CARMELITE CREEPER. C. fuliginoga. C.fusco-fuliginosa, fronte gula tectricibusque laceis. Fuliginous-brown Creeper, with violet forehead, throat and co- verts. Le Soui-manga Carmelite. Viell. Certh. pi. 20. LENGTH about four inches and a half: forehead, throat, and rump fine violet-purple : between the bill and eyes a black streak : whole remainder of SPOTTED-BREASTED CREEPER. 223 the bird fine velvet-brown or carmelite-colour. The female wants the violet-colour on the forehead. Native of Malimba. SPOTTED-BREASTED CREEPER^ Certhia maculata. C.fusca, subtus jlavescens gula violacca, pectorc fusco-maculato. Brown Creeper, beneath yellowish with violet throat, and breast spotted with brown. Le Soui-manga varie. VielL Ccrtk. pi. 21. LENGTH about four inches and three quarters : colour on the upper parts brown, mixed or shaded with grey and rufous: throat bright violet bor- dered with brown : remainder of the under parts yellow, dashed down the breast with longitudinal brown spots: bill and legs black. Native of Malimba, frequenting large forests, and often ap- proaching the habitations of the natives, being allured by the flowers of the Cytisus Cajan, com- monly called the Congo Pea, which is much cul- tivated by the Negroes. 224 CINNAMON CREEPER. Certhia cinnamonea. C. cirmamonea subtus alba, cauda subcuneata rectricibus acuminatis. Cinnamon Creeper white beneath, with subcuneated tail with pointed feathers. Certhia cinnamomea. C. cinnamomea subtus alba. Lath. ind. orn. Cinnamon Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. Le Cinnamon. Viell. Certh.pl. 62. LENGTH about five inches : colour on the upper parts bright cinnamon, without any variegation, ex- cept that the tips of the quill-feathers are blackish : lores or spaces between the bill and eye black: whole under parts white : tail slightly cuneated, and all the feathers sharp-pointed : bill black: legs brown. Native country uncertain. The spe- cimen from which the description is drawn up is preserved in the British Museum, and has been well figured in the work of Monsr. Viellot. LUXATED CREEPER. C. lunata. C. supra ferruginea subtus alba, capite nigro macula oculari rubra lunulaque occipitali alba. Ferruginous Creeper white beneath, with black head marked by a red eye-spot and a white occipital crescent. Le Fuscalbin. Viell. Certk. pi. 6l. DESCRIBED and figured by myself for the work of Monsr. Viellot. Length rather more than five NEW HOLLAND CREEPER. 225 inches: back, wings, and tail cinnamon • bro wn : whole under parts of the bird, from the bill, white: upper part of the head and back of the neck black, marked on the hindhead by a white crescent, the tips of which almost reach the eyes, being sepa. rated only by a bright-red spot behind each eye : bill black; legs brown. Native of New Holland. i ; i/3'iUTV'i bfIB jttjs'ii! sdi gfinfid NEW HOLLAND CREEPER. Certhia Novae Hollandiae. C. nigra subtus albo-striata, superciliis maculaque aurium albis, remigibus rectricibusquefla'co marginatis. Lath. ind. orn. Black Creeper, striped beneath with white ; with wliite brows and ear-spot, and yellow-edged quill and tail-feathers. New Holland Creeper. White's Journ. p. 186. pi. l6 and 65. L'Heoro-taire noir. ? Viell. Certh .pi. 71. female. L'Heoro-taire tachete. Viell. Certh. pi. 5?. male. DESCRIBED in White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. Length about seven inches : general colour dusky, spotted in various parts with white : neck, breast, belly, and sides more or less marked with longitudinal streaks of white; or, in other words, these parts are whitish, streaked with longitudinal blackish snots: over each eye a white streak, and on each side the neck and the begin- ning of the back are also some streaks of the same colour : remainder of the upper parts, and tail deep brown, but the quill- feathers edged with bright yellow, forming a large patch of that colour on each wing: tail-feathers, except the two middle v. YIII. P. i. 15 AUSTRALASIAN CREEPER. ones, edged with yellow, and slightly tipped with* white. In Monsr. Viellot's figure of this species the whole upper parts are deep brown. ; the wings and tail marked as before described, and the whole under parts white, spotted longitudinally with brown : over each eye a white streak : bill black ; legs brown. The supposed female is described and figured in Mr. White's Voyage, and differs from the male in being somewhat less vivid; in having the breast and belly black, with white streaks, and in wanting the white superciliary streaks : the bill and legs rather longer and stouter than in the male. Native of New Holland. AUSTRALASIAN CREEPER. Certhia Australasiana. C. nigricans subtus supertiliir lunulaque vtrinque suprahumeraU albis, remigibus caudaque jlavo margi~ natis. Blackish Creeper, with the brows, under parts, and crescent OB each side above the shoulders white, and the quill and tail- feathers edged with yellow. L'Heoro-taire noir et blanc. Viell. Certh. pi. 55. MUCH allied to the immediately preceding, but somewhat smaller, measuring near six inches in length. Colour above deep-brown ; beneath white, except on the lower part of the abdomen, which is dusky : throat and breast marked by slight longi- tudinal specks or shaft-streaks: over each eye a whitish streak: wings and tail marked as in the former species i bill black; legs brown. Perhaps a young of the former bird* BS7 GREAT HOOK-BILLED CREEPER. Certhia Pacifica. C. nigrat alula uropygio crisso fcmoribusqut Jlavis, rostro longissimo. Black Creeper, with yellow alulet, rump, veijt, and thighs, and v*ry long bill. Certhia pacifica. C. rostro longissimo ineurcato, corpore atrot kumcris uropygio crisso femoribusquejlavis. Lath. ind. orn. Le Hoho. Viell. Certh. pi. 63. Great Hook-billed Creeper. Lath. syn. A LARGti species: length about eight inchest colour deep black, with the rump, lower part of the belly, and thighs bright yellow : alulet or spurious wing yellowish white: quill-feathers edged with grey: under coverts mixed yellow and white : bill brownish black, very stout, long, and greatly curved: legs black. Native of Owhyhee and other South-Sea islands. HOOK-BILLED GREEN CREEPER. ' Certhia obscura. C. olivaceo-viridis subtus $ubflcrocscensf restr* longissimo, lorisfuscis. Olive-green Creeper, subflavescent beneath, with very long bill and dusky lores. Certhia obscura. C. fusco-mrens rostro longissimo incwroato^ mandibula inferiore breoiore, lorisfuscis. Lath. ind. orn» Lf Akaie-aroa. Viell. Certh. pi. 53. Hook-billed green Creeper. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Dr. Latham. " Length seven inches : bill an inch and three quarters long, and 528 HOOK-BILLED GREEN CREEPER. bent quite in the shape of a semicircle: the under mandible shortest by a quarter of an inch: colour of both brownish black : the nostrils covered by a membrane: between the bill and eye is a streak of brown : the plumage in general is olive-green, palest beneath, and somewhat inclined to yellow : quills and tail dusky; the last even at the end,, and edged with yellow green: legs dusky brown; the feathers just above the knee, or garter, white : the hind toe pretty long. Inhabits the Sandwich Islands in general, and is one of the birds whose plumage the natives make use of in constructing their feathered garments; which having these olive-green feathers intermixed with the beautiful scarlet and yellow ones belonging to the next species, and yellow-tufted Bee-Eater, make some of the most beautiful coverings of those islanders." The mention of the Yellow-Tufted Bee-Eater in this description induces me to remark that, per- haps that bird, as well as some others, might with equal propriety rank under the present genus as in that of Merops; and the circumstance of the yellow tuft under each wing should seem to imply a strong alliance to the genus Certhia, in which, that appendage is so frequently observed. - - - a - HOOK-BILLED RED CREEPER. Certhia vestiaria. C. coccinea, alls caudaque nigris alula alba, rostro pallido. Scarlet Creeper, with black wings and tail, white alulct, and pale bill. Certhia vestiaria. C. rostro longtore iwcwrro, corpore coccineo, alls caudaque nigris, tcctricibus alarum macula alba. Lath. ind. orn. Certhia coccinea. C. coccinea, alls caudaque nigris. Lin. Gmel. Hook-billed red Creeper. Lath. syn. L'Heoro-taire. Viell. Certh. pi. 52. THE Hook-billed Red Creeper is a native of the Sandwich Islands, and is much valued by the natives on account of its plumage, which affords a principal article in the red feathered mantles worn by the chiefs and persons of distinction. Its size is equal to that of a Sparrow, and its general length about six inches; the whole bird is bright, but not very deep scarlet, the wings and tail ex- cepted, which are black: the smaller wing-coverts are however scarlet, and the greater are tipped with white : the tail-feathers are slightly pointed at the extremities : the bill is moderately stout, rather long in proportion to the bird, very con- siderably curved, and of a pale yellow colour, as are likewise the legs. 230 SICKLE-BILLED CREEPER. Certhia falcata. C. rostro longissimo incurvato, corpore viridi, subtus caudaque violaceis, tectricibus alarum majoribus remigibus abdomineque pallide fuscis. Lath.ind. orn. Green Creeper, with very long incurved bill, violaceous breast and tail, and pale-brown wings. Sickle-billed Creeper. Lath. syn. THUS described by Dr. Latham, from a spe- cimen in the British Museum. " Length five inches and a half: bill an inch and three quarters in length, curved like a sickle, and of a dusky colour: the upper parts of the head, neck, and body are green : on the head a gloss of violet : beneath, as far as the breast, violet : tail of this last colour: the great coverts and quills are pale brown: belly and vent pale brown : legs the same: claws black." Native region unknown. CRIMSON CREEPER. Certhia sanguinea. C. phoenicea, remig&us caudaque nigris, crit&a albo, rostra rcctiusculo. T)eep-crimson Creeper, with black wing and tail-feathers, white vent, and strait isli bill. subtus alba, vertice cermce dorso uropygioque rubris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Black, white and red Indian Creeper. Edw.pl. 81. Red-Spotted Creeper. Lath, synops. THE general length of this species seems to be about three inches and a half: the upper part of the head, from the beginning of the bill, is bright scarlet or crimson, and this colour is continued down the whole length of the back and tail-coverts, thus forming a very broad uninterrupted crimson stripe along the whole uoper part of the bird : the sides of the neck, from the bill to the shoulders, are black : the whole wings and tail are also of the same colour : the under parts, from bill to vent, white, but tinged with brown on the abdomen: the bill and legs black. Native of India, China, &c. ,r 3t -femde MALL CTKESTJED CBEEFEB » male 251 VAR.? RED-SPOTTED CREEPER. It is hardly possible to suppose that this bird can be any thing more than a mere variety of the immediately preceding; from which it differs in the disposition of the red colour, which, instead of forming an uninterrupted longitudinal band, is distributed into four broad, distant patches or spots, viz. one on the crown of the head, an- other on the back of the neck, a third on the mid- dle of the back, and the fourth on the tail-coverts : the black in this variety is glossed with blue, as in the former bird, and the whole under parts are white. The specimen described by Edwards was received from Bengal. CARDINAL CREEPER. Certhia Cardinalis. C. coccinea, alis, caudaque nigns. Scarlet Creeper, with black wings and tail. Certhia Cardinalis. C. nigra, capite collo pectore mttaque dorsi longitudiuali rubris. Lat/i.'ind. orn. Certhia Cardinalis. C. nigra, capite, collo, pectore, et linea per medium dorsi longitudinem rubris, cauda cequali. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Viellot. Certh. t. 54. 58. FEM. Scarlet Creeper. Lath, synops. Certhia rubra. C. rubra, alls caudaque nigris, crisso albo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Certhia Cardinalis. C. ruberrima, alls caudaque nigris, abdomine albido. Vivar. Nat. vol. 3. t. 102. Carmine-red Creeper with black wings and tail, and whitish belly. Nat. Misc. vol. 3. pi. 102. VidL Certh. pi. 36. So extremely similar to the immediately pre- ceding birds as to make it doubtful whether it can really be specifically different, though some spe- cimens, and especially that first described by Dr. Latham, are rather larger : colour bright scarlet, except on the wings and tail, which are black ; and in some the abdomen is of a dusky black: the lores or spaces between the bill and eyes are also black; and the bill and legs are of similar colour. Native of the smaller South-Sea islands, and par- ticularly of the island Tanna, where it is said to feed in the manner of a Humming-Bird, by suck- ing the nectar of flowers. SMALL CRESTED CREEPER. 253 The Scarlet-Creeper of D . Latham seems to be the female of this species, and differs in having the abdomen whitish. It is figured in the third volume of the Naturalist's Miscellany, as well as in the splendid publication of Monsr. Viellot. SMALL CRESTED CREEPER. Certhia guttata. C. grisea, nigro maculata, dorso rubro, verticc subcristato caudaque nigris. Grey Creeper, spotted with black, with red back, slightly crested black crown, and black tail. A New Holland Creeper. Naturalist's Pocket-Book 1790.pl. 12. L'Heoro-taire mouchete. ViclL Certh. pi. 5Q. Certhia dibapha. ? C. coccineo-rubra, abdomine albo, maculis dorsi pectoris per oculos alls caudaque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Cochineal Creeper. ? Lath. Suppl. 2. SIZE similar to that of the Red-Backed and Cardinal Creepers : crown of the head black, and crested, the feathers being somewhat lengthened : upper part of the back crimson; lower part, wing- coverts, and rump whitish grey, marked with several oblong brown or blackish spots : on the middle of the back, on the red part, a somewhat crescent-shaped transverse black spot : quill-fea- thers black, with grey or whitish edges : tail black : whole under parts white: bill and legs black. This is a beautiful little bird, but since it appears to have been hitherto only known from drawings, I have some doubt of its constituting a species truly distinct from the small red kinds before described, 254 ORANGE-BACKED CREEPER. of which it is not very improbable that it may be a young or unadvanced bird, in its first year's plumage: yet the crested appearance of the head and some other particulars are against this sup- position. Native of New Holland. VAR. ? COCHINEAL CREEPER. Size of the preceding: general colour crimson, but the under parts from the breast white : on the red part of the breast six black spots : on the be- ginning of the back a large black spot ; a second below it, and some smaller ones on the rump : from the bill, through the eyes, a black streak: wjngs and tail black, the latter very short: bill black; legs brown. Native of New Holland. ORANGE-BACKED CREEPER. Certhia cautillans. C. ccerulescente-grisea, dorso supremo macula corporeque subtusjla-co. Lath. ind. orn. Blue-grey Creeper, with the breast, belly, and a spot on the upper part of the back orange-yellow. Orange-backed Creeper. Lath, suppl. Le Grimpereau siffleur de la Chine. Sonn. Ind. 2. p. 210. pi. 117- SIZE of the Red-backed Creeper: described by Dr. Latham from Sonnerat. Native of China. SHEE 255 GREEN-FACED CREEPER. Certhia gutturalis. C. fusca, humeris violaceis, front e rindi, gut- ture purpureo. Brown Creeper, with violet shoulders, green front, and -purple throat. Certhia gutturalis. C. nigricans, gutture viridi-mtente, pectore purpureo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Grimpereau noirastre du Bresil. Bfiss. orn. 3. p. 659. pi. 23. f. 3. Grinipereau brim du Bresil. PI. Enl. 57 8. f. 3. Green-faced Creeper. Lath. Syn. SIZE nearly that of a Linnet : front, to some distance round the bill, green-gold: fore part of the neck bright purple : smaller wing-coverts violet: general colour of the bird dark brown. Native, according to Brisson, of Brasil. This species seems allied to the A met hyst- Throated Creeper, described by Viellot, and figured at pi. 5 of his work on this genus. Viellot however de- scribes his bird as a native of the Cape of Good Hope. 256 CAYENNE CREEPER. Certhia Cayana. C. viridis, subfus albida coeruleo-punctata gut- (ureferrugineo, stria utrinque ccerulea. Green Creeper, whitish beneath and speckled with blue, with ferruginous throat marked by a blue stripe on each side. Certhia Cayana. C. viridis nitida, subtus albo striata, rectricibus viridibus, lateralibus interim nigricantibus, Lin. Syst. Nat. Cayenne Creeper. Lath. syn. Le Guit-guit vert tachete. Buff", ois. Grimpereau verd tachete de Cayenne. PL Enl. 682. /. 2. SIZE of the Common Creeper, but measuring scarcely more than four inches in length: colour above fine palish green, beneath white speckled with blue: throat rufous, with a narrow longi- tudinal blue stripe on each side: wing and tail- feathers dusky with greenish edges. The female wants the rufous throat, and is of paler colour than the male. Native of Cayenne. 257 BLACK AND VIOLET CREEPER. Certhia Brasiliana. C. nigra, vertice viridi-aureo, juguto tectri- cibus alarum minoribus uropygioque violaceis, pectore castaneo. Lath. ind. orn. Black Creeper, with gold-green crown, violet throat, shoulders, and rump, and chcsnut breast. Black and violet Creeper. Lath. syn. Le Guit-guit noir et violet. Buff. ois. A SMALL species, measuring about three inches and a half in length : sides of the head, hind part of the neck, back, and scapulars fine velvet-black: throat, rump, and shoulders bright violet : breast purplish chesnut : belly, wings, and tail black, the last edged with violet. Native of Brasil. BLUE-THROATED CREEPER. Certhia cyanogastra. C. viridis, subtus cceruka, lateribus colli vitta Iu?tgitudinali jlavescente, remigibus rectricibusquc nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Green Creeper, blue beneath, with a longitudinal yellow stripe on each side the neck, and black wing and tail-feathers. Blue-throated Creeper. Lath. syn. SIZE of a Wren: bill nearly an inch long, curved, and black: colours as mentioned in the specific character. Described by Dr. Latham from a specimen in the collection of the Duchess of Portland. Native of Cayenne. v. vin. P.I. 17 258 SUGAR CREEPER. Certhia saccharina. C. violaceo-ccerulea, remigibus caudaque wi- gricantibus. Violaceous-blue Creeper, with blackish wings and tail. Certhia Asiatics. C. saturate coerulea, alls fuscis, rostro pedi- busque atris. Lath. ind. orn. Certhia Mahrattensis. C. violaceo-purpurea, remigibus rectrici- busque exterioribus nigricantibus, Jasdculo subaxillari flaw. