a.. ¿Byrd. 9 6. Sffie-dkezpo&ee'**• ;: f c . i r ,Y & « < & / «■/'. t ■ * 73*
'The Humming Birds.
Numb.. X L IX .
TH E L o n g -T a il-H am m in g Bird is th e le a ft o f all the Species o f this K in d o f
Birds, o f wh ich Naturalifts reckon nine different Sorts, and the leafl th a t w e
know o f found upon our G lo b e ; its Bill is a little more than an Inch long, o f a y e l-
lowifh Colour, the Pupil o f the E y e black, the Ifides yellow, the top o f the Head
and Ba ck o f a dusky green inclining to a blew, with dark Shades; the T h ro a t , Bread:
and Belly o f a beautiful green, the Edges o f the Feathers o f a beautiful y e llow inter-
mixt w ith gold, the W in g s o f a dufky red, or copper Colour, w ith a M ix tu re o f gold j
the Feathers o f its T a il were o f the fame M ix tu r e o f the W in g s , only darker; thefe
Birds move their W in g s w ith that fwiftnefs as hardly to be difcerried b y the Ey e, darting
themfelves here and there in a M om en t; it will alio poife itfelf' b y the help o f
its W in g s for a long fpace o f time in the Air, as i f it reded and itirred not, and fo
being on the W in g , fuck the Flowers w ith its Bill, for it lights not upon them,
which I have obferved them to d o many times in J am a ica ; our Bee moth, imitates the
AQions o f this Bird the m od o f any thing in Nature by its fw ift flying, darting and
hovering on the W in g when it fucks the Flowers.
T h is Bird I had b y the N am e o f the Mango Bird, which I believe to be an impofed
N am e : It is one o f the H ummin g Birds; the Head, Ba ck and W in g s were a mixture
o f copper Colour, red and gold interchangeably m ixt, very beautiful to behold; the
Breaft, Belly and T h ig h s were a velvet black intermixt with a ihining green; the T a il
is a little more than an. Inch long ; the Feathers o f a m ix t Colour, -o f blew, red and
green; the Bill and Legs are o f a blewilh Colour. In the year 1 7 0 1, when I was at
Jam aica, I took one o f thefe Birds in the dufk o f the Evening with her N e ll, wh ich
was built w ith Cotton in the Branches o f the Phyfick-nut Trees growing in that
Iiland, in w h ich was tw o fmall white round Eggs as big as Peas; the long tail'd Bird
I copied from the natural Bird at Salter’ s Coffee-Houfe at Chelfea.