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Show 318 AVES. In some, the two middle feathers are the longest in the male.(l) We may also distinguish those which have a straight beak, or one that is nearly so.(2) ARACHNOTHERA, Temm. The long and arcuated beak of the Cinnyris, but stronger, and without emargination; the tongue short and cartilaginous; they are only found in the Archipelago of India, and feed on Spiders.(3) Tnocnn~us, Lin. The Hummingbirds, so celebrated for the metallic lustre of their plumage, and chiefly for those plates, brilliant as p1·ecious stones, which are formed by scaly feathers of a peculiar structure, on their throat or head, have a long slender beak, enclosing a tongue, which they can protrude at will, like that of the Woodpeckers, (and by the same mechanism,) which is split almost to its base, forming two filaments employed, as is asserted, in taking up the nee· tar from flowers. They also, however, feed on small insects, for we have found their stomach filled with them. Their very small feet, broad tail, excessively long and narrow wings, short humerus and large sternum, which is without emargination, all contribute to form a system adapted for great power of flight, similar to that of the Swallows. The narrowness of their wing is caused by the rapid abbreviation of its quills. By these means, they balance themselves gutturalis, 578, 9;-Nectarinia solm·is, Tern. Col. 341, 3;-eximia, Tern. Col.l38, 1, 2;-pectoralis, Id. Col. 138, 3;-lepida, Lath., Col. 126, 1, and Vieill. Gal. 177, 2;-Hasselti, T. Col. 376, 3;-coccinogaster, Tern. Col. 388, 3;-0inn. equu, Less. and Garn. Voy. de la Coq. pl. xxxi, f. 1;-javanica, Zoo!. Ill. 121; some of which birds are probably mere varieties of the others. (1) OertMafamosa, L. Enl. 83, 1;-0. pulchella, Enl. 670, 1;-0. violacea, 670, 2;-the Sucrier cardinal, Vaill. Ap. 291;-the Sucrier figuier, Id. 293, f. 2;-Neda· rinia metallica, Licht. Ruppel., pl. vii and Col. 347, 1 ;-Nect. mystacalis, T. Col. 126, 3;-N. Kultlii, T. Col. 376, 1, 2. (2) Cinnyris elegans, Vieill. Gal. 177, or Oerth. rectirostris, Id. Ois. Dor. II, pl. lxxv. (3) .O.raclmotltera ltmgirostra, Tern. Col. 84, 1;-.9.. inornata, Id. lb. 2. N.B. After all these distinctions, we have still to remove from the great genus CERTnu, the C. lunata, Vieill. 61 ;-C. Novre-Hollandire, J. White, NewS. w. pl. xvi and lxv; Vieill., 57, and 71;-C. australasiana, Vieill. 55;-0. carunculoia, Vieill. 69, 70;-0. auriculata, Vieill. 85;-C. cocincinica, Enl. 643, Vieill. 77~ ~S; C. spiza, Enl. 578, 2, Edw. 25;-C. seniwlus, Vieill. 50;-C. graculina, Vleill. 87;-C. goruck, Vieill. 88;-C. ca:rulea, Vieill. 83;-C. xantlwtis, Vieill. 84;-0· mellivora, Vieill. 86; which, by their emarginated beak and pencil-like tongue, are all Philedons. PASSERINJE. 319 in air with nearly as much facility as certain Flies, and it is thus that they hum about flowers and fly with more proportionate rapidity than any other b.i~d. Their gizzard is very small, and they have no crecum, an additiOnal mark of their affinity with the Woodpeckers. They live singly, defend their nests with courage and fight desperately with each other. ' The name of TRoCHILus, Lac., is especially reserved for such as have t~e beak ar~uated; s?me of .them are distinguished by the prolongatiOn of the mtermed1ate quills of theit· tail. We will mention but one of the largest and most beautiful. · Troclt. pella; Colibri Topaze, Enl. 596. Purple-maronne; head, black; throat of the most brilliant topaz-yellow, changing into green, surrounded by black.( 1) The ~ateral quills of the tail are very long in others;(2) several have tatls moderately forked;(3) in the greater number it is round or square.(4) We call, 0RTHORHYNCHus, Lacep. Such as have a straight beak; some of them have tufted heads.(s) Others have tufts or elongated feathers on the sides of the head,(6) and among them are found some with a pointed and very long tail.(7) (1) Add Tr. superciliosus, Enl. 600, 3; Vieill. 17, 18, 19;-Tr. leucurus, Enl. ~~: 3;-Tr. squalidus, Natterer, Col. 120, f. 1 ;-Tr. brasiliensis, Lath. Col. 120, (~} Tr. forficatus, Edw. 33, Vieill. 30;-polithmus, Edw. 34, Vieill. 67, and particularly the magnificent Peruvian species, with the refulgent gold tail, Tr. chrywrus, Cuv. (3} Tr. elegans, Vieill. 14. (4) Tr. mango, L. ;. Enl. I, 680, 2 and 3, Vieill. 7;-Tr. nrevius, Dumont, Col. 120, f. 3; Tr. gutturalis, Enl. 671;-Tr. tau,mantias, Enl. 600, 1;-Tr. violaceus, Enl. :0,2;-Tr. ci~e:eus, Vieill. 5;-Tr. melanogaster, Vieill. 75;-Tr. jugularis, Sh. ~~· 266, 1; Vleill. 4;-T?'. holosericeus, Sh., Vieill. 6 and 65;-Tr. punctatus, Sh., ~~~·~· 8;-Tr. pectoralis, Sh. 9 and 70;-Tr. aurulentus, Sh. Vieill.12;-Tr. aureo~~~~~ 18, Sh., Vieill. 15;-Tr. hirsutus, Gm. or brasiliensis, Sh. Vieill. 20;-Tr. albus, Vtetl~. H;-11r. viridis, Vieill.15;-Tr. margaritaceus, Enl. 680, '1, Vieill.16;-Tr. ~~lt!color, Gm. or Harlequin Hummingbird, Lath. Supp. pl. cxi, Vieill. 79;-Tr. KIZUlUB, VieiU. Gal. 179. (S) ~: cristatt"8, Edw. 37; Enl. 227, 1; Vieill. 47, 48;-Tr. pileatus (pTJniceus, ~~) VIelll. 63;-Tr. Lalandii, Vieill. 18, f. 1 and 2;-0rthor. stephanioides, Less. Garn. Voy. de la Coquille, pl. xxxi, No.2. T:(6) TS-. ornatus, Enl. 640, 3, Vieill. 49, 50;-Tr. chalybeus, Vieill. 66, f. 2- r pet h , · . f18op orus, P. Max. Col. 203, 3;-Tr. scutatus, Natter., Col. 299 3·-Tr. T~cua, lllig. Col. 299, 2;-77. mesolettcos, Temm. Col. 317. ' ' N) Tr. bilophus, Temm. wh .n. M. Swainson has named those of our Hummingbirds, the middle quills of ose tail arc elongated, PHJETORNis; those with a round or square tail, LA.JIPOR· |