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Marhatta Creeper. Lath. Syn. suppl. 2. Sugar Creeper. Lath. Syn. suppl. 2. LENGTH about four inches: on each side the breast, under each wing, a tuft of yellow plumes. Native of India, inhabiting the Marhatta country. BLUE-FACED CREEPER. Certhia frontalis. C. obscura, capistro gula uropygioquc ccerukis. Dusky Creeper, with blue face, throat, and rump. Certhia frontalis. C. obscura, vertice dor&oque fusccscentibus, gula uropygioque cxruleis. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Blue-faced Creeper. Lath, suppl. 2. addit. LENGTH five inches: plumage dusky, nearly black on the under parts: face all round the bill, chin, and rump fine blue. Native of Africa. 259 BLACK-FRONTED CREEPER. Certhia nigrifrons. C. viridis, subtusjtava,fronte genisque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Green Creeper, yellow beneath, with black front and cheeks. Black-fronted Creeper. Lath. &yn. suppl. 2. COLOURS as in the specific character : tail cunei- form. Native region unknown. Described by Dr. Latham from a specimen in the Leverian Mu- seum : size not particularized. BOURBON CREEPER. Certhia Borbonica. C. viridi-fusca, subtus grisea, lateribus rufisf uropygiujlavo. Lath. ind. orn. Greenish-brown Creeper, grey beneath, with rufous sides, and yellow rump. Yellow-rumped Creeper. ^ Lath. syn. Le Soui-manga de 1'isle de Bourbon. Buff.ois. Pl.Enl.6&l. /•*• LENGTH about five inches: quills and tail black- ish : supposed by Buffon to be either a female or a young bird, and that it is most allied to his Soui-manga marron pourpre et violet. , Native of the Isle of Bourbon. 260 GREYISH CREEPER, Certhia incana. C. subfusca, collo remigib usque canescentibus. Lath. Ind. orn. Brownish Creeper, with greyish neck and wings. SIZE small. Native of New Caledonia. DIRIGANG CREEPER. Certhia leucophzea. C. olivaceo-fusca subtus albida, vertice nigro transversim lineato, pone oculos macula flava. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Olivaceous-brown Creeper, whitish beneath, with the crown marked by transverse black lines, and a yellow spot behind the eyes. Dirigang Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. SIZE somewhat larger than that of the Common Creeper : plumage greenish brown above, pale or whitish beneath: on the forehead and crown a few short transverse black lines : beneath each eye a yellow spot, and behind it a reddish one: native of New Holland, where it is called by tire name of Dirigang. 261 CHIRPING CREEPER. Certhia pipilans. C. fusco-mresccns subtus fiavicans, femoribus albo fuscoque fasciatis, remigibus rectricibusquc fuscis. Lath, ind. orn. suppt. Greenish-brown Creeper, yellowish beneath, with brown wings and tail, and thighs barred with brown and white. Chirping Creeper. Lath, suppl. 2. SIZE of a Nightingale: bill slender and black: irides blue: legs brown. Native of New Holland. HOARY CREEPER. Certhia canescens. C. griseo-cinerea subtvs rufo-alba, pcctort roseo-purpurascente, remigibus rectricibusque obscuris. Lath* ind. orn. suppl. Slate-coloured Creeper, rufous-white beneath, with rose-purplish breast, and dusky wings and tail. Hoary Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. LENGTH eight inches : bill stout and black : quills and tail dusky, with a few white markings on the wing-coverts. Native of New Holland. 262 BLACK-HEADED CREEPER. Certhia atricapilla. C.fusco-viridis subtus albida, vcrticc gfnisqve nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Greenish-brown Creeper, whitish beneath, with black crown and cheeks. Black-headed Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. . LENGTH six inches: bill dusky: wings and tail brownish with paler edges. Native of New Hol- land. FLY-CATCHING CREEPER. Certhia pyrrhoptera. C. cinerea subtus alba, macula auriumfuka subtus nigrat remigibus media rectricibusque cxterioribus Jlavis. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Cinereous Creeper, white beneath, with a fulvous ear-spot black beneath, wings yellow on the middle, and tail on the outside. Yellow-winged Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2, LENGTH seven inches : wings in some specimens yellow in the middle, in others pale ferruginous ; perhaps owing to the difference of sex : native of New Holland, where it is constantly observed in the act of catching flies. It is for this reason that I have altered Dr. Latham's trivial name of yellow- winged, applied to this species, and which must have been given through oversight; a species of similar name occurring in the first supplement to the General Synopsis. 263 AGILE CREEPER. Certhia agilis. C.fusca suit us alba, vcrticc nucha colloque supra nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Brown Creeper, white beneath, with the crown, nape, and upper part of neck black. Agile Creeper. Lath. syn. svppl. 2. LENGTH six inches : an active species, feeding chiefly on insects and the juices of flowers. Native of New Holland. PEREGRINE CREEPER. Certhia peregrina. C. olivacea subtus Jlava, fascia alarum Ufida pallida, cauda subfoifoata, rectricibus duabus exterioribus apice intus a/bis. Lath. ind. orn. Olive Creeper, yellow beneath, with a pale bifid bar on the wings, and slightly forked tail with the tips of the two exterior fea- thers white on the inside* A MIDDLE-SIZED species, described by Dr. Latham from a specimen in the Leverian Museum: wings and tail inclining to dusky : female similar to the male, but of paler plumage. Native region uncertain. 264 IGNOBLE CREEPER. Certhia ignobilis. C. supra fuliginoso-nigra, subtus cinerca line- olis ellipticis albidis. Lath. ind. orn. Sparm. Mus. Carls. 3. t. 56. Creeper of a fuliginous-black colour above, and cinereous beneath with small whitish elliptic lines. Ignoble Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. SIZE of a starling. Native country unknown : described from Sparmann's Museum Carlsoni- anum. UNDULATED CREEPER. Certhia undulata. C. supra cinereo-fuliginosa, subtus alba nigro trunsversim undulata. Lath. ind. orn. Sparm. Mus. Carls. 2. #.34. Cinereo-fuliginous Creeper, white beneath with transverse black undulations. Undulated Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. LENGTH about seven inches: native country unknown. Described from the Museum Carlso- nianum. 265 GULAR CREEPER. Certhia gularis. C. supra cinereo-olivacea, subtus htea, gula jugulo pectorisque parte superiore sericeo-cucruleis. Lath. ind. orn. Sparm. Mus. Carls. 4. t. 79. Olivaceo-cinereous Creeper, luteous beneath, with glossy-blue throat. Blue-throated Creeper. Lath. syn. svppl. 2. FROM the Museum Carlsonianum : bill black ; lower edges and tips of the outside wing-feathers whitish : tail black. Native of Martinico. WREN CREEPER. Certhia trochilea. C. supra fusco-olivacca, subtus ex Jlavescenfc sordide albida, cauda nigra, alis fuliginosis. Lath. ind. orn. Sparm. Mus. Carls. 4. t. 80. Olivaceous-brown Creeper, beneath dull yellowish white, with black tail, and fuliginous wings. Wren Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. SIZE of the Motacilla Trochilus or Willow Wren. Native of America. THE following species of this very extensive genus seem to be but obscurely known, and are, in general, described either from drawings, or from the slight accounts and figures which occur in the work of Seba, &c. and which, perhaps, may not, in all instances, have been given with sufficient 266 SEBAN CREEPER. accuracy. Much allowance must therefore be made for specific characters drawn from such sources. SEBAN CREEPER. Certhia Sebana. C. castaneo-purpurea, vertice rubro, gutture viridi, remigihus cnudaque subcyaneis. Chesnut-purple Creeper, with red crown, green throat, and dusky-blueish wings and tail. Certhia coccinea. C. rubra, pileo dilutiore, gula juguloque viri- dibus, remigibus apice ccerulescentibus. Lath. ind. orn. Avicula Mexicana, seii Hoitzillin. Seb. 1. p. 70. t. 42. f. 6. Trochilus coccineus. Lin. Syst. Nat. ed. 6. Red Creeper. Lath. syn. Var.??? Avicula de Tatac ex Nova Hispania. Seb. 2. p. 74. t. 70. f. 8. LENGTH about four inches and a half: said to be a native of Mexico. The bird figured at No. 8 of pi. 70 in the second volume of Seba is by Brisson and others considered as a variety of the preceding, to which however it does not appear to be greatly allied. Its colour is reddish-chesnut, with the crown of the head black, and the shoulders yellow. 26? PORPHYR1AN CREEPER. Certhia porphyriaca. C. violacea, lunula subcollari humerisque Jla-vis. Violet Creeper, with yellow shoulders and collar beneath the neck. Certhia purpurea. C. corpore toto purpureo. Lath. ind. orn. Avis Virginiana phoenicea, de Atototl dicta. Seb. 1. t. Jl.f, 7. Purple Creeper. Lath. syn. LENGTH about four inches and a half: colour deep purple or violet, with a yellow crescent under the neck, and yellow shoulders ; the latter pro- bably no other than the yellow subaxillary plumes ill represented. Said by Seba to be a native of Virginia and to sing very sweetly. MACASSAR CREEPER. Certhia Macassar iensis. C. viridi-mtrta, lateribus corporis ob- scurisj remigibus nigricantibus. Green-gold Creeper, with the sides of the body dusky, and the quill-feathers blackish. Certhia Macassarieusis. C. viridi-aurata, subtus nigricante-ftisca. Lath. ind. orn. Macassar Creeper. Lath. syn. Avis Tsioei indica orientalis. Seb. ] . p. 100. t. 63. f. 3. FROM Seba's figure this should seem to be one of the larger species. In its general appearance and colours it much resembles the Certhia Jamosa 268 INDIAN CREEPER. with the absence of the two long middle tail-fea- thers. It seems to be erroneously mentioned by Brisson and others as of the size of a Wren. It is said by Seba to be a native of the East Indies. INDIAN CREEPER. Certhia Indica. C. cyanea, gula alba. Blue Creeper, with white throat. Certhia Indica. C. cxruleo-mtenS) collo inferiore albescente. Lath. ind. orn. Avis Colubri orientalis. Seb. 2. 1. 19. /. 2. Indian Creeper. Lath. syn. THIS, according to the figure in Seba's work, has more the air of a Humming-Bird than a Creep- er. Its total length, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, is about four inches and a half, of which the bill, which is blackish and but very slightly curved, measures a full inch : the colour of the whole bird is splendid deep blue, with white throat, and the tongue is said to be bifid, like that of a serpent. 269 AMBOYNA CREEPER. Certhia Amboinensis. C. viridi-nitens, dorso griseo, alls nigri- cantibust capite colloque Jltwis viridi-variis , pec tore rvbro. Gold-green Creeper, with grey back, blackish wings, yellow head and neck varied with green, and red breast. Certhia Amboinensis. C. cinerco-grisea, subtus- viridis, capite colloque Jlavis viridi marginatis, pectore rubro, alls nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Tsioei, vel Kakopit. Seb. 2. p. 62. t. 62. f. 2. Amboina Creeper. Lath. syn. A VERY small species, measuring scarcely three inches in length. Said to inhabit Amboina. FULVOUS CREEPER. Certhia fulva. C.fuha, remigibus rectricibusque atris subtus fus- ccscentibus. Lath. ind. orn. Maert. phys. arb. } . p. 76. Fulvous Creeper, with black wing and tail-feathers brownish beneath. Fulvous Creeper. Lath. syn. svppl. 2. SAID to be about the size of a Finch : length rather more than five inches: native of South America. 270 LONG-BILLED CREEPER. Certhia longirostra. C. oUvaceo-nigricans, vertice nuchaque pal' tide viridibns, jugulo pecloreque albis, abdo?ninejlavescente. Lath, ind. orn. Blackish-olive Creeper, with pale green crown and nape, white throat and breast, and yellowish abdomen. Long-billed Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. TOTAL length five inches : bill an inch and half long : tongue long and extensile. Native of Ben- gal. Described by Dr. Latham from a drawing in the possession of Lady Impey. YELLOW-WINGED CREEPER. C. chrysoptera. C. nigricante aureoque varia, tectricibus alarum fluvis, remigibus caudaque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Variegated black and gold Creeper, with yellow wing-coverts, and black quill and tail-feathers. Yellow-winged Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. SIZE small: bill and legs black: tongue extensile, like that of a Humming-bird. Native of Bengal. From Lady Impey's collection of drawings. 271 TUFTED CREEPER. Certhia cirrhata. C. olivacca, abdomine caudaque nigris. Olive Creeper, with black belly and tail. Certhia cirrhata. C. olivacea, abdomine caudaque nigris, lateribus pcctoris cirrhoflaro. Lath. ind. orn. Tufted Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. LENGTH four inches: bill black, and consider- ably curved: head, neck, and back deep olive with dusky undulations, owing to the edges of the feathers, which are deeper than the middles : belly and tail black : on each side the breast a tuft of yellow plumes. Native of Bengal. From Lady Impey's collection of drawings. RED-BILLED CREEPER. Certhia erythrorynchos. C. olivacea, corpore subtus albo, alis cau- daque nigricantibus, rostro rubro. Lath. ind. orn. Olive Creeper, with the body white beneath, the wings and tail blackish, and the bill red. Red-billed Creeper. Lath. syn. suppl. SIZE small: length scarcely more than three inches: breast and belly white: bill red tipped with black : legs dusky. Native of India. From Lady Impey's drawings. TROCHILUS. HUMMING-BIRD. Generic Character. Rostrum capite longius, subulate - filif orme, apice subincrassato tubuloso : mandibula superior vagi- nans inferiorem. Lingua filiformis, filis duo- bus coalitis tubulosa. Pedes graciles, breviusculi, ambulatorii. Cauda pennis decem. Bill longer than the head, cylindric, slender, with slightly-thickened tip ; the upper mandible sheathing the lower. Tongue filiform, extensile, consisting of two con- joined slips forming a tube. Legs slender, rather short : feet formed for walking. Tail consisting of ten fea- thers. JL HE brilliant and lively race of Humming- Birds, so remarkable at once for their beautiful colours and diminutive size, are the peculiar na- tives of the American continent and adjoining islands, and, with few exceptions, are principally confined to the hotter regions. Their vivacity, swiftness, and singular appearance unite in ren- HUMMING-BIRD. 273 dering them the admiration of mankind; while their colours are so radiant that it is not by com- paring them with the analogous hues of other birds that we are enabled to explain with propriety their peculiar splendor, but by the more exalted brilliancy of polished metals and precious stones; the ruby, the garnet, the sapphire, the emerald, the topaz, and polished gold being considered as the most proper objects of elucidation. It is not however to be imagined that all the species of Humming-Birds are thus decorated : some being even obscure in their colours, and, instead of the prevailing splendor of the major part of the genus, exhibiting only a faint appear- ance of a golden-green tinge, diffused over the brown or purplish colour of the back and wings. The genus is of great extent, and, in order that the species may with greater readiness be inves- tigated, it has been found necessary to divide them into two sections, viz. the curve-billed, and the strait-billed. The exact limits of the two divisions are however difficult to determine. The mode of life in the Humming-Birds appears to be uniform. They live by absorbing the sweet juices of flowers, which they extract with their tubular tongue, and though small insects are said to have been, sometimes observed in their sto* machs, yet this seems rather accidental than regu- lar or natural. A magnificent work has lately appeared on this genus by Messieurs Viellot and Audebert, in which a laudable attempt has been made to ex- v, vui. r, j. 274 TOPAZ-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. hibit the splendor of the natural colours by means of powder or shell-gold impressed on the plates. It must be confessed that it has not succeeded in all instances so completely as might be wished. The work however is extremely valuable, not only as containing good figures of the major part of established species, but also of numerous varieties, and is preceded by an elaborate and ingenious disquisition relative to the structure of the feathers and many other particulars. With curbed Bills. TOPAZ-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Pella. T. rubro-purpureus, capitk nigro, gula topazina, rectricibus duabus mediis longmimis. Purple-red Humming-Bird, with black head, topazine throat, and two very long middle tail-feathers.' Trochilus Pella. T. curmrostris ruber, rectricibm intermediis Ion- gissimis, corpore rubro, capitc fmco, gula aurata, uropygioque viridi. Lin. Syst. Nat. Long-tailed red Humming-Bird. Edw.pl. 32. Le Colibri topaze. Buff. ois. Viell. pi. 2. 3. PL Enl. 599. Topaz Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS is beyond comparison the most brilliant of all the curve-billed Humming-Birds, its magnitude as well as colours giving it a decided superiority to the rest. It is at least equal to a Wren in the size of its body, but if measured from the tip of the bill to the end of the two middle or long tail- feathers, its extent is from eight to ten inches. I' '.,:.-" ' , , .\,.vi :.