constant companion during days o f to il b y road and r a il; and I u ltim a te ly succeeded in bringing
a living pair within th e confines o f th e British Islands, and a sin g le individual to Lon don, w h ere
it liv ed for tw o days, w h en , from th e wan t o f p roper food or th e change o f c lim a te, i t died.
Although so enthusiastically attached to th e subject, I should n o t have formed a co lle c tion o f
th e T r o ch ilid a , or attempted an account o f their history, had n o t m y la te friend Mr. George
Loddiges (whose many ex c ellen ce s are to o universally kn ow n to n e ed an y com m en t from me)
been prematurely removed from among us. Prior to h is lamented death, whatever species I
procured from m y various correspondents w ere freely p la c ed a t h is d isp o sa l; and h is co llection
wa s th en unrivalled, and th e pride o f th e owner as w e ll as o f h is country, so far as a private
co llection could b e considered o f national importance. I t w a s n o t until after Mr. Lod d ig es’
decease that I determined upon forming th e co llection I m y se lf p ossess, w h ich n ow far surpasses
every other, both in th e number o f species and examp les. T en y ears ag o th is c o lle c tion wa s
exhibited for a short tim e in th e Gardens o f th e Zoological S o c iety in th e R e g en t’s Park, and, I
believ e, afforded unmixed de ligh t to th e many thousands w h o v isited tho se Gardens in th e
memorable year 1 8 5 1 . Many favourable no tic e s o f it appeared in th e periodicals o f th e d a y ;
and m y friend Mr. Martin published a small popular work in express reference to it. Du ring
the period wh ich has since elapsed I ha v e b e en uncea sin g in m y endeavours to obtain every
species w h ich has been discovered b y th e enterprising travellers o f th is country, o f Germany, o f
France, and o f America. I t wou ld b e invidious w ere I to ex to l th e exertions o f o n e more than
those o f another, nor could I do so without comm ittin g in ju stic e ; for th e travellers o f all th e se
countries have shown equal intrepidity in their endeavours to bring to lig h t th e hidden treasures
o f th e great primaeval forests o f th e N ew World. Some o f th em , su ch as Azara, Spix, Bu llo ck ,
Delattre, Floresi, Dy son , Hoffman n, and M ath ews (the discoverer o f th e wonderful L o d d ig e s ia
m ira b ilis ), are no longer among u s : o f tho se liv in g w h o ha v e paid especial a tten tion to th e
Humming-Birds I may m ention th e names o f Prince Maximilian o f W ied , W a ter ton , Gosse,
Wa rszew icz, Linden, Bridges, Jameson, W a lla c e , B a te s, Darwin, R e e v e s, H au xw e ll, Skinner,
Bourcier, Sallé, Saivin, Fraser, Gundlach, Bryant, Montes de Oca, &c. I t is to th e se m en ,
living and dead, th a t science is indebted for a know ledg e o f so m an y o f th e se “ g em s o f
c r e a t i o n a n d i t is b y their exertions th a t such co llections as Mr. Lod d ig e s’ and m y own have
b een formed. I regret ex ceeding ly th a t I have n o t se en so m u ch o f th is lo v ely group o f birds
in a state o f nature as I could ha v e w ish e d : th e traveller and th e historian are seldom u n it ed ;
and in th is instance i t wou ld have been impossible. T h e constant personal attention and care
necessary for th e production o f su ch a work as ‘ A Monograph o f th e Trochilidse ’ could on ly be
g iv en in a m e tr o p o lis; for in no other p la ce could such a publication be accomplished without
P R E F A C E .
a greatly increased expenditure bo th o f tim e and m o n e y : i t is only in capitals lik e London
and Paris that undertakings o f th is nature can h e carried out su c c essfu lly ; for nowhere else
are th e requisite ta lents and materials to h e obtained.
I fe e l th a t I am greatly indebted to th o se wh o have honoured this work with their support
for their kindness and th e p a tien c e w ith w h ich th e y have continued w ith m e to its completion
th e more especially as, ow in g to th e discovery o f so many n ew species since its commencement,^
it has extended far b ey ond its expected limits. I am also especially indebted to those
persons connected w ith its production, b y wh o se assistance I have been enabled to bring so
g rea t an undertaking to a satisfactory close. To m y artist Mr. Richter, to Mr. Prince, and
t o Mr. Bayfield (all names connected w ith m y former works), I owe m any thanks. To the
projectors and publisher o f ‘ Curtis’s Botanical Magazine ’ I am likewise indebted for many
h ints and for permission to cop y parts o f some o f their plates o f th e flowering plants o f th o se
districts o f Sou th America w h ich axe frequented b y Humming-Birds. In case the merits o f
th is wo rk should b e unknown to some o f m y readers, I m ention that it is generally acknowled
g ed its production reflects equal credit upon its Editors Sir William Jackson Hooker and
Mr. Smith, th e artist Mr. F itch , and its publisher Mr. L o v e ll Reeve.
Numerous attempts had b e en made a t various times to give something lik e a representation
o f th e glittering h u e s w ith w h ich th is group o f birds are adorned; b u t all had ended m disappointment,
and th e subject seem ed so fraught w ith difficulty that I at first despaired o f its
a ccomplishment. I determined, however, to make th e trial, and, after a series o f lengthened,
troublesome, and co stly experiments, I have, I trust, partially, i f n o t comp letely succeeded.
Similar attempts w ere simultaneously carried on in America b y W . M. L. Baily, Esq., who
w ith th e utmo st kindness and liberality explained his process to m e ; and although I have not
adopted it, I must in fairness admit th a t it is fu lly as successful as m y own. I shall always
entertain a liv e ly remembrance o f th e pleasant day I spent with th is gentleman in Philadelphia.
I t wa s in h is company th a t I first saw a living Humming-Bird, in a garden wh ich has become
classic ground to all true Americans, from th e pleasing associations connected with its former
possessor, th e great and good Bartram, and from its having been one o f th e haunts o f th e c elebrated
W ilson , than wh om n o one has written more pleasingly on th e only species o f this family
w h ich inhabits that part o f North America, th e T r o ch ilm Colubrus.
I t n ow becomes m y pleasing duty to place on record th e v ery valuable assistance in theproduction
o f th is work with w h ich I have been favoured b y th e Directors o f Public Museums and private