The male of the LONG-TAILED EMERALD HUMMING-BIRD, T. polytmus, is furnished with a most elegant forked tail, the two outer feathers being greatly prolonged and very slender. The whole length of the bird is a little more than ten inches, but about seven inches and a half of this is made up by the elongated feathers just mentioned. The head and the back of the neck of this little gem are deep velvet-like black; the whole of the back, with the wing and tail-coverts, goldengreen; the wings and tail are purplish or bluish-black. The entire lower surface of the body is of a most gorgeous emerald-green color, except the neighborhood of the vent and lower tail-coverts, which are black. The bill is bright red, tipped with black, and the feathers of the back of the head are elongated, forming a sort of crest, which can be erected to a certain extent. Mr. Gosse gives the following account of its appearance in a state of nature, in his interesting work entitled "A Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica": "While I was up in a calabash-tree, the beautiful long-tailed humming-bird came shooting by, with its two long velvet-black feathers, fluttering like streamers behind it, and began to suck at the blossoms of the tree in which I was. Quite regardless of my presence, consciously secure in its power of wing, the lovely little gem hovered around the trunk, and threaded the branches, now probing here, now there, its cloudy wings on each side vibrating with a noise like that of a spinning-wheel, and its emerald breast for a moment flashing brilliantly in the sun's ray; then apparently black, all the light being absorbed; then, as it slightly turned, becoming a dark olive; then in an instant blazing forth again with emerald effulgence. Several times it came close to me, as I sat motionless with delight, and holding my breath for fear of alarming it and driving it away; it seemed almost worth a voyage across the sea to behold so radiant a creature in all the wildness of its native freedom."

THE HONEY-EATERS AND HONEY-CREEPERS.

These birds are mostly small in size, and are chiefly confined to Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and the adjacent islands. The bill is rather long, curved, acute, and slightly notched at the tip; the tail is long and broad. They feed on the pollen and nectar of flowers, and the insects which they find in and around them. Their tongue is long and protrusile, with a tuft of fibers at the end which aids them in obtaining their food. A few of the larger species feed on fruits. Their nests are made on bushes, sometimes suspended from the ends of twigs; the eggs are usually two in number. This family is called Meliphagida by naturalists.

There are numerous genera and species. The PoE-BIRD Or TUI, Prosthemadera Nova Zelandiæ, is about the size of a thrush, of a fine glossy-black color, with two small tufts of white feathers hanging down upon the sides of the neck. These tufts have been compared to a pair of clerical bands, and, taken in conjunction with the black plumage of the rest of the body, have obtained for it the name of the Parson-Bird. It is a fine songster, and imitates every sound that reaches its ear, even learning to speak with great ease and fluency. It is exceedingly lively and restless, and feeds principally upon flies and small insects, which it is very expert in catching. It also eats worms and fruits. Its flesh is said to be delicious.

Another species peculiar to New Zealand is the Pogonornis cincta, which is remarkable for the great length of the tufts of feathers over the ears; these are erected when the bird is alarmed, and give it a very singular appearance.

A remarkable Australian species is the FRIAR-BIRD, Tropidorhynchus corniculatus, which has the head and neck bare of feathers, and