\'C ;. ; •; • rar.tlry.Fltrt Strrrt. TOPAZ-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. The bill is moderately long, curved, and black : the upper part of the head and neck are also of a glossy black, sinking pretty suddenly, but not quite abruptly, into a fine deep orange-purple colour, which is diffused over the back and smaller wing- coverts: the throat, to a considerable distance down the neck, is of the most splendid topaz yel- low, with the lustre of polished gold when exposed to the light, and changing, when viewed in par- ticular directions, to deep emerald green : this large bed of topaz-colour is separated from the breast and sides of the neck by a narrow bar or line of black, beneath which the whole breast and sides are of a deep, but shining purple rose- colour, growing somewhat less intense as it passes down the abdomen: the wings are of a purplish brown; the rump of a bright grass-green, and the tail orange-purple, except the two middle feathers, which are purple brown, and exceed the rest by about four inches: they are of a narrow shape, and are slightly pointed at the tips : the thighs are very thickly coated with white feathers, and the legs are black. A slight variation in the plumage of this bird is observable in different individuals, in some of which the middle part of the tail is grass-green, and the side feathers orange or chesnut with green tips. The female is very far inferior in point of bril- liancy to the male, being of a dark coppery-green colour, with a slightly-gilded rufous or copper-red stripe down the throat; dusky wings; white thighs, very thickly feathered; and ferruginous tail, with 276 PARADISE HUMMING-BIRD. the two middle feathers dusky blueish-black, and not exceeding the rest in length. The Topaz-Throated Humming-Bird is a native of several parts of South America, but is said to be principally found in Surinam and Guiana, where it is observed to frequent in preference the banks of rivers and brooks, and this chiefly in the interior of the country. Monsr. Sonnini informs us that he * has frequently seen these beautiful birds in con- siderable numbers in the above situations, com- monly perched on the lower branches of such trees as grew on the banks of the stream, or such as from decay had fallen into the water. During their flight they skim the surface of the water in the manner of Swallows. PARADISE HUMMING-BIRD. Trocliilus paradiseus. T. cristatus ruber, alls cceruleis, rectritibus Crested red Humming-Bird, with blue wings, and two of the tail-feathers very long. Trocliilus paradiseus. T. curvirostris ruber, alis cceruleis, capite cristato, rectricibus intcrmediis longissimis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Mellivora avis cristata, cum duabus pennis longis in cauda. Seb. mm. 1. p. 97. t. 6l.f.4. Paradise Humming-bird. Lath. ind. orn. OUR whole knowledge of this species depends on the description and figure given in the first volume of Seba's Thesaurus, where it is described as of a fine red colour, with blue wings, and a very large PARADISE HUMMING-BIRD. 277 crest on the head, the feathers of which are con- tinued downwards on each side, so as in some degree to encircle the neck: these feathers are of different lengths, and appear to be very numerous, so as to form a full crest, somewhat resembling that of a Hoopoe : two of the tail-feathers are of great length, equalling that of the whole bird: the bill is represented of a brown colour, and con- siderably curved, and the legs pale brown. In the description the tongue is expressly said to be bifid, as in other Humming-Birds, and it is added that this species is a native of New Spain. The bird does not appear to be known to modern ornitho- logists, and is given by Linnaeus from Brisson, whose only authority is Seba. In the Linnsean specific character the two long tail-feathers are stated to be the two middle ones; but as the whole depends on Seba's figure, this is a particular which must rest uncertain, since no other feathers but these are expressed in the engraving, and the ac- companying description does not state whether they are the two middle or exterior feathers. The total length of the figure is about eight inches and a half. 278 BLUE-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus cyanurus. T. viridis subtus cinereus, gula pectore nc- tricibusque duabus mediis longissimis cceruleis. Green Humming-bird, cinereous beneath, with the throat, breast, and two very long middle tail-feathers blue. Avis ex Nova Hispania Yayanquitototl dicta. Seb. 1 . p. 84. MI*/.;, Blue-tailed Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS also is given on the authority of Seba, who informs us that the upper parts of the body and wings are of an elegant green colour, deepest on the back and smaller tail-feathers : the face and throat are blue, and the two middle tail-feathers, which far exceed the rest in length, are blue also : the abdomen grey, and the bill and legs yellowish : the bill is considerably curved, and the length of the whole bird is, according to the figure, about eight inches and a quarter. Native of New Spain. TG BlHB 279 FORK-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus forficatus. T. viridi-aureus, vertice cceruleo, caudafor- ficata aureo-cceruka, rectridbus duabus extcrioribus tongissimis. Gold-green Humining-Bird, with blue crown and gold-blue forked tail, with the two outer feathers very long. Trochilus forficatus. T. curcirostris viridis, rectridbus lateralibits longissimis, pileo rcctricibusque cccruleis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Long-tailed green Humming-Bird. Edw. pi. 33. L'Oiseau-mouche a longue queue, &c. Buff. ois. L'Oiseau-mouche a tete bleu. Viell. pi. 60. Fork-tailed Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS elegant species, which appears to be ex- tremely rare, seems to have been first described by Edwards from a specimen received from Jamaica* " The bill, says Edwards, is slender, strait *, pretty long, and of a black colour: the crown of the head is blue, or else the bird is mostly green : the quills are of a dirty purplish colour, except three green ones next the body: the coverts of the wings are green : the lower belly and coverts under the tail are white : the thighs dusky : the tail- feathers are of the most shining beauty that can be imagined, appearing sometimes of a shining blue colour, and upon a little turn will change greenish ; then again into a colour mixed with a bright golden splendor : these feathers, forming a * It is in reality but slightly curved, yet sufficiently so, even according to Edwards's own figure, to justify its being placed in the present section. 280 SCISSARS-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. \ very long and broad tail in proportion to the body, are very firm and stiff, and not easily put in dis- order : the feathers all over the body have some- thing of a shining golden lustre, but nothing in comparison with the beauty of the tail : the legs, feet, and claws are black." As the figure of Edwards is copied in the pre- sent publication, it is unnecessary to add the de- scription of the proportional gradation in point of length in the tail-feathers. The British Museum is possessed of a somewhat incomplete specimen of this bird, in which however the remarkable lustre of the tail-feathers still continues in undiminished splendor. This specimen, in a somewhat different attitude, is represented in the elegant work of Messieurs Audebert and Viellot, SCISSARS-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Furcifer. T. viridi-aureus alisfustis> gula alba, pectore caudaque forficata viridi-catruleis nitentibus. Green-gold Humming-Bird, with brown wings, white throat, and glossy blue-green breast and forked tail. JJeofleur a queue en ciseaux. Azara. Par, LENGTH fiv7e inches and a third: bill black and slightly curved: throat milk-white, each feather marked by a small black spot : rest of the neck and the breast of an enamel blue with glossy re- flexions : tail changeable blue-green : crown of the head brown ; cheeks, upper part of neck, rump, BLACK-CAPPED HUMMING-BIRD. 281 belly, and wing-coverts green-gold : wings vio- laceous brown. Native of Paraguay. BLACK-CAPPED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Polytmus. T. viridis nitcns, vcrtice caudaque nigris, alis fusco-vwlaceiSf rectricibus duabus exttrioribus longissimis. Glossy-green Humming-Bird, with black crown and tail, violet- brown wings, and two very long outer tail-feathers. Trochilus Polytmus. T. cnrvirostris vircscens, rectricibus latcra- libus longissimis, pileo rectricibusquefuscis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Long-tailed black-cap Humming-Bird. Edw. pi. 34. L'Oiseau-mouche a longue queue noire. Buff", ois. Le Colibri a tete noire. Viell. pi. 67. Black-capped Humming-Bird. Lath. syn» A VERY elegant species, and of considerable size, measuring about nine inches and a half in total length, the two exterior tail-feathers extend- ing far beyond the rest. " The bill, says Ed- wards, is thicker at the basis than in most of this kind; pretty long, ending in a point, a little bowed downwards, of a yellow colour, with a black point : the crown of the head and beginning of the neck behind are of a black colour, with some- thing of a blueish gloss : the throat, breast, and belly are covered with green feathers inclining to blue, of a firm substance, lying close and regular like the scales of fishes, and of so fine a surface that they reflect the light as doth burnished gold : the feathers on the back are of a looser make, of a yellower green, not having the bright lustre of the breast : the wings are of a brownish purple, having, 282 GREAT HUMMING-BIRD. in some lights, a brighter, blueish purple cast: the ridge of the wing, from the shoulder a good way down, is white : the tail is black or dusky, the feathers increasing in length from the middlemost to the outermost save one, which is about five times longer than any of the rest : the two long feathers are of a loose, soft texture, easily ruffled, and flowing with the least breath of air; and what is remarkable in the tail is, that these two fine feathers are the outermost but one on each side, having a lesser stiff feather under them, as well as above, the better to support them, which is sin- gular : the legs, feet, and claws are black." This species is a native of South America, and is also found in Jamaica. The female is said to be greenish above, and white below ; the sides of the neck varied with white and green, and the tail destitute of the two long plumes so conspicuous in that of the male; GREAT HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus maximus. T. viridi-aureus, gula nivea, crisso ferru- gineo, vertice remigibus caudaque ccerulescentibus. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Green-gold Humming-Bird, with white throat, ferruginous vent, and blue crown, quill and tail-feathers. Trochilus maximus. Mus. Lesk» No. J6. t. 2. Ekelberg's Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. DESCRIBED in the Museum Leskianum : length eight inches : the crown of the head, quill-feathers, GREAT CAPE HUMMING-BIRD. 283 and tail blueish ; the hind part of the head, back, breast, wing-coverts, and rump green gold: the throat white: the vent rufous; the tail blackish, and of a pointed shape, and the plumage of the whole bird glossy. Native region unknown. GREAT CAPE HUMMING-BI UD. Troclrilus Capensis, T. curcirostris viridis, rectricibus intcrmedils loiigis, tectricibus alarum cceruleis. Lath. ind. orn. Green Humming-Bird, with long middle tail-feathers, and blue wing-coverts. Trochilus Capensis. Lin. mantiss. 1771. p. 525. Ekclberg's Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. DESCRIBED by a Mr. Ekelberg, on whose au- thority it was admitted by Linnaeus into his Man- tissa of the Systema Nature. Its size is said to be that of a Swallow, and its colour gold-green, with black quill-feathers and tail, of which the two mid- dle feathers are thrice the length of the rest, which are edged towards the base with a gloss of green, and the vent-feathers are black with lucid blue spots. Native, according to Mr. Ekelberg, of the Cape of Good Hope, and perhaps may in reality rather belong to the genus Certhia than to that of Trochilus, which seems, in general, confined to the regions of America and the West Indies. I am even induced to suspect that the above supposed Humming-Bird of Mr. Ekelberg may be nothing more than the Certhia famosa of Linnaeus. 284 -SUPERCILIOUS HUMMING-BIRD. Trocliilus superciliosus. T. aureo-fuscm subtus canus, rostr* longo, superciliis rcctricibusque mediis elongatis a Ibis. Gilded-brown Humming-Bird, grey beneath, with long bill, white brows, and elongated middle tail-feathers white at the tips. Trocliilus superciliosus. T. curcirostris fuscus nitcns, rectrkibus intermediis longis, abdomine subincarnato, superciliis albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Brin-blanc. Buff. ois. Fifll.pl. 17. 18. 19. Colibri a longue queue de Cayenne. Briss. orn. PI. Enl. 600« /.3. Supercilious Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS species is readily distinguished from all others yet known by the great length of its bill, and its strongly cuneated tail. The total length of the bird is about seven inches: the bill near an inch and three quarters: colour of the crown of the head, and upper parts of the bird gilded olive; the wings brown, and the tail gilded greenish-brown, the side feathers tipped with pale rufous, and the two middle feathers, which are an inch longer than the rest, and of a sharpened form, white at the extended tips : the under parts of the bird are pale grey-brown, with a dusky stripe down the throat and on each side the head, from the bill to the eye, over which is a whitish streak. The female differs in being of a pale rufous-grey be- neath; in having a shorter bill in proportion, with the lower mandible whitish, and the tail of the ADMIRABLE HUMMING-BIRD. 285 usual shape, or but very slightly cuneiform, and tipped with white. The young males are said to resemble the grown birds, except in having the lower mandible whitish, and the two middle tail- feathers shorter in proportion. In this state the young bird lias been described by Linnaeus and others, according to Monsr. Viellot, under the title of Trochilus Thaurnantias. This however may be considered as very doubtful, the Trochilus Thau- mantlas being remarkable for the splendor of its plumage. ADMIRABLE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Thaumantias. T. viridi-aurew rcmigibus nigricantibus, rectricibus albojimbriutis, extima exterius alba. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with blackish quill-feathers, and tail-feathers edged with white, the exterior one entirely white on the outside. Trochilus Thaumantias. T. curvirostris viridis nitens, rectricibus cequalibus albofonbriatis, extima exterius alba. Lin. Syst. Nat.. Guanumbi sexta species. Marcgr. Bras. p. 197. Polytmus. Le Colibri. Briss. av. Le petit Colibri. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. GOO.f. 1. Admirable Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. FIRST described by Marcgrave, whose account is thus translated by Willughby. " The .whole head, neck, back, and belly, and the beginning of the wings are covered with feathers of an excel- lent shining colour, consisting as it were of a mix- ture of much gold, half fire-colour, and a little green: in brief, shining like the sun: in the belly 286 ADMIRABLE HUMMING-BIRD. are a few white feathers mixt : the legs are black : the wings blackish: in the tail almost an inch and half long, handsome and broad, consisting of some feathers of the same rare colour with the rest of the body, some of a mixt colour of green and golden, and white about the edges, some half white, half green, shining with golden, that is, on one side the shaft white, on the other green." This species seems to admit of much variation as to the splendor of its colours : Dr. Latham de- scribes his specimen in the following manner. " This, I should think, is one of the smallest of the crooked-billed Humming-Birds, being only two inches ten lines in length : the bill is eleven lines long, and the tail thirteen : the upper mandible black, the lower white : the colour of the plumage is wholly of a greenish violet, except the wings, which are brown, and on the lower part of the belly is a spot of white : the two middle tail-fea- thers are of a bright green-gold, with a copper gloss, and the others the same, but edged with white, and the outer one is entirely white on the outer web: legs and claws black." This species is a native of Brasil and several other regions of South America. 28? BRIGHT-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. T. chrysobronchos. T. aurco-viridis, gula pectortque nitidissimis, alis subfemtgineiSf rectricibus albo marginatis. Gold-green Himiming-Bird, with very bright throat and breast, subferruginous wings, and white-edged tail. Le Vert-dore a queue blanche et vert. Viell. pi. 41. THIS Monsr. Viellot considers as a species be- fore undescribed: its total length is about five inches, and its habit, according to Viellot's figure, somewhat resembles that of the T. superciliosus, though the bill is far shorter in proportion, and less curved : the tail also is slightly rounded, the two middle feathers hardly exceeding the rest in length : the edge of the shoulders are white, and a small white streak appears over the eye: the upper mandible is black; the lower white with black tip : the legs yellowish. Native of Guiana. 