adjoining felt-like matting of pappus, is agglutinated and bound around the: twig witha thick layer of spider s
J h m e eggs, as usual, are two, white and elliptical. The note resembles that of the Rufous Humming
Bird and is a slender chep, frequently repeated; hut during the breeding season they are very pugnacious,
H ’the little combatants dart through the trees like meteors, uttering a loud and repeated twittering
"old It has the same habit also that has been remarked in the Rufous Humming Bird that of ascending
in clear weather to a considerable height in the air, and then descending with great rapidity, uttering at the
s a m e time a peculiar note. Its ruff too, like that of rum , is erectile.
U S who brought this species from California, did not procure the male, but saw frequently, and
supposed it to have a yellow spot on the crown. I discovered that that which deceived hm, m thm respect
was the glutinous pollen of a tubular flower upon which ¡«feeds, adhering to the rigid feathers of the crown,
and making it look as if it really had a ycUow head. I have also seen the bill for half its length covered in
^ThTTe^Hffito very considerably in colour, the female being destitute of the line metallic hues which
adorn the head and throat of the male.
The male has the head, ear-coverts, throat, and the elongated ruff-like feathers on the sides of the neck,
brilliant metallic crimson; all the upper surface and wing-coverts golden-green; wings pmplmh-brown;
central tail-feathers bronzy-green, the remainder dark brown with paler internal-edges; breast and centre of
the abdomen grey; flanks golden-greeu ; vent and thighs white; under tail-coverts dull green, edged with
trrev; hill black; feet blackish-brown. . , , ,,
The female has the head greyish-brown; all the upper surface, wing-coverts, and central tail-feathers,
„olden-green ; basal portion of the lateral tail-feathers grey, succeeded by golden-green ; their apical portion
being black, and the two outer ones on each side tipped with white; wings purphsh-brown ; under surface
grey washed with green on the sides of the neck and flanks, and with a few brilliant fiery-red feathers in
the centre of the throat. . i _ . - ., .
The Plate represents two males and a female of the natural size. The plant ,s the Ceamtlm,flonbundm.