your face!—in an instant it is gone!—now it flutters from flower to flower to sip the silver dew—it is now
a ruby—now a topaz—now an emerald—now all burnished g o ld ! It would be arrogant to pretend to
describe this winged gem o f nature after Buffon’s elegant description o f it.
“ Cayenne and Demerara produce the same Humming-Birds. Perhaps you would wish to know something
of their haunts. Chiefly in’ the months o f July and August, the tree called Bois Immortel, very common in
Demerara, bears abundance o f red blossom, which stays on the tree for some weeks ; then it is that most
o f the species o f Humming-Birds are very plentiful. The wild Red Sage (Salvia splendens) is also their
favourite shrub: and they buzz like bees round the blossoms o f the Wallaba-tree ; indeed there is scarce a
flower in the interior, or on the sea-coast, but what receives frequent visits from one or other o f the
species.
“ On entering the forests o f the rising land in the interior, the blue and green, the smallest brown, no
bigger than the humble-bee, with two long feathers in the tail, and the little forked-tail purple-throated
Humming-Birds glitter before you in ever-changing attitudes.
“ As you advance towards the mountains o f Demerara, other species o f Humming-Birds present themselves
before you. It seems to be an erroneous opinion that the Humming-Bird lives entirely on honey-dew.
Almost every flower of the tropical climate contains insects o f one kind or other: now the Humming-Bird
is most busy about the flowers an hour or two after sunrise, and after a shower of rain ; and it is just at this
time that the insects come out to the edge o f the flower, in order that the sun’s rays may dry the nocturnal
dew and rain which they have received. On opening the stomach o f the Humming-Bird, dead insects are
almost always found there.”
“ The Humming-Birds in Jamaica,” says Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley in her Travels, “ are lovely little
creatures, and most wonderfully tame and fearless of the approach of man. One o f these charming feathered
jewels had built its delicate nest close to one o f the walks o f the garden belonging to the house where we were
staying. The branch, indeed, o f the beautiful shrub in which this fairy nest was suspended almost intruded
into the walk; and every time we sauntered by, there was much danger o f sweeping against this projecting
branch with its precious charge, and doing it some injury, as very little would have demolished the exquisite
fabric. In process o f time, two lovely pear-like eggs had appeared; and while we were there we had the
great pleasure o f seeing the minute living gems themselves appear, looking like two very small bees. The
mother-bird allowed us to look closely at her in the nest, and inspect her little nurslings, when she was
flying about near, without appearing in the least degree disconcerted or alarmed. I never saw so tame or so
bold a pet. But she did not allow the same liberties to be taken by everybody unchecked. One day, as
Sir C was walking in the pretty path beside which the fragile nest was delicately suspended amid
sheltering leaves, he paused in order to look at its Lilliputian inhabitants. While thus engaged, he felt
suddenly a sharp light rapping on the crown o f his hat, which considerably surprised him. He looked round
to ascertain from whence the singular and unexpected attack proceeded: but nothing was to be seen.
Almost thinking he must have been mistaken, he continued his survey, when a much sharper and louder
rat-tat-tat-tat-tat seemed to demand his immediate attention, and a little to jeopardize the perfect integrity and
preservation o f the fabric in question. Again he looked round, far from pleased at such extraordinary impertinence,
when what should he see but the beautiful delicate Humming-Bird, with ruffled feathers and fiery
eyes, who seemed by no means inclined to let him off without a further infliction o f sharp taps and admonitory
raps from her fairy beak. She looked like a little fury in miniature— a winged Xantippe. Those pointed
attentions apprised him that his company was not desired or acceptable; and, much amused at the excessive
boldness of the dauntless little owner o f the exquisite nest he had been contemplating, Sir C moved off,
anxious not to disturb or irritate further this valiant minute mother, who displayed such intrepidity and cool
determination. As to V and me, the darling little pet did not mind us in the least; she allowed us to
watch her to our hearts’ content during the uninterrupted progress of all her little household and domestic
arrangements, and rather appeared to like our society than not, and to have the air o f saying, ■ Do you think
I manage it well ? eh ?’ ”
“ I cannot quit the subject,” says the Reverend Lansdown Guilding, “ without speaking of the delight
that was afforded me, in Jamaica, by seeing Humming-Birds feeding on honey in the florets of the great
Aloe (A g a v e Americana, Linn.). On the side o f a hill upon Sutton’s Estate (the property of Henry
Dawkins, Esq.) were a considerable number o f aloe-plants, o f which about a dozen were in full blossom.
They were spread over a space of about twenty yards square. The spikes, bearing bunches of flowers in a
thyrsus, were from twelve to fifteen feet high; on each spike were many hundred flowers o f a bright yellow
colour, each floret of a tubular shape and containing a good-sized drop of honey. Such an assemblage of
floral splendour was in itself most magnificent and striking; but it may be imagined how much the interest
caused by this beautiful exhibition was increased by vast numbers of Humming-Birds, of various species,
fluttering at the opening of the flowers, and dipping their bills first into one floret and then into another,
the sun, as usual, shining bright upon their varied and beautiful plumage. The long-tailed or Bird-of-
Paradise Humming-Bird was particularly striking, its long feathers waving as it darted from one flower to
another. I was so much delighted with this sight, that I visited the spot again in the afternoon, after a
very long and fatiguing day’s ride, accompanied by my wife, on horseback, when we enjoyed the scene
before us for more than half-an-hour.”
“ The pngnacity o f the Humming-Birds,” remarks Mr. Gosse, “ has been often spoken of: two of one
species can rarely suck flowers from the same bush without a rencontre. I once witnessed a combat
between two, which was prosecuted with much pertinacity and protracted to an unusual length. It was
in the month of April, when I was spending a few days at Phoenix Park, near Savannah la Mar, the residence
o f my kind friend Aaron Deleon, Esq. In the garden were two trees, of the kind called Malay Apple
(Eugenia Malaccenm), one of which was but a yard or two from my window. The genial influence of the
spring rains had covered them with a prolusion of beautiful blossoms, each consisting o f a multitude of
crimson stamens, with very minute petals, like bunches of crimson tassels; but the leaf-buds were only
beginning to open. A Humming-Bird had every day and all day long been paying his devoirs to these charming
blossoms. On the morning to which I allude, another came, and the manoeuvres o f these two jtiny creatures
became very interesting. They chased each other through the labyrinths of twigs and flowers, till, an
opportunity occurring, the one would dart with seeming fury upon the other, and then, with a loud rustling
of their wings, they would twirl together round and round, till they nearly came to the earth. It was some
time before I could see, with any distinctness, what took place in these tussles ; their twirlings were so
rapid as to baffle all attempts at discrimination. At length an encounter took place pretty close to me, and
I perceived that the beak of the one grasped the beak o f the other, and thus fastened both whirled round
and round in their perpendicular descent, the point of contact being the centre o f the gyrations, till, when
another second would have brought them both on the ground, they separated, and the one chased the other
for about a hundred yards and then returned in triumph to -the tree, where, perched on a lofty twig,
he chirped monotonously and pertinaciously for some time—I could not help thinking, in defiance. In a
few minutes, however, the banished one returned and began chirping no less provokmgly, which soon brought