288 RED-BREASTED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus jugularis. T. Hindi- aureus fusco-cyaneo tine t us, guht pecforeque sanguine is, abdomine nigricante, cauda cequali. Gold-green Humoring-Bird, with a tinge of dusky blue, with blood-red throat and breast, blackish abdomen, and even tail. Trochilus jugularis. T. curvirostris ccerulescens, rectricibus cequa- libus, collo subtus sanguineo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Red-breasted Humming-Bird. Edw.pl. iQQ.f. 1. Lath. syn. 1'rochilus granatinus. Lath. ind. orn. Garnet- throated Hum- ming-Bird. Lath. syn. Le Colibri a gorge carniin. Buff. ois. Le Grenat. Bujf. ois. Viell. colibr. pi. 4. Trochilus auratus. Lin. Gmel. Certhia prasinoptera ? Sparm. Mus. Carls. Lath. ind. orn. THIS species, which seems to vary a little in in- tensity of colour as well as in size in different in- dividuals, measures about four inches and a half in length, and is of a deep green-gold colour on the upper parts, and dusky or black beneath, except on the throat, which, to a considerable distance on each side and down the neck, is of a deep red or garnet-colour: the quill-feathers of the wings are dusky : the bill and legs black. " The bill, says Edwards, is more bowed down than is com- mon in this genus : the sides of the head, and the throat, as far as the breast, are of a fine red or carmine-colour ; the top of the head, upper side of the neck, the belly, thighs, and tail are of a dusky brown or black, mixed with a little fringing of blue on the edges of the feathers ; the rump and jffu.Jug.lLondaH,euJblu'fud by &£earsL\ .FUtt Street. Jfctiu ati'.frl'ropr.ietorjs. HED-BREASTED HUMMING-BIRD. 289 Covert-feathers of the tail, both above and beneath, are of a fine blue colour: the wings are of a fine dark green, with a gloss like polished gold when exposed to the sun : the insides of the wings are also green, but not so bright as the outer : the legs are short in proportion, as in all this kind : both legs and feet are dusky or blackish." . There can be little doubt that the Garnet- Throated Humming-Bird of Dr. Latham is the same species. The specimen measured four inches and a quarter : the head, neck, back, and tail were of a very dark green, appearing blackish in some lights and glossy green in others : the wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts the same : the quills dusky; the belly, thighs, and vent black, with a very faint greenish gloss : the throat, from the chin to the breast, of a fine deep garnet colour, appearing very glossy in some directions. Dr. Latham adds that the supposed female is similar to the male, but has the throat green-gold instead of garnet, colour. VAR. ? Le Grenat. Buff, et Viell. This, which Monsr. Viellot considers as the same species with the preceding, is described by Buffon under the name of Le Grenat. It measures, according to this author, five inches in total length, the bill measuring ten or twelves lines : the cheeks, just beneath the eye, the sides and lower part of v. vin. p. i. J9 <290 VIOLET HUMMING-BIRD. the neck, and the throat as far as the breast, are of a fine bright garnet-colour : the upper part of the head, the back, as well as the under parts of the body are of a velvety black : the wings and tail of the same colour, but gilded with a green gloss. It is probable that a mistake is made by Buffon in the above description ; and that instead of five the length should have been stated at four inches. Monsr. Viellot's specimen measured four inches' French, and agrees in all respects with the de- scription of Edwards, except that the throat is less bright, being of a purple red, with a slight gilded gloss, and that the beak seems somewhat less curved. Native of South America* VIOLET .HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus violaceus. T. atropurpureo-violaceus, antice nitens, alts caudaque viridi-aureis rectridbus afro suffusis. Dark purple- violet Humming-Bird, glossy on the foreparts, witft green-gold wings and tail, the latter tinged with black. Trochilus violaceus. T. curvirostrzs atro-violaceus, gutturc pec~ toreque violaceo-nitentibus, alis caudaque viridi-aureis, rectridbus afro wntaminatis. Lath. ind. orn. Polytmus Cayanensis violaceus. Briss. av. Le Colibri violet. Buff. ois. PL Enl. 600. /. 2. Violet Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Brisson: length four inches and a quarter : bill long in proportion to the bird, and black : the whole bird, except the wings and tail> &R-TA1 LIED ;Mr AIM! v(: BJ2UD . arstev Fleet Strieet,& the-othe* Proprietors UAH-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Mrhich are gold-green, is violet-purple, very glossy on the throat and breast, but verging to velvet- black on the other parts : the gold-green colour of the tail, in some particular lights, appear^ black. Native of Cayenne. BAR-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus sparganurus. T. aureo-viridis, gttla smaragdina, cauda, forficata nigra, rectricib us fascia aureo-phoenicea. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with emerald throat, and black forked tail with a gold-crimson bar across the feathers. A MOST beautiful species: length nearly eight inches: colour green-gold, but not very bright> except on the throat, which is of a golden emerald- colour : wings brownish or dusky : tail long, and strongly forked, the two exterior feathers mea- suring about four inches and a half in length, the rest gradually shortening: colour velvet-black, each feather crossed by a broad gold-crimson bar somewhat beyond the middle * : ends of the fea- thers rounded : bill and legs black. Described from an elegant specimen in Mr. Bullock's Mu- seum, and said to be a native of Peru. * In the exterior feather on each side the crimson bar is con- siderably wider than in the rest. 292 CRIMSON-HEADED BLUE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus cyaneus. T. curvirostris coccineo-serkeus, dorso ccerulco, alis nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Velvet-crimson Humming-Bird, with blue back, and black wings. Avicula Mexicana cyaneo colore venustissima. Seb. I. p. 102* t. 65. f. 3. Trochilus venustissimus. Lin. GmeL Le Colibri bleu. Eu/. ois. Crimson-headed blue Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Du Tertre in his History of the Antilles: size half that of a Wren: head, throat, and under parts, as far as the middle of the belly, velvet-crimson with varying glosses : back blue : wings black. Seba figures a bird supposed to be the same with this, but measuring, according to the figure, about five inches in length: the crown of the head, and under parts scarlet, the back black, and the wings blue : the bill long, whitish, and pretty much curved. According to Seba it is a native of Mexico. Monsr. Viellot, in the work entitled Nowoeau, Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, seems inclined to think the bird described by Du Tertre to be no other than the Trochilus jugularis or Red-Breasted Humming-Bird, but this supposition by no means agrees with the colour of the head in that species. 293 WHITE-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus leucurus. T. cvpreo-viridis, remigibus fuscist collo anfice lunula subrubra, cauda cequali alba. Coppery-green Humming- Bird, with brown quill-feathers, a red- dish crescent in front of the neck, and white even tail. Trochilus leucurus. T. curvirostHs viridi-aureus, rcctricibus cequa- libus albiSy collari rubro. Lin. Syst. Nat. White-tailed Humming-Bird. Edw. pi. 256. Lath. syn. Le Collier rouge. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 600. /. 4. DESCRIBED by Edwards : length four inches and a half : bill long, slender, bowed downwards, of a black colour towards the point, and lighter at the base: all the head, neck behind, back, smaller wing-coverts, and breast of a greenish-brown co- lour, changeable, according to the direction of the light, into copper or gold-colour : across the breast a horizontal light reddish bar: belly and under tail-coverts dull whitish : wings dark purplish : the two middle tail-feathers coppery green, the re- maining eight white, the two exterior ones on each side being clouded with dusky towards the tip: legs and feet whitish. Native of Surinam. 294 MANGO HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Mango. T. cupreo-viridis , stria gulari aldomineqw atris, (ilisfusco-violaceis, caudaferniginea nigro marginata. Copper-green Huniming-Bird, with black descending throat- stripe and abdomen, violet-brown wings, and ferruginous tail edged with black. Trochilus Mango. T. curvirostris viridis nittns, rectricibus sub' cequalibusferrugineis, abdomiue atro. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Plastron noir. Buff. ois. Vidl. Colibr. pi. 7. Le Colibri de Mexique. PI. Enl. 630. f. 2. 3. Mango Humming-Bird . Lath. syn. LENGTH about four inches and a quarter, or rather more : head, neck, back, and lower belly green-gold, darkest on the sides of the belly: down the breast and belly, from the under mandible, a broad velvet-black stripe, edged with steel-blue; sides of the breast blue : wings deep violet-brown or blackish : tail purplish-chesnut, edged and tipped .with black, but the two middle feathers gilded violet-black: vent deep grey. The female is said to differ in having the two middle tail-feathers gold-green, like the back. Native of South Ame- rica, and particularly of Brasil, but is said to be found also in St. Domingo, Jamaica, and other West-Indian islands. Dr. Latham mentions a variety of this species in which the throat, on each side the black stripe, was white. He also informs us that a pair of young Humming-Birds, supposed to be of this species, are reported, on unexceptionable testi- MANGO HUMMING-BIRD. 295 mony, to have been brought jjive 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. He cut off the twig on which the nest was placed, and brought it on board the ship. The female soon became sufficiently tame to suffer herself to be fed with honey, and during the voyage hatched two young ones, but did not long survive that event : the young were however so successfully managed as to be brought in good health to England, where they were in the possession of Lady Hammond. Dr. Latham adds that Sir Henry Englefield, BarU and Colonel Sloane were both witnesses to these little birds readily taking honey from the lips of Lady Hammond with their bills. One of the birds survived at least two months from the time of its arrival; but the other did not live many days *. * Azara, in his History of Paraguay, tells us that Don Pedro Melo of Portugal, Governor of Paraguay, kept a Humming- Bird, which was caught full-grown, for the space of four months. It was permitted to fly about the house at full liberty, knew its master perfectly well, whom it would salute, and fly round him in order to ask its food. Don Melo at such times took a cup of clear syrop, and, inclining it a little, the bird would plunge its beak into it and feed. He also gave it flowers from tune to time, and thus this charming animal lived apparently as well as in the open plains, till at length, during the absence of its master, it perished through the negligence of the domestics. 296 PURPLE-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus porphyrurus. T. fuscus, jugulo aterrimo holoscrica? fascia utrinque collari caudaque purpurds. Vivar. Nat. 9. t. 333. Brown Humming-Bird, with velvet-black throat, and purple neck-stripes and tail. Nat. Misc. vol. Q. pi. 333. Mango Humming-Bird, var. A. Lath. syn. THIS, which was, I believe, first described as a distinct species by myself, under the name of Trochilus porphyrurus, has sometimes been con- sidered as a variety of the immediately preceding, from which it totally differs in the cast of its colours ; the crown of the head being deep green- ish grey, the remainder of the upper parts brown, and the tail fine purple, each feather blackish near the end, but tipped with white : the two middle feathers plain black: from the bill through the eyes, along each side of the neck, passes a broad brilliant purple band, while from the lower man- dible down the throat and breast, as in the former species, passes a deep or velvet-black stripe : the belly is dusky, and on each side the lower part is a patch or spot of white. Native of South America and the West-Indian islands. . K TAI i,i'. h Jl r M :M i>rn "Rriro. /",. Xrnr.r/r\ ; H, /•/ . \''n ; / 297 ASH-BELLIED HUMMING-BIRD. Trocliilus cinereus. T. viridi-aureus, subtus cinereus, alisfusco- •ciolactis, cauda rotundata chalybea, rcctricibus apice albis. (inrn-gold Humming-Bird, ash-coloured beneath, with violet- brown wings, and rounded steel-blue tail with white tips. Trocliilus cinereus. T. currirostris viridis nitens, subtus cinercus, rectricibus lateralibus nigris, tribus extimis chalybtis, apicc albis. Lath. hid. orn. Ash-bellied Huraming-Bird. Lath. syn. Le Colibri a ventre cendre. VielL Colibr. pi. 5. LENGTH about six inches and a half: bill long, and but slightly bent : crown of the head, back, and smaller wing-coverts gold-green: throat, breast, and belly fine ash-grey: wings purplish-brown: tail longish, and slightly cuneated, the two middle feathers green-gold, the others violet-black, deeply tipped with white. Native of South America, 593 BLACK-BREASTED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus pectoralis. T. curvirostris viridis mtens, pectore hola* smco-nigro, abdomine albo, cauda subpurpureo-chalybea. Green-gold curve-billed Humming-Bird, with velvet-black breast, white belly, and purplish steel-blue tail. Trochilus pectoralis. Lath. ind. orn. Trochilus gramineus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmd. Black- Breasted Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. Le Hausse-col vert. BujjF. ois. Viell. pi. 9. Trochilus Dominicus. ? T. curvirostris viridis nitens, subtus sub- cinereus, rectricibus medio ferrugineis apice albis. U.n. Syst. Nat. St. Domingo Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. Le Vert perle. Buff. ois. Var. ? Le Plastron violet. Viell. pi. ;o. Mango Humming-Bird. var. B. ? Lath. suppL LENGTH, according to Monsr. Viellot's figure, >about four inches : bill rather long in proportion, to the bird : colour greenish-brown above ; velvet- black beneath, except the throat to a considerable distance on the sides and down the neck, which is of a bright gold-green : the black colour of the under parts is deepest on the breast : across the vent is a whitish bar : the tail is violet, (in Monsr. Viellot's figure violet-lilac,) slightly tipped with black. In some individuals the belly is said to be white. This species appears to be considerably allied to the Trochilus porphyrurus or Violet-Tailed Hum- ming-Bird, from which however it differs in the colour of the neck and throat. BLACK-BIIEASTED HUMMING-BIRD. 299 Monsr. Viellot seems inclined to suppose the Trochllus Dominicus or Domingo Humming-Bird of Dr. Latham, (Vert pertt of Buffon,) to be the young of this species. It is described as mea- suring rather more than four inches, and as having the upper parts of the head, neck, body, and tail of a light gold-green, mixing at the sides of the neck and breast with the pearl-grey colour of the under parts : the wings are violet-brown, the tail white, at the tip, and of a polished steel-colour beneath. The Black-Breasted Humming-Bird is a native of the West-Indian islands, and has been observed by Monsr. Viellot to frequent in preference such flowering shrubs as are planted near houses; perching mostly on some dry twig, and at such times spreading its tail in a semicircle. When flying it utters an almost continual sharp cry. It rarely suffers any other bird to frequent the tree in which it builds, and Monsr. Viellot has even seen it drive away a Mocking-Bird, by flying about its head and perpetually assaulting the eyes with its long beak. The nest is somewhat more than an inch in diameter, and covered externally with lichens : the young are two in number, and when in their first plumage have the under parts brown, without any gloss. The female Black-Breasted Humming-Bird is said to be distinguished from the male by having the green on the fore part of the neck divided by two white streaks, and the breast of a paler black than that of the male. SCO GREEN-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus gutturalis. T. viridi-aureus, gula smamgdina utrinyuc albo-rufescente, pectore strigaque abdominali nigris. Green-gold Humming-Bird, with emerald throat whitish-rufous on each side, black breast, and black abdominal stripe. Trochilus gularis*. T. curvirostris viridi-aureus, collo subtus smaragdino lateribus rufo, abdomine albo, pectoris macula nigra. Lath. ind. orn. Trochilus maculatus. Lin. GmeL Le Colibri a cravate verte. Buff. ois. Viell. pi. 10. PL Enl. 6?!. /.l. Green- throated Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. GREATLY allied to the Black-breasted Hum- ming-Bird in habit, and even in distribution of colours, and may, according to Audebert, be con- sidered as a variety of that bird, which however it considerably exceeds in magnitude; Monsr. Audebert's figure representing it at least five inches in length, while the preceding is not more than about four inches and a quarter at fullest extent. The upper parts, in the present species, are dark green- gold, with a somewhat irregular white band slightly tinged with rufous on each side the whole length of the neck, proceeding from the base of the lower mandible : the throat is bright or emerald gold-green ; the wings violet- black; the breast velvet-black, narrowing into a * This title might cause confusion, Mr. Latham having another ^ species of the same name. I have therefore changed it to turalis. VIOLET-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. 301 stripe beneath the belly, the sides of which are whitish intermixed with green-gold : the tail viewed from beneath is violet-lilac for two thirds of its length, the remainder black. Monsr. Aude- bert observes that he has seen many individuals of this species, all agreeing in colour, except in the white neck-stripes, which are either more or lesg tinged with rufous. VAU.? VIOLET-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus nitklus. T. curvirostris viridi-auratus, subtus albus, gula media fusco-viridi, cauda violacea, rectricibus tribus extcri* oribus apice albis. Lath. ind. orn. Violet-tailed Humming-Bird. Lath. ind. orn. Le Colibri a queue violette. Andeb. pL 11. