. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . ^ coloured,is brilliant with diaphanous me-tallic reflections. Little is knownof their habits. They are na-tives of Australia and NewGuinea. The very remarkablespecies, E. midtifil (Fig. 205),has six long fillets on each sideof its body. The equally strik-ing species, E. magnus, has theelongated side-feathers raisedand curling, of a glitteringsteel blue, azure, and emeraldgreen; the breast and bellylustrous with the same diaphanous tints. This bird is an inhabi
. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . ^ coloured,is brilliant with diaphanous me-tallic reflections. Little is knownof their habits. They are na-tives of Australia and NewGuinea. The very remarkablespecies, E. midtifil (Fig. 205),has six long fillets on each sideof its body. The equally strik-ing species, E. magnus, has theelongated side-feathers raisedand curling, of a glitteringsteel blue, azure, and emeraldgreen; the breast and bellylustrous with the same diaphanous tints. This bird is an inhabitantof New Guinea. The Promerops are distinguished from the other UpupincB bythe absence of the crest, by their very long tail, and by theirforked and extensible tongue. Thev are natives of Africa, andtheir habits, like those of the former, are little mi Fig. 205.—Epimachus {Epimachus multifd). HUMMING-BIRDS. 491 The Colibri of Cuvier may be divided into Humming-birds{TrocJdlidcE), or species having the beak straight, and true Colibri,having the beak curved. With this slight difference, the Trockilidceand Colibin closely resemble each other. They have the sameslight, elegant figure, the same brilliancy of plumage, and thesame habits—describe the one, and you describe the other. Wemust be permitted, therefore, to treat of them together. The Humming-birds {Trockilidce) are the most lovely of thewinged race. Nature seems to have endowed them with her rarestgifts. In creating them she surpassed herself, and exhausted allthe charms at her disposal; for she imbued them with grace,elegance, rapidity of motion, magnificence of plumage, and indo-mitable courage. What can be more delightful than the sightof these little feathered beauties, flashing with the united firesof the ruby, the topaz, the sapphire, and the emerald, flyingfrom flo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecad, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectreptiles