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 67 1./. 2. Trochilus albus. Lin. Gmel. THIS seems to be a mere variety of the preced- ing, from which it differs in having a black stripe down the throat instead of the brilliant green one in the gutturalis: the tail is violet, the side-fea- thers edged with dusky, and tipped with white. 302 RUFOUS-BELLIED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Brasiliensis. T. viridi-aureus, subtus rufescens, dlis can* daquefusco-violaceis, rectricibus apice albis, tibiis albo-pennatis. Gold-green Humming-Bird, rufescent beneath, with violet-brown wings and tail, the latter tipped with white, and white-fea- thered legs. Trochilus Brasiliensis. T. viridi-aureus, subtus albo-rufescens, cauda nigricante-viridi, apice albo9 tibiis pennatis. Lath. ind. orn. Trochilus hirsutus. Lin. Gmel. Le Colibri a ventre roussatre. Buff. ois. Le Colibri a pieds vetus. VidL Colibr. pi. 20. et 68. Rufous-bellied Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. AN elegant species, measuring about four inches and a half in length : colour above green-gold, beneath yellowish-rufous : crown of the head brown: wings violet-brown, and tail purple-brown, growing blackish towards the end, and tipped with white ; the two middle feathers gilded-green : legs and feet generally covered with white down, but in some specimens bare : bill long, slightly curved, with the upper mandible black, and the lower whitish-yellow with dusky tip. Native of Brasil. 303 PUNCTULATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus punctulatus. T. aureo-viridis, alls nigricantibus, humcri* dorsoque albo maculatis, caudafusca apice alba. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with blackish wings; shoulders and back spotted with white, and brown tail with white tip. Trochilus punctulatus. Lath. ind. orn. Gmel. Syst. Nat. Zitzil ou Colibri picquete. Buff. ois. Hoizit-ziltototl. Fernand. Mex. p. 705. Spotted Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Buffon from Hernandez. Length five inches and a half: colour green-gold, with blackish wings, and marked on the shoulders and back with white specks: the -tail is brown with white tip. Native of Mexico, where it is called by the title of Hoitzitzil. BANDED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus fasciatus. T. aureo-viridis rufo undulatus, capitc rufo* nigricante, corpore utrinque fascia nigra albo marginata. Green-gold Humming-Bird, with rufous undulations, blackish- rufous head, and a black baud edged with white along each side the body. Bec-fleur a bande noir long du corps. Azara Par. LENGTH four inches and a quarter: bill a little curved, and rather large for a Humming-Bird : feathers on the upper parts edged with rufous : behind each eye a small white spot, and a velvet- black stripe, bounded on each side by a white one, 304 SCALLOPED HUMMINGBIRD. from the corners of the bill to the tail, which ia reddish-violet, all the side-feathers being tipped with white, and above the white tip a deep blue spot. Native of Paraguay. Monsr. Azara observes that some individuals are of somewhat smaller size, and have no ferruginous edging or mixture on the feathers. SCALLOPED HUMMING-BIRD. iVocliilus putictatus. T. aureo-viridis, subtus subfuscus albo w«- duhitu.s, alls subviulaceis, cauda basi apiceque alba. Gold-green Humming-bird, beneath brownish undulated with white, with sub violaceous wings, and tail white at the base and tip. Le Colibris a ventre piquete. Viell. pL 8« LENGTH four inches: colour of the upper parts green-gold: of the under pale brown, finely scal- loped with white, the feathers being edged with that colour ; but beneath the throat they are grey, bordered with brown : the quill-feathers are dark violet-brown, the two middle tail-feathers green- gold, and the side-feathers black with white tips and base ; appearing, when the tail is closed, as if white with a large black spot towards the end. In its habit and proportions Monsr. Viellot ob- serves that this bird seems most strongly allied to the Mango Humming-Bird, of which it is not im- possible that it may be the young, in its first year's plumage. 305 GOLDtGREEX HUMMING- BIRD. Trocliilus aurco-viridis. T. aurco-viridis, alis nigricantibus, cauda chalybca apice alba, Gold-green Humming-Bird, with blackish wings, and steel-blue tail with white tip. Trochilus viridis. Le Colibri vert. ViellotpL 15. LENGTH about four inches: colour entirely green-gold, except the quill-feathers, which are blackish, and the tail, which is steel-blue, the eight side-feathers slightly tipped with white. Na- tive of the West-Indian islands. In point of size and habit this bird resembles the Trochilus Mango. FEMALE.? Trochilus margaritaceus. T. curvirostris viridis nitcns, subtus margaritaceo-canus, cauda basi chalybea, medio purpureo-fusca, apice alba. Lath. ind. orn. Bright-«j;reen Humming-Bird, pearl-grey beneath, with the tail steel-blue at the base, purple-brown in the middle, and white at the tip. Le Plastron blanc. Buff. ois. PI. Enl 680. /. 1 . Viell. pi 16. Grey-necked Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. LENGTH about four inches : colour above green- gold : quill-feathers violet-brown : tail deep steel- blue, growing purplish-brown towards the end, where it becomes black with white tips, but the two middle feathers are green-gold : whole under parts pearl-grey, whitest on the throat. v. viii. P. i. 20 306 AURULENT HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus aurulentus. T. obscure aurco-viridi*, gula humerisquc lucidiurihus, pectore nigro, abdominefusco, cauda subviolacea. Dark ^old-green Humming-Bird, with brighter throat and shoulders, black breast, brown abdomen, and subviolaceous tail. Trochilus aurulentus. Le Hausse-col dore. Viell.pl. 12. 13. GREATLY allied to the Black-breasted Hum- ming-Bird, but the beak rather shorter in pro- portion. Colour of the crown of the head and back obscure gold-green : the rump and two mid- dle tail-feathers green, the remaining ones violet, tipped and edged with blue: the throat and smaller wing-coverts bright gold-green, the sides of the neck tinged with steel-blue: the breast black, growing brown on the abdomen, the sides of which have a slightly gilded cast: the wings violet-brown. The female, according to Audebert, diffeis con- siderably from the male, being of a bright gold- green above, and deep ash-grey beneath: the quills violet-brown, the two middle tail-feathers dull brownish gold-green, the rest ferruginous at the base, then violet-black, with white tips. This species is a native of the island of Porto-Rico, where it is not uncommon. 307 BLACK-BELLIED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus holoscriceus. T. subaureo-viridii, alisfuscis, cauda at- dominequc nigris, fascia pectorali ccerulea. Gilded-green Hummiug-Bird, with brown wings, black tail and abdomen, and blue pectoral bar. Trochilus holosericeus. T. curcirostris viridis, rectricibus cequa- libus supra nigris, fascia pectorali ccerulea, abdomiue nigro. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Le Colibri vert et noir. Buff. ois. Viell.pL 6. tt var. 65. Black-bellied Humming-Bird. Edw. pi. 36. Far ? Trochilus maculatus? Miller's III Nat. Hist. pi. 47. f. 1. LENGTH four inches or rather more : head, neck, back, and smaller wing-coverts deep gold-green : across the breast a broadish glossy-blue band : quill-feathers deep brown ; rump glossy greenish blue : belly and vent black, with a gloss of red- dish copper-colour on the sides: tail violet-black, the under surface and under coverts blue. In some individuals a white or whitish band crosses the lower part of the belly, while in others a white or whitish spot alone is visible on each side that part. Native of Mexico and Guiana. The bird figured at plate 65 of Viellot, under the name of Colibri a vent re noiry seems clearly a variety of the pre- sent species. 308 TRIMACULATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus trimaculatus. T. aureo-viridis subtus niger, maculis tribus latcralibus albis, remigibusfuscis, cauda chalybea. Gold-green Humming-Bird, black beneath, with three white spots on each side, brown quill-feathers, and steel-blue tail. Trochilus maculatus. Miller. Miscell. pi. 47./. 1. THIS, according to Miller's figure, is one of the larger Humming-Bird s, measuring about four inches and a half, or rather more, in total length : the colour is deep gold-green on the crown, back of neck, back, smaller wing-coverts, and rump: the larger wing-coverts and quill-feathers brown; and the whole under parts, from bill to vent, deep black, with three moderately large oval white spots on each side, the lowest just behind, or rather upon the thighs : tail rather short, rounded, and of a deep blue-black colour: bill strong, black, and nearly strait, or so slightly bent as to make it doubtful whether it should be ranked among the strait or curve-billed Humming-Birds: legs brown. Native of South America. This description de- pends entirely on Miller's figure, and may perhaps t»e no other than a variety either of T. Manga, holosericeus, or pectoralis. 309 SMALL FOEK-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilns furcatus. T. cceruleo-violaccus nitens, verticc gulaque viridi-aureisj alls abdomine caudaque furcata nigris. Glossy violet-blue Humming-Bird, with gold-green crown and throat, and black wings, abdomen, and forked tail. Trochilus furcatus. T. curvirostris cceruleo-violaceus, vertice collo uropygioque viridi-aurris, remigibus rcctricibvsque nigris, cattda bifurca. Lath. ind. orn. Oiseau-mouche violet a queue fourchu. Buff*, ois, PL Enl. 5QQ. /.2; Furcated Humraing-Bird. Nat. Misc. vol. ll.pl. 397. L'Oiseau-mouch violet a queue fourchu. Vidl. pi. 34. Lesser fork-tailed Humming-Bird. Lath, syn. THIS is a species of peculiarly neat appearance. It measures about four inches in total length, and has the tail deeply forked : the crown of the head and upper part of the neck are of a dusky colour, with a changeable green lustre : the chin and throat of the richest and most brilliant gold-green : the back and breast glossy violet-blue : the abdo- men dusky black, with a whitish bar across the vent: the wings and tail violet-black, and the upper tail-coverts gold-green. It is a native of several parts of South America and of some of the larger West-Indian islands. The bill in this spe- cies, as in some others, is so very slightly curved that it may with nearly equal propriety be ranked in either division of the genus, which has accord- ingly been done by different authors; Gmelin, in his edition of the Systems Naturae of Linneeus, 310 CAYENNE FORK-TAILED HUMMING-BIHD. having placed it, after the example of Dr. Latham, among the curve-billed species, while Monsr. Viel- lot, on the contrary, ranks it in the strait-billed division. CAYENNE FORK-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus forcipatus. T. viridi-aureus, capite collogue violaccis, abdomine macula alba, cauda chalybea bifurca. Lath. ind. orn. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with violet head and neck, abdomen marked by a white spot, and forked tail. Trochilus macrourus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. I/Oiseau-mouche a longue queue couleur d'acier bruni. Buff, ois. Cayenne Fork-tailed rtumming-Bird. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Buffon. Length six inches: the body, both above and below, is of a bright green- gold colour, with a white spot on the lower part of the belly : the head and neck are of a fine violet- blue; the wings violet-black, and the tail blue- black with the lustre of polished steel : it is also very strongly forked, the feathers lengthening gradually from the middle feathers to the end ones, which are longer by two inches than those of the middle. Native of Cayenne. 311 WHITE-LEGGED FORK-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus elegans. T. aureo-viridis, pectore nigro, alis violacco- nigris, cauda f urea fa nigro-Tirtscente. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with black breast, violet black wings, and greenish-black forked tail. Trochilus elegans. Le Hausse-col a queue fourchue. Vicll* pi. 14. LENGTH near five inches : colour green-gold, with black breast, violet-black wings, and greenish- black tail, which latter is deeply forked. Native of St. Domingo, where it was observed by Viellot. It chiefly frequents the borders of large woods, perching on the tops of trees. HARLEQUIN HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Histrio. T.fuscus, vertice gula pectore humerisque viridi- aureis, abdomine rubro, gents cyaneis. Brown Humming-Bird, with gold-green crown, throat, breast, and shoulders, red belly, and blue cheeks. Trochilus multicolor. T. curvirustrisfuscus, abdomine rubro, rer- tice gula pectore dorsoque medio wridibus, ritta per oculos ad nucham ccerulea, postice nigro marginafa. Lath. ind. orn. Harlequin Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. Nat. Misc.3* pi. 81. A HIGHLY elegant species, and remarkable for the variety of its colours. Length about four inches : bill long for the size of the bird, very slightly bent, and of a pale or yellowish brown colour : crown of the head, throat, neck, breast, 312 YELLOW-FRONTED HUMMING-BIRD. upper part of the back, rump, and wing-coverts fine gilded grass-green : cheeks, from the bill, and whole upper part of the neck, fine ultramarine blue ; separated from the green of the upper part of the back by a narrow black bar, beyond which is a bright but pale blue-green one : wings and tail fair bright-brown : belly and vent-feathers orange-scarlet, or red-lead colour : wings long in proportion to the bird: tail 'rather long, and slightly rounded at the tip. Native country un- certain. YELLOW-FRONTED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus flavifrons. Trochilus curvirostris viridis, sincipitejla'co, remigibus rectricibusque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. Green Humming-Bird, with yellow front, and black wings and tail. Yellow-fronted Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. Yellow-fronted Honey-sucker. Penn. Gen. of Birds. A SMALL species, slightly described by Mr. Pennant in his work entitled Genera of Birds. Forehead yellow: body and wing-coverts green: quills and tail black. Native of South America. 313 PURPLE-CROWNED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus torquatus. T. curvirostris viridis, verticc purpureo, collo inferiore annulo cceruleo, cauda bifurca purpurea. Lath, ind. orn. Green Humming-Bird, with purple crown, lower part of neck surrounded by a blue collar, and purple forked tail. Purple-crowned Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. Purple-crowned Honey-sucker. Penn. Gen. Birds. DESCRIBED by Mr. Pennant. Crown purple: throat green: round the whole lower part of the neck a collar of rich deep blue : back green : wings and tail deep purple, the latter forked. Size very small. Native of South America. ORANGE-HEADED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus aurantius. T. curvirostris fuscus, capitc aurantio, gutture pectorequcjlavis, alls purpureis, cauda ferruginea. Lath, ind. orn. Brown Humming-Bird, with orange head, yellow throat and breast, purple wings, and ferruginous tail. Orange-headed Humming-Bird. Lath. ind. orn. Orange-headed Honeysucker. Penn. Gen. Birds. DESCRIBED from Pennant's Genera of Birds: head orange : throat and breast yellow : back and belly deep brown : wings purple : tail bright fer- ruginous: size said to be very minute. Native of South America. 314 GULAR HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus gularis. T. aureo-viridis subtus albus, alls caudaqite nigricantibus, gula crissoque cyaneis. Cimel. Phys. t. 30. f. A. Gold-green Humming-Bird, white beneath, with blackish wings and tail, and deep-blue throat and vent. Trochilus gularis. Lath. ind. orn. DESCRIBED from a drawing by Mr. Miller, and said to be a native of the East-Indies, which is probably a mistake. Its length appears to be about three inches, and its colours as expressed in the specific character. Perhaps a native of South America. GILT-CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus cristatellus. T. curmrostris viridis, capitis crista viridi- nitente aureat remigibus caudaque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppL 2. Green Humming-Bird, with shining gold-green crest, and black wings and tail. Gilt-crested Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. A SMALL and elegant species; length two inches and a half: colour green, and on the top of the head a bright gold-green crest : quill-feathers and tail black. The female is greenish brown above, and whitish beneath, with dusky spots on the breast. This species seems much allied to the following. 315 LITTLE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus exilis. T. cvrvirostris viridi-fuscus, rubro nitens, capite crlsta viridi-nitente, apice aurato, remigibus caudaque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. ,-.. m\. Brownish -green Humming-Bird, with a gloss of red, glossy-green crest with gilt tip, and black wings and tail. Little Humming-Bird. Lath.syn. Hunmiing-Bird of a black colour. Bancr. Guiana. THE smallest of the curve-billed division: de- scribed in Bancroft's History of Guiana: length only an inch and half: colour greenish brown, with a bright red or coppery gloss : head furnished with a small tuft, green at the base, but of a bril- liant gold-colour at the top : quills and tail of a fine black. Native of Guiana. Qu. whether both this and the immediately pre- ceding, though ranked by Dr. Latham in the curve- billed division of the genus, are any thing more than varieties of the Trochilus cristatus ?. In such very small species describers not professedly orni- thological might easily overlook the exact form of the bill, and other minute particulars, and the de- scriptions given by Dr. Bancroft seem only in- tended as general notices of the most remarkable subjects which he had observed during his resi- dence in Guiana. 316 With strait Bills. KACKET-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus platurus. T. viridi-aureus, abdomine remigibus caudaque fuscis, rectricibus duabus mediis nudis apice pcnnatis. Gold-green Humm ing-Bird, with brown belly, quill-feathers, and tail j the two middle tail-feathers naked with webbed tips. L'Oiseau-mouche a raquettes. Ruff. ois. Viell. pi. 52. Trochilus platurus. T. rectirostris viridi-aureus, gula smarag- dina, rectricibus rachi cxpansa rufo-alba, intcrmediis duabus setaceis elongatis, apice expansis. Lath. ind. orn. Trochilus longicaudus. Lin. Gmel. Racket-tailed Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THE total length of this singular species is about three inches and three quarters, and its colour deep green-gold, except on the throat, which is very brilliant: the belly, wings, and tail are violet-blacky and the latter is of a remarkable appearance, being deeply forked, with the feathers all of a pointed shape, and the two exterior ones extending very considerably beyond the rest in the form of naked shafts, plumed only at the tip, so as to represent the shape of a racket or battledore. In the description given of this species by the Count de Buffon a mistake is made in stating the two middle tail-feathers instead of the two exterior ones to be the longest. It should be observed also that these two feathers, till they arrive at a small distance beyond the rest, are plumed on the sides, after which the web gradually shortens, leaving RACKET-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. 31? only a scarce perceptibly barbed shaft for about the length of half an inch, terminated by the racket-shaped web before-mentioned. The Racket-tailed Humming-Bird is a rare species, and is a native of South America, but the particular regions in which it is found seem not to be distinctly ascertained. Monsr. Viellot informs us that several well-preserved individuals, ex- amined by himself, all agreed in the structure of the taiL When however we consider that the same kind of appearance occasionally takes place in the tail of the bird called the Momot, which yet, in its truly perfect state, exhibits those feathers completely webbed throughout their whole length, we may perhaps be induced to suspect that a similar particularity may occur in the present species of Humming-Bird, and that the exterior feathers of the tail may, at some par- ticular periods of its growth, be regularly plumed throughout. 318 BROAD-SHAFTED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus latipennis. T. viridi-aureus subtus cams, alls caudaque fuscis, rewigum primorum scapis dilatato-incurvatis. Gold-green Huraming-Bird, grey beneath, with brown wings and tail, and the shafts of the greater quill-feathers dilated and iucurvated. ^ Trochilus latipennis. T. rcctirostris viridis subtus griseus, rcmi- gibus tribus seu f/uatuor primoribus scapo maxime dilatato incurvot rectncibus lateralibus fusco-nitentibus apice albis. Lath. ind. orn. L'Oiseau-raouche a larges tuyaux. Buff", ois. PI. Enl. §*]'l.f. 2. Viell.pl. 21. Trochilus campy lopterus. Lin. Gmel. ' Broad-shafted Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS, which is one of the larger Humming- Birds, is distinguished by a very remarkable cir- cumstance ; viz, the structure of the chief quill- feathers, which have their shafts considerably widened in the middle, as well as curved or bent outwards : the length of the bird is about five inches, and its colour slightly-gilded green above, and pale ash beneath: the wings violet-black, and the tail of similar colour, tipped with white ; the two middle feathers gold-green. Native of Cay- enne, and considered as a very rare species. 319 VIOLET-EARED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus auritus. T. lindi-aureus subtus albus, annum pennls subclongatis violaceis, rcmigibus nigris, rectricibus latcralibus albis. Gold-green Humm ing-Bird, white beneath, with slightly elon- gated violaceous ear-feathers, black wings, and white lateral tail-feathers. Trochilus auritus. T. rectirostris viridi-auralus, svbtus albus, tifnia infra oculos trigra, macula aurium fasciculari violacea, rec- tricibus quatuor intermtdtis nigro-cceruleis, latcralibus albis. Lath. ind. orn. Oiseau-mouche a oreilles. Buff', ois. Viell. pL 25. 26. Grand Oiseau-mouche de Cayenne. Briss. av. Violet-eared llunnning-Bird. Lath. syn. AN elegant species. Length about four inches and a half: shape rather more slender than in others of the genus : colour of the upper parts bright gold-green ; of the under parts white: from the bill, on each side the head, a black band, pass- ing below and beyond the eyes : on each side the neck an oval or slightly-lengthened patch of bright steel-blue or violet feathers: wings and four middle tail-feathers violet-black, the side-feathers milk- white: legs feathered to the toes. The female res* -rubles the male, but wants the blue ear-fea- thers, and is of an ash-white beneath, with lon- gitu iinal dusky spots. This species is a native of Cayenne. 320 WHITE-COLLARED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus mellivorus. T. viridi-aureus, capite collo pectorcque cceruleis, fascia nuchali abdomine caudaque albis. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with blue head, neck, and breast, and white nuchal bar abdomen and tail. Trochilus mellivorus. T. redirostris, rectricibus nigris: laterali- bus albis, capite cceruleo, dor so viridi, abdomine albo. Lin. Syst. Nat. L'Oiseau-mouche dit La Jacobine de Cayenne. PI. Enl. 640. White- bellied Humming- Bird. Ed-a.pl.35. Lath.syn. L'Oiseau-mouche a collier, dit La Jacobine. Buff. ois. Viell. pi. 23. Var? Trochilus fimbriatus. T. viridi-aureus, pennis gufajuguli- qiie albo Jimbriatis, venire cinereo, rectricibus nigro-chalybeis, luteralibus apice griseis. Lath. ind. om. Spotted-necked Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THE length of this species, which, perhaps, was first described and figured by Edwards, is some- thing more than four inches : the head and under parts of the neck are deep glossy blue: the upper part of the neck green- gold, crossed by a mode- rately broad milk-white bar, reaching rather more than half way towards the fore-parts : the back, wing-coverts, and rump are green gold : the quill- feathers violet-black, and the tail white, slightly tipped with black: the two middle tail-feathers, which are shorter than the rest, are of the colour of the back: the tail is also slightly divided or forked at the end. Native of South-America, and par- ticularly of Cayenne, where it is not uncommon. WHITE-COLLARED HUMMING-BIRD. 321 VAR. ? Lc Jucobiiie varie. Vitll. pi. 24. This, which is supposed by Monsr. Viellot to be either a young male before it has gained its complete plumage, or else the female of the above species, is blueish green-gold above, and white beneath, variegated on the throat and breast with grey and blue : the tail green-gold, growing blue at the end, and tipped with white. Native of Cayenne. * VAR. ? L'Oiseau-mouche a gorge tachet6e. Viell. pi. 21. This I place as a farther variety of the pre- ceding species, which it resembles in habit and general cast of colours. It is blackish green-gold above, and white beneath, mottled or scalloped with black or dark^brown on the throat, and with dusky green-gold on the breast and upper part of the abdomen : 'the wings are violet-black, and the tail of the same colour, but the side-feathers edged and tipped with white. Native of Cayenne, and figured by Monsn Viellot from a specimen long preserved in the French Museum, and which, as he imagines, may have been the one described by v. vin. p. i. 21 GREEN AND BLUE HUMMING-BIRD. Buffon under the name of Olseau-mouche ci gorge tachetee, and which, like many other specimens, has suffered greatly by the fumigations of sulphur which were formerly practised in that Museum as a preservative from insects, but which, as Monsr. Viellot very properly observes, have done more injury to the plumage of the birds than they would have suffered from the ravages of the insects themselves. GREEN AND BLUE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Ourissia. T. aureo-viridis, dorso pectore abdomineque cceruleis, remigibusfuscis, cauda subttqualifusco-aurea. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with blue back, breast, and belly, brown quill-feathers, and golden-brown tail. Trochilus Ourissia. T. rectirostris viridi-aitratus, rectricibus subcequalibus fuscv-aureis, remigibus nigris, abdomine caruho. Lin. Syst. Nat. Mellisuga Surinamensis pectore cseruleo. Briss. av. 3. p. 71 1 . L'Emeraude-amethyste. Buff, ois, Oiseau-mouche a poitrine bleue. PI. Enl. 227. f. 3. Green and blue Humming-Bird. Ediv.pl. 35. f. 2. Lath. syn. THE American word Ourissia, signifying a sun- beam, is applied by some of the earlier writers to certain species of Humming-Birds, on account of the splendor of their colours. Linnaeus applies the name to the Green and Blue Humming-Bird of Edwards, a middle-sized species, measuring nearly four inches in total length, and of a coppery green- gold colour, the upper part of the back, the breast, and belly fine deep blue, with a slight golden gloss: SUPERB HUMMING SUPERB HUMMING-BIRD. 323 the sides of the body, vent, and thighs dusky or blackish brown ; and lastly, the wings and tail brown, the latter very slightly inclining to a forked shape, the two middle feathers being somewhat shorter than the rest: the bill is rather long for the size of the bird, and of a black colour, as are alsa the legs, It should be added that Edwards considered this as the female of the white collared Humming- Bird above described. It is a native of Surinam. SUPERB HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus superbus. T. viridi-aurcus, vcrtice cceruleo, fascia per genas duplici nigro-alba, gula pectoreque phoeniceis. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with blue crown, double black-and- white cheek-stripe, and crimson throat and breast. Trochilus superbus. Stripe-cheeked Humming-Bird. Natural- iaCs Miscellany, vol. 13. pi. 5 17. THIS most beautiful species was first described in, the thirteenth volume of the Naturalist's Miscellany, and afterwards introduced into the splendid work of Monsr. Viellot, It is unquestionably one of the finest of this brilliant race. Its length is about four inches and a quarter : the bill very long in proportion to the bird, strait, and black: the crown of the head bright sky-blue: from the bill to the head, on each side, a moderately broad black stripe, and beneath this a white stripe: throat and upper part of the breast of a most brilliant scarlet, the feathers full, or somewhat projecting: remain- 324 SAPPHIRE HUMMING-BIRD. der of the body, both above and below, gold-green, but much paler or greyer beneath : wings pur- plish brown ; tail the same, but the outsides of the feathers gold-green, appearing of that colour when closed: each of the two outside feathers tipped with white : legs black. Native, probably, of South-America, but the particular region un- certain. The figures of this bird, both in Monsr. Viellot's work and the Naturalist's Miscellany, were drawn from a specimen in the collection of General Davies, and which seems to have been the first that ever made its appearance in this country. It was brought from the West Indies. SAPPHIRE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus sapphirinus. T. lucido-sapphirinus, dorso subaurato, alisfuscis, abdomine nigro, cauda chalybea. Bright sapphire-coloured Humming-Bird, with slightly-gilded back, brown wings, black abdomen, and steel-blue tail. Trochilus sapphirinus. T. reciirostris mridi-auratus, subtus albus, collo inferiore violaceo-sapphirino, gula caudaque rufis. Lath. ind. orn. Le Saphir. Buff. ois. Viell. pi. 35. 57. Sapphire Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS species was first described by Buffon, who informs us that it is rather above the middle size, and has the fore-part of the neck and the breast of a rich sapphire-blue, with violet glosses or re- flexions: the throat red 5 the upper and under SAPPHIRE AND EMERALD HUMMING-BIRD. 325 parts of the body dark gold-green ; the lower belly white; the inferior tail-coverts rufous, and the su- perior ones shining golden-brown : the bill white with a black tip. Monsr. Viellot informs us that though the above description is generally supposed to belong to the full-grown bird, yet in reality it will apply only to the full-grown young, or bird in its first year's plumage; and that this species, when in perfection, has no tinge of rufous under the throat, but is of a brilliant sapphire-blue, with the wings brown, the belly black, and the tail blue-black. Native of South- America. SAPPHIRE AND EMERALD HUMMING«BIRD. Trochilus smaragdo-sapphirinus. T. capite gulaqne lucido-sapphi- rinis, corpore viridi-aureo, alisfuscis, cauda chalybea. Humming-Bird with bright sapphire-blue head and throat, gold- green body, brown wings, and steel-blue tail. Trochilus bicolor. T. rectirostris saturate viridi'auratus, capite collogue inferiors sapphirinis. Lath. ind. orn. Le Saphir-eraeraude. Buff. ois. Vicll. pi. 36. Sapphire and Emerald Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS also, which is a middle-sized species, is described by Buffon, who very justly observes that the two brilliant colours with which the bird is in- vested merit the title of the gems by which they are called. He might however have gone farther, and have added that they are accompanied by a vivid metallic splendor not exhibited by the gems 326 BLUE-GORGE HUMMING-BIRD. themselves. The sapphire-colour covers the head and throat, beyond which it blends, in the most admirable manner, with the lucid golden emerald- colour with which the breast, belly, and upper part of the back are covered : the wings are brown , the tail glossy blueish-black ; and the belly white : the upper mandible is black, the lower whitish. In another specimen observed by Buffon the throat alone was sapphire-coloured, the head and re- mainder of the body emerald-green. A most beautiful specimen in the Leverian Museum an- swered to the first description, and exhibited the two colours in their utmost brilliancy: its size was rather inferior to a specimen figured in the work of Monsr. Audebert, but the tail was slightly forked, as in his representation. Native of South- America and the West Indies. The specimen mentioned by Buffon was received from Gua- deloupe ; that of Viellot and Audebert from Mar- tinique. VAR. ? BLUE-GORGE HUMMING-BIRD. L'Oiseau-mouche a gosier bleu. Viell. pi. 40. LENGTH near three inches and a half: colour above coppery green : chin and throat fine sap- phire-blue, appearing brown when viewed in some lights, and purplish in others: breast and belly BRILLIANT HUMMING-BIRD. 327 fine glossy green, with blue reflexions on the sides of the neck : wings violet-black ; tail indigo-blue, with a mixture or cast of green : lower part of the belly white. The tail is rather rounded, in which respect it seems to differ from the Sapphire and Emerald Humming-Bird, of which it is probably no other than a mere variety. It should be added that the upper mandible is black, and the lower white. Native of Guiana. To the description of the two brilliant Hum- ming-Birds above-detailed, viz. the sapphirinus and smaragdo-sapphirinus, I shall venture to hint a degree of doubt whether the* two kinds may not in reality constitute one and the same species, and whether the different distribution of colours and comparative variation of splendor occasionally ob- served, may not be rather owing to sexual dif- ferences and the various stages of plumage than to a real specific difference; the general appear- ance being nearly similar in both. BRILLIANT HUMMING-BIRD. Trocliilus Tucidus. T. aureo-mridis nitidis&imus, gula ptctorf cau- daque cyaneis, macula postoculari alba. Bright gold-green H umining-Bird, with deep-blue throat, breast, and tail, and a white spot behind each eye. Le plus beau des bec-fleurs. Azara Par. LENGTH three inches and a half: bill strait, flesh-coloured, with a blackish tip. Both Monsr. Azara and Sonnini suppose this to be the same 328 AMETHYSTINE HUMMING-BIRD. with the Sapphire and Emerald Humming-Bird, from which however it seems to differ in the deeper blue colour of the breast and tail, as well as in the white spot behind the eyes. Native of Pa- raguay. AMETHYSTINE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus amethystinus. T. viridi-tntrcut, subtus griseo fuscoque varius, gula colloque inferior e amethystinis, cauda forcipata. Lath. ind. orn. Gold-green Humming-Bird, varied beneath with grey and brown, with amethystine throat, and forked tail. Amethystine Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. L'Amethyste. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 672. /. 1. SIZE of the Red-throated Humming-Bird: up- per parts green-gold j under parts marbled with greyish white and brown : throat and fore part of the neck bright amethyst-colour, changing, ac- cording to the direction of the light, into purplish brown: wings rather short: tail forked. Native of Cayenne. Sr- -B3 v /.,"////•// TfabfohidJrfGJ&arsUYJ'ltet'Strettrfcilu. ^Hn / /V- 329 RUBY-HEADED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus moschilus. T.fusco-purpureus, subtus nigricans, verticc aurco-rubineo, gula topuzina, cauda apicc nigra. Purple-browti Humming-Bird, blackish beneath, with ruby-gold crown, topazine throat, and black-tipped tail. Trochilus moschitus. rectirostris viridi-aureus, rectricibus cequa- libus .ferrugincis ; cxtimis apice fuscis, remigibus nigris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Avis Colibri Americana omnium minima Thauraantias dicta. Self. l.p.6l. t.3?.f.4. Le Rubis-topaze. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 227. /. 2. Viell. pi. ig. 30. Ruby-necked Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. Trochilus elatus. T. rectirostris virescente-aureus, rectricibut aqualibus ferrugineis, apicc nigris, pileo rubro cristato. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Ruby-crested Humming-Bird. Edw. pi. 344. Lath. syn. Oiseau-mouche a gorge topaze. PI. Enl. 640. f. 1. Trochilus galeritus. ? Lath. ind. orn. Molin. Chil. p.21Q. T. Guianensis. ? ? Lath. ind. orn. T. Carbunculus. ? ? Lath. ind. orn. L'Escarboucle. Rvff. ois. T. Bancroft i. ? ? Lath. ind. orn. THIS is one of ttye most beautiful of the strait- billed Humming-Birds. Its general length, from the tip of the bill to that of the tail, is about four inches and a half: the upper parts of the body are of a very deep reddish brown ; the under parts black- ish brown : the crown of the head lucid purple or ruby-colour, accompanied by a golden gloss ; the feathers scale-shaped, and so disposed as to give the appearance of a crest, more or less conspicuous in different individuals : the whole region of the 330 RUBY-CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD. throat and forepart of the neck is of the most brilliant golden topaz-colour, shining, like the crest, with a metallic lustre, according to the direction of the light: the wings are purplish chesnut-brown, and the tail purple-ferruginous, slightly tipped with black: on each side the lower part of the abdomen is usually a white spot : the bill and legs are black. The female is said to have only a slight cast of topaz- colour on the throat, and to have the re- mainder of the under parts of a greyish white colour. The young males are brown above, with a few red specks on the head, and a few gold- coloured ones on the throat. Native of South- America, and particularly of Brazil, Guiana, and Surinam. VAR.? BUSY-CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD. This is so nearly allied to the immediately pre- ceding, as to leave it doubtful whether it should be considered as truly distinct. It is thus de- scribed by the accurate Edwards. " Its bill is long, slender, a very little bowed downwards, and of a dusky or black colour: the tongue. is divided into small filaments, as in the whole genus : the crest or crown is of an exceeding fine red or flame-colour, having the lustre of a ruby: the throat is like burnished gold, changing in some positions to the light, to an emerald-green : these shining colours in other positions are quite ob- RUBY-CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD. 331 scure: the body and coverts of the wings are of an obscure brownish olive-colour, the quills a little in- clining to purple: in the tail I could count only eight feathers, which are of a cinnamon-colour with black tips : the lower belly and coverts be- neath the tail are of the same colour above and beneath : a white line passes across the middle of the belly : the bright spot on the throat is divided from the neck and breast by a dusky line: the legs and feet are black.'* Native of Guiana and other parts of South- America. Monsr. Audebert, in his splendid work on this genus, is of opinion that the above Humming- Bird of Edwards is no other than a variety of the Trochilus moschitus, differing in being a trifle smaller, somewhat less intense in point of colour, and in having the crest unusually conspicuous and elevated, which appearance may have easily taken place from a contraction of the back parts of the skin and muscles of the head in a dried specimen. The two following Humming-Birds; hitherto considered as distinct species, are by Mr. Viellot suspected to be no other than the young of the Trochilus moschitus in different stages of their plumage. 332 GREY-BELLIED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Pegasus. T. aureo-viridis subtus griseus, remigibusfuscis, rectricibus atropurpureis basi virescentibus. Gold-green Humming-Bird, grey beneath, with brown wings, and blackish-purple tail with greenish base. Trochilus Pegasus. T. rectirostris, rectricibus basi virescentibus, corpore virescente-aureo subtus subgriseo, tibiis pennatis, Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Mellisuga Cayanensis ventre griseo. Briss. av. 3. t. 36. f. 4. Grey-bellied Humming-Bird. Lath.syn. Trochilus leucogaster. ? Lath. ind. orn. Gold-throated Humming-Bird. ? Lath. syn. PERHAPS a young female of the Trochilus mos- chitus. Length about three inches and two lines : colour on the upper parts gold-green, with a changeable coppery lustre, and on the under parts grey-brown: wings violet-brown: tail-feathers parti- coloured, the lower or base half being gold-green, and the remaining half purplish black, the side- feathers tipped with grey : legs feathered to the toes. 333 BROWN-CROWNED HUMMING-BIKD. Trochilus hypophaeus. T. rectirostris fusco-aurcus sttbtus albidus, Tfrticefusco, media gulce striga longitudinali viridi-aurca. Lath, ind. orn. Gilded-brown Humming-Bird, whitish beneath, with brown crown and gold-green stripe down the middle of the throat. Trochilus striatus. Lin. GmcL Brown-crowned Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS, according to Monsr. Viellot, in the work entitled Dictionaire d'Histoire Naturelle, is no other than an advancing young of the Trochilus moschitus, at the period in which it begins to quit its first colour. CARBUNCLE HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Carbunculus. T. rectirostris sericeo-niger, vertice col' loque superius obscure rubris, collo inferiors pectoreque flammco* rubris, rectricibus rufo-aureis. Lath. ind. orn. Trocliilus Carbunculus. T. niger, capite collo et pectore rubris, alisjuscis, cauda riifo-aurea. Lin. Gmel. Glossy-black Humming-Bird, with dark-red crown and nape, fiery-red throat and breast, and gilded-rufous tail. L'Escarboucle. Buff. ois. Carbuncle Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS species, if such it really be, and not a variety of Trochilus moschitus, is thus described by BufTon. " It is somewhat above the middle size : 354- CARBUNCLE HUMMING-BIRD. the bill, both above and below, furnished with feathers to the middle : the top of the head, and nedk, are of a deep, dull red : the throat, fore part of the neck, and breast are of the colour of a deep ruby or carbuncle : the rest of the body velvet- black : the wings brown, and the tail of a deep gilded rufous colour." It is said to have been sent from Cayenne, where it is very rare. Monsr. Audebert, or rather Monsr. Viellot, in his work on the Humming-Birds, considers this as a variety only of the Trochilus moschitus, differing merely in being somewhat less brilliant in colour, which circumstance, he supposes, may have arisen from its having been fumigated with sulphur*. In Monsr. Sonnini's edition of Buffon however we are informed that though Monsr. Viellot, in the work above-mentioned, considered this species as a mere variety of the moschitus, yet he has since retracted that opinion, in consequence of having received some specimens from Cayenne which ex- actly accorded with Buffon's description and spe- cimen. He therefore allows it to be a distinct species from J7. moschitus, though greatly allied to that bird. * This pernicious practice, according to Monsr. Levaillant and other French naturalists, appears to have done considerable in- jury to many specimens iu the Royal Museum, and is now happily exploded. 33.5 TOPAZ-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus chrysurus. T. liridi-aurtus, gula cinnamomea, remigibus fuscis, cauda topazinu. Gold-green Humming-Bird, with cinnamon throat, brown quill- leathers, and topazine tail. Bec-fleur a queue couleur de topaze. Azara Par. LENGTH four inches : Native of Paraguay. RED-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Colubris. T. triuncialis aurco-viridit, subtus albus guia aureo-rubra, alls caudaque purpureo-fuscis. Gold-green Humming-Bird, about three inches in length, beneath white with gold-red throat, and purple-brown wings and tail. Trochilus Colubris. T. reclirostris viridi-aureus, rectricibus m- gris ; lateralibus tribus ferrvgineis apice albis, gula Jiammea, Lin. Syst. Naf. Lath. ind. orn. l\ed-throated Humming-Bird. Edw. pi. 38. Latli. syn, Humming-Bird. Catesb. Carol. 1. pi. 65. Le Rubis. Buff. ois. Viell. pi. 31.32. 33 . THIS most beautiful species usually measures about three inches and a third from the tip of the bill to that of the tail : the bill is black, and three quarters of an inch long : the crown, upper part of the neck, back, and coverts of the wings are of a most resplendent and variable green and gold colour : the chin arid throat of a rich shining scarlet, changing, according to the direction of 536 RED-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. the light, either into polished gold-colour or deep brownish black : the breast and belly are white ; the wings and tail purplish brown, but the two middle tail-feathers green. The female differs in having the whole under side white, without any redness on the throat : in other respects it resembles the male, except that all the tail-feathers, exclusive of the two middle ones, are tipped with white. The Red-Throated Humming-Bird is a native of America, continuing in the southern parts of that continent during the whole year, but ap- pearing in North-America in summer only. It breeds in Carolina, Florida, and even, according to some, in Canada. It also appears to be a native of Jamaica and some other West Indian islands. It remains, says Monsr. Viellot, in several of the high regions of North- America for five or six months together; appearing at New- York in the beginning, and even in Canada at the end of May. In winter it migrates into the Floridas; and is found also, though rarely, in the Antilles. Mr. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, has, with great elegance, collected, from the first authorities, the general history of this beautiful bird. " It flies, says he, with a swiftness which the eye is incapable of following : the motion of the wings is so rapid as to be imperceptible to the nicest observer: lightening is scarcely more tran- sient than its flight, nor the glare more bright than its colours : it never feeds but upon the wing, sus- pended over the flower it extracts nourishment RED-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. ,'JJ7 from; for its only food is the honied juice lodged iu the nectaries, which it sucks through the tubes of its curious tongue : like the bee, having ex- hausted the honey of one flower, it wanders to the next, in search of new sweets. It admires most those flowers which have the deepest tubes. Thus the female Balsamine and the scarlet Monarda are particular favorites. Whosoever sets those plants before the window is sure to be visited by mul- titudes of these diminutive birds. It is a most entertaining sight to see them swarming round the flowers, and trying every tube of verticillated plants, by putting their bills into every one which encircles the stalk. If they find that their brethren, have been beforehand, and robbed the flower of the honey, they will, in a rage, pluck it off, and throw it on the ground. The most violent pas- sions animate at times their little bodies. They have often dreadful contests, when numbers hap- pen to dispute possession of the same flower. They will tilt against one another with such fury as if they meant to transfix their antagonists with their long bills. During the fight they frequently pursue the conquered into the apartments of those houses whose windows are left open, take a turn round the room, as flies do in England, and then suddenly regain the open air. They are fearless of mankind, and in feeding will suffer people to come within two yards of them; but on a nearer approach, dart away with admirable swiftness. Fernandez Oviedo, an author of repute, speaks, from his own knowledge, of the spirited instinct, V. vni. p. I. 22 338 RED-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. even of this diminutive bird, in defence of its young. " When they see a man dime the tree where they have their nests, they flee at his face, and strike him in the eyes, commyng, goying, and returning, with such szvyftness, that no man would lyghtly beleeve it that hath not seen it." Their nests are found with great difficulty, being built in the branch of a tree, amidst the thick foliage. It is of an elegance suitable to the architects; formed on the outside with moss, and in the inside lined with down or gossamer collected from the great Mullein or Verbascum Thapsus ; but it is also sometimes made of flax, hemp, hair, and other soft materials. The female is said to be the builder; the male supplying her with materials: each assists in the labour of incubation, which continues during twelve days: they lay only two eggs, white, and as small as pease : the first is very singular, and contrary to the general rule of Nature, which makes, in all other instances, the smallest and most defenceless birds the most pro- lific. The reasons of the exception in this case are double: the smallness of their bodies causes them commonly to escape the eyes of birds of prey, or if seen, their rapid flight eludes the pur- suit; so that the species is preserved as fully as if they had been the most numerous breeders." This species is, according to the observations of Monsr. Viellot, of a tender and delicate nature, and cannot support the want of its accustomed food for more than twelve or fourteen hours at farthest. In autumn it frequently perishes, in RED-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 3S9 consequence of having been detained by its late brood, at a time when the flowers begin to be de- stroyed by frost, as well as of its being weakened by cold weather, when it cannot execute the movements of its wings with the necessary degree of rapidity to keep it suspended while in the act of sucking the juices of flowers. In such a state of the weather it is observed to fly with less velocity; to perch often; sometimes to rest on the ground, and at length to die. The late broods are often exposed to this fate, and are found dead during the au- tumnal season. Monsr. Viellot farther informs us, that having observed these birds often to perch on the dry twigs of trees, and wishing to contemplate them in full sunshine, he 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, in, order to absorb the honey from their bottoms. He adds that this species builds its nest on trees and shrubs, composing it of the brown down of the Sumach, (a -very common tree,) and covers the exterior of it with lichens. One which he pre- served was on a red Cedar, (perhaps the red Ju- niper.) The male brings the materials, which the female arranges. Both sexes sit alternately, and the brood consists of two eggs, of a size propor- tioned to the bird. It is probable that the bird described in Dr. Latham's first Supplement under the name of the Patch-Nccked Humming-Bird, and which is said 340 RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. to be deep brown above, and white beneath, with a bright-red spot on each side the neck, accom- panied by several small dusky ones, was no other than a young male of this species. This suppo- sition is confirmed by Monsr. Audebert's figure of a young male, which perfectly agrees with the above description. See pi. 33 of Audebert and Viellot's work. RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus rubineus. T. viridi-aureus, gula rubro-aurea, alisfusco- purpurdSy cauda rufa. Green-gold Humming-Bird, with gold-red throat, purplish-brown wings, and rufous tail. Trochilus rubineus. T. viridi-avreusf gula rubro-aurea, alls cau- dapte r iifis. Lin. Gmel. Trochilus rubineus. T. rectirostris viridi-aureus , gutture rubino nitente, rectricibus rufis, exterius apiceque fusco-ttiridi-aureo Jimbriatis. Lath. ind. orn. Le Rubis-Emeraude. Byf. ois. PL Enl. I'/Q.f. 4. Ruby-throated Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS species, which is described by Buffon, is considerably larger than the Red-Throated Hum- ming-Bird, measuring four inches and a third in length, and is of a green-gold colour, with pur- plish-brown wings, and rufous tail with a slight gold-green cast on the edges of the feathers, the two middle of which are shorter than the rest: the throat is of a brilliant ruby-red, changing, in certain positions, into a golden hue. It is a native of South America, and particularly of Brasil, and RUBY-THROATED'HUMMING-BIHD. 341 is considered as one of the rarer kinds of Hum- ming-Bird. VAR. ? Rubis-Viellot. Sonnini Buff". Le Grand Rubis. Viellot. pi. 27. This is described by Monsr. Viellot, who, in the opinion of Monsr. Sonnini, has improperly named it Le Grand Rubis, since, according to his own account, it measures less by about a line than the Ruby-Throated Humming-Bird, to which it is con- siderably allied. Its length is four inches and three lines, and its colour on the upper parts dark or blackish grey-brown, the wing-coverts and tail gilded-rufous, the exterior quill-feathers edged with bright rufous, and the exterior tail-feathers with white: the forehead, and under parts, from the throat, bright gold-green, growing dull-blue be- neath the belly: the throat is of a bright golden ruby-colour. This species is said to be a native of Brasil and Guiana, and the specimen figured in the work of Messieurs Audebert and Viellot is preserved in the Parisian Museum. Monsr. Viellot describes and figures, under the name of Trochilus obscurus, what may, perhaps, be either the female or young of the above : it is somewhat smaller, and is of a slightly-gilded brown above, and ash-coloured beneath; the tail pale fer- ruginous, with a black bar near the end, and tip* ped with white. 342 EMERALD-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus mellisugus. T. viridi-aureus, gula viridi-caruka nitcnte, alts nigro-violaceis, tibiis pennatis. Gold-green Huraming-Bird, with glossy blue-green throat, violet- black wings, and feathered legs. Trochilus mellisugus? T. rectirostris Hindi- aureus, rectricibus cequalibus cceruleis, remigibus atro-ccerulesccntibm, tibiis pennatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Trochilus viridissimus ? T. rectirostris viridis vimdissimm inau- ratuSf abdomine albo, cauda chalybea. Lath, ind, orn., L'Oiseau-mouche a gorge verte. Viell. pi. 39. L'Oiseau-mouche tout- vert. ? Viell. pi. 42. L'Oiseau-mouche a poitrine verte. ? Viell. pi. 44. All-green Humming-Bird.? Edwards pi. 360./. 1. L'Orvert. ? Buff. ois. Vert-dore. Buff. ois. Pl.Enl.2/6.f.3. Cayenne Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. L'Oiseau-mouche a gosier bleue ? Viell. pi. 40. LENGTH about three inches: front and upper parts of the body green-gold, changing into brown according to the light: throat and sides of the neck fine gold-green with blue and violet glosses : breast and belly yellow gold-green : on each side the belly a white spot : wings violet-black : tail glossed with green : legs feathered to the feet. The female resembles the male, but is less bright in colour. This bird seems the same with the All-Green Humming-Bird of Edwards, with which it agrees in size. Edwards describes his spe- cimen as having the head, neck, and whole body of a fine green colour, blueish on the under side, with a bright shining gloss; the upper side and coverts of the wings more yellow* and with a RUFF-NECKED II rMMlXCJ-BlUD. 343 copper-coloured gloss: the quills brownish purple, and the tail dark blue. Viellot's specimen was brought from Porto-Rico. Buffon describes his Orvert as measuring only two inches in length, and as having the belly white, and Mr. Latham mentions a specimen of similar size and appear- ance. It is therefore doubtful whether the Orvert of BufFon be the same with this ; and a similar doubt must remain with respect to the T. melllsugus of Linnaeus. Monsr. Viellot however adds to the description of his Oiseau-Mouche a gorge verte that the young birds have the lower part of the abdomen white. The Oiseau-Mouche tout-vert of Monsr. Viellot seems to be no other than the species above-described, differing only in being more uniformly gold-green, or with less appear- ance of the blue gloss. RUFF-NECKED HUMMIXG-BIRD. Trochilus collaris. T. rufus, sultus pallidior, vertice viridi-aureo, gula aureo-rubra pennis utrinque elongatis. Rufous Hu mm ing-Bird, paler beneath, with gold-green crown and gold-red throat with the feathers elongated on each side. Trochilus collaris. T. rectirostris rufo-tcstaceus, subtus rufescente- albus, vertice viridi-aureo, gula flammeo-rubra, lateribus pennis elongatis. Lath. ind. orn. LeSasin. Viell.pl. 6l. 62. Ruff-necked Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THE Ruff-necked Humming-Bird is of a rather smaller size than the Red-Throated, to which it is in some degree allied, and, like that species, is 344 RUFF-NECKED HUMMING-BIRD. found even in the high northern latitudes of the American continent. Its length is three inches and a quarter : the head is of a rich variable green and gold colour: the feathers on the neck are somewhat lengthened, disposed on each side in the form of a ruff, and are of a brilliant crimson or ruby-colour with a copper gloss : the back and tail-coverts are rufous or cinnamon-coloured : the wing-coverts green, and the wings purplish brown: the tail is cuneiform, bright ferruginous at the base, and brown at the tip, and the feathers are of a pointed shape : the whole under parts, from the throat, are blossom-coloured, or white with a cast of rufous. The female differs in being of a green-gold colour above, and white beneath: the throat marked by several minute red spots, and the tail- feathers, except the two middle ones, slightly tip- ped with white. This species inhabits, in great numbers, the neighbourhood of Nootka Sound, where the na- tives brought many of them to our navigators alive, and fastened by a long hair tied round one of their legs. 34.5 TUFTED-NECKED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus ornatus. T. subfuscus rvfo-cristatus, gnla smaragdina, pennis colli clongatis ritjis apice viridi-anreis. Brownisli Humming-Bird, with rufous crest, emerald throat, and elongated rufous neck-feathers with gold-green tips. Trochilus ornatus. T. rectirostris viridi-aureits, subtus fusco-au~ reus, crist a rvfa, abdominc wjimo vittaque transversa vropygii albis, infra aures ulrinque pennis 6 sen ^ elongatis nifis apice macula viridi. Lath. ind. orn. Le Hupecol. Euf. ois. PI. Enl. 640. f. 3. Fie//, pi 4Q. 50. Trochilus ornatus. Ruff-necked Humming-Bird. Museum Levs« rianum. p. 128. et pi. oppos. Tufted-necked Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS is considerably allied to the Ruff-Necked Humming-Bird, but far surpasses that species in the beauty and variety of its plumage. Its total length is about three inches: the bill is reddish at the base, but black at the tip, and is covered for about one fourth of its length by minute gold- green plumes : the forehead, hind-head, back, and wing-coverts are of a bright gold-green colour: the wings violet-brown : the throat, to a considera- ble distance down the neck, of a most brilliant golden green, forming a kind of shield, as in the Topaz-Throated Humming-Bird, and appearing brown when viewed irr particular lights: the re- mainder of the under parts are rufous brown, the rump and vent-feathers ash-coloured : on the top of the head is a most elegant ascending crest, composed of soft silky plumes of a very bright 346 WHITE- BILLED HUMMING-BIRD. cinnamon or ferruginous colour, and on each side the neck, pointing backwards, and extending to a very considerable distance, is a tuft or series of numerous, unequal, lengthened plumes, of a bright rufous colour, rather paler towards the end, and terminating in a dilated tip of a deep but lucid gold-green colour. In the young bird these plumes are shorter and broader than in the full-grown one, and of a gilded copper-green cast. The female is of similar colour to the male, but more of a rufous cast beneath, and is destitute both of the crest and side-plumes which form so conspicuous an or- nament in the male. This species is a native of Guiana. WHITE-BILLED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus alhirostris. T. nigricans, gula aureo-viridi pennis JimbriatiS) rostrofemoribus crissoque albis. Blackish Humming-Bird, vvitli gold-green throat, each feather edged with grey, and white bill, thighs, and vent. L'Oiseau-mouche a bee blanc. Viell. pL 45. THIS Monsr. Viellot describes as a new species* Length three inches and a quarter : colour above brown, the crown of the head glossed with dark carmine-colour, and the back slightly gilded: bill white, with a black tip: neck, throat, and breast green-gold, each feather edged with pearl-grey: abdomen brown, but with a mixture of gold in particular lights: wings and tail violet brown, the latter rufous at the tip : wings extending beyond VIELLOT'S HUMMING-BIRD. 34? the tail. Native of Cayenne. In his Appendix Monsr. Vjellot appears to think this bird either a young or a female of some other species hitherto undetermined. VIELLOT'S HUMMING-BIKD. Trochilus Vielloti. T. olivaceo-nigricans aureo-nitcnst subtus al- bicans, remigibusfusco-violaceis. Blackish-olive Humming-Bird, with golden gloss, beneath whitish, with violet-brown quill-feathers. L'Oiseau-mouche a ventre gris. Viell. pi. 53. L'Oiseau-mouche de St. Domingue. Briss. ois. 3. t. ?6.f. 8. Trochilus niger ? ? T. rectirostris rcctricibus subccqualibus corpore nigro subtus aurato, crisso albo, tibiisptnnatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Black Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS, which is one of the smallest of the genus, is described and figured by Monsr. Viellot, under the name of L'Oiseau-Mouche a ventre gris, and is a species perfectly distinct from some others with which it has been confounded. Its total length is two inches and three lines, and its colour on the upper parts green-brown with a coppery lustre : the quill-feathers of the wings are violet-brown, and the tail of the same colour, except the two middle feathers, which, as in most others of the genus, are of the colour of the back : the whole under parts, from the chin to the vent, are greyish white, and the legs are covered with grey plumes. The female differs from the male in being rather smaller, of a dull grey beneath, and in having all 348 VIELLOT'S HUMMING-BIRD. the tail feathers, except the middle pair, tipped with white. This small species is common in the island of St. Domingo, where Monsr. Viellot assures us he has procured several pair, with their nest and young. Each hrood, as in all of this genus, whose nests have been hitherto observed, consist of two. The period of incubation is twelve days : on the thirteenth the young are hatched, and remain in the nest -seventeen or eighteen days, by which time their wings are fully grown: they then follow their parents in quest of food : the nest is some- times placed with its bottom horizontal on a branch, and sometimes it is attached by its side to a perpendicular one; and is externally covered with lichen, and lined internally with fibres of cotton : the male is extremely affectionate to the female, watching her, and bringing her food during the time of incubation, and afterwards as- sisting in the care of the young. When the family leaves the nest, the young usually perch on some dead twig on a neighbouring tree; the parents im- mediately extracting honey-juice from the neigh- bouring flowers, and feeding the young; either sitting by them, or on the wing, by applying the tips of their tongues to those of the young, which immediately swallow it with avidity, agitating their wings the while, and from time to time ut- tering a feeble cry or note of delight. Monsr. Viellot seems to suppose this species to be the Trochilus niger of Linnaeus; but if this be the case, it must be confessed that the Linnaean WHITE-TEMPLED HUMMING-BIRD. 349 specific character is not very correctly descriptive, since it states the bird to be black above, and gilded beneath. WHITE-TEMPLED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus leucocrotaphos. T. aureo-viridis , subtus canus abdominc albo, linea postoculari albida, re?nigibus cauduque chalybcis. Gold-green Humming-Bird, beneath grey with white belly, a whitish stripe behind the eyes, and blue-black quill and tail- feathers. Oiseau-mouche au tempes blanches. Atara Par. TOTAL length three inches and five twelfths : from the angles of the eyes a whitish stripe of a line in diameter passing towards the sides of the hind-head, and beneath it another which is black- ish: the two exterior tail-feathers tipped with a whitish spot, which on the third feather nearly vanishes : bill red for half its length, and black for the remainder, and about eight lines long. The most common species in Paraguay. Male and female alike. 350 MAUGEAN HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus Maugeanus. T. avreo-viridu, subtus violaceo-cceruleo nitens, remigibus rectricibusque violaceo-nigris, cauda sulfur- cata. Gold-green Humming-Bird, beneath glossed with violet-blue, with violaceous-black wings and tail, the latter slightly forked. L'Oiseau-mouche Mauge. VielL pi. 37. 38. Tobago Humming-Bird ? Lath. syn. LENGTH about three inches and a half: colour green-gold, with blue and violet reflexions on the under parts: lower part of the abdomen white: wings and tail deep violet-black: the latter forked. Native of the island of Porto-Rico, from whence it was brought by Monsr. Mauge. The female is rather smaller than the male, of a coppery green above, and greyish white beneath: the wings brown, the two middle tail-feathers green, the succeeding ones tipped with blue, and the two ex- terior ones on each side green at the base, then grey, gradually deepening into blue, and tipped with whitish grey. LITTLE BROWN HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus ruber. T. subfenugineusfusco submaculatus, rectricibus later alibus fusco-violaceis. Subferruginous Humming-Bird, slightly spotted with brown, with the side-feathers of the tail violet-brown. Trochilus ruber. T. rectirostris, rectricibus laterulibus violaceia, corpore testaceo fusco submaculato. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Little browu Humming-Bird. Edio. pi. 32. L'Oiseau-mouche pourpre. Buf. ois. Little brown Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. DESCRIBED by Edwards from a pair of specimens brought from Surinam. Length rather more than three inches: bill rather long, and slightly bent* : top of the head dull brown, spotted with bright brown : throat, sides of the head, neck, breast, and belly bright bay or dull orange : under the eye a stroke of dark brown, and on the breast some dark spots: back and upper part of the wings dull brown, in- termixed with brighter or yellowish brown : quill and tail-feathers dull purple, except the middle tail-feathers, which are brown. * So as to render it doubtful in which division of the genus it should be placed. 352 CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus cristatus. T. aureo-viridis subtus cincrtus, crista aureo- ccerulea acuminata, remigibus caudaque violaceis. Gold-green Humming-Bird, cinereous beneath, with golden-blue pointed crest, and violet quill-feathers and tail. Trochilus cristatus. T. rectirostris viridis, alis fusds, abdomine fusco-tinereo, crista ccerulescente, tibiis pennatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Crested green Humming-Bird. Edw. pL 37* Lath. syn. L'Oiseau-mouche hupe. Buff. ois. PI. Enl. 22?. /. i. Viell. pi. 47. 48. THE Crested Humming-Bird seems to have been first described by Edwards, who, in the thirty- seventh plate of his excellent work, has given a good figure both of the bird and its nest. The total length of the bird is three inches. " The bill, says Edwards, is slender, sharp-pointed, and not so long as in most of this kind, of a black colour, and very little bowed downward : the top of the head, from the bill to the hinder part, which ends in a crest, is first green, and toward the hinder part dark blue : both these colours shine with a lustre far exceeding the brightest polished metals, the green part especially, which is the lightest in some lights, changes from green to gold-colour, so beautiful as not to be expressed by colours, or hardly conceived in the absence of the object: the feathers of the upper part of the body and wings are dark green intermixed with gold-colour : just beneath the bill is a spot of dirty white: the breast /'///•/ AVer/ .<•'•//((- ('///rr Proprietors. CRESTED HUMMING-BIRD. and belly are of a dark, dirty, grisled or mixed grey colour : the quills are of a purple colour, and the tail is of a blueish black, something glossy on the upper side, the under side more glossy than the upper, which is not common : the legs and feet are very small, and of a black colour." The female of this species differs in wanting the crest, and in being ash-coloured beneath. Native of South America and some of the West Indian islands. In its general manners and character it seems to resemble the Red-Throated Humming- Bird, being of a bold disposition, attacking larger birds, and expelling them from its haunts. It frequents gardens, building on the twig of an orange-tree or jasmine, and sometimes on the pro- jecting straws of the roof 'of a cottage ; and if the nest and young be taken into the house, will follow, and rear the young in their state of con. finement. Y. VIII. P. I, 354 CRESTED BROWN HUMMING-BIRD. Trochilus pileatus. T.fuscus, crista cceruko-nitentc acuminata. Brown Humming- Bird, with glossy-blue pointed crest. Trochilus pileatus. T. rectirostris pallide fuscus, remigibus rec- tricibusque saturatioribus, crista cceruka spkndidissima. Lath. ind. orn. Trochilus puniceus. T. pallide fuscus, crista ccerulea. Lin, Gmel L'Oiseau-mouche a huppe bleu. Viell. pi. 63. Crested brown Humming-Bird. Lath. syn. THIS, which resembles the preceding in size and habit, differs in being entirely of a fine and rather pale brown colour, the wings and tail rather deeper, and the throat rather lighter than the other parts: the crest is similar in shape and size to that of the immediately preceding bird, and is of a fine bright or glossy blue colour. This species, if such it really be, and not a mere variety of the preceding, is called in the]Gmelinian edition of the Systema Naturae by the name of Trochilus puniceuS) but why a name so little expressive of the true colour should have been fixed upon it is not easy to conceive. Sird 2808 Ccl'i.Lwutvn PubUjJi'tt ' /n- t:./T, where he says it weighed not over twenty grains when just killed." The above specimen, from Edwards's description of the colours, appears to have been a female. The figure engraved in Sloane's Jamaica is repre- sented by far too large for the bird, and is other- wise so ill executed as to be unworthy of quo- tation. The figure given in Brisson's Ornithology, and repeated in the Planches Enluminees of Buffon agrees in size with that of Edwards. Those represented in the work of Monsr. Viellot are a trifle larger, or at least longer, measuring about an inch and five eighths in length, and were brought from America by Dufresne. The gold-green of the upper parts is more brilliant in these figures than the general tenor of descriptions would lead us to suppose ; but in these birds, as in all others, considerable diversity as to the colour of the plu- mage must be expected to take place in indi- viduals of different ages, and in different degrees of perfection. A pair of this species in the Bri- tish Museum are of a brownish green above, with but a slight appearance of a gilded lustre. They are reported however to have belonged to the col- LEAST HUMMING-BIRD. 35? lection of Sir Hans Sloane, and may therefore well be supposed to have lost much of their original lustre of plumage. The nest of this species is described as rather large for the size of the bird, but this appearance is owing to its thickness : it is covered outwardly with lichens, and lined with fine cotton or other downy substances: the eggs are said to be of the size of coriander seeds, and of a dull white colour. END OF PART I. T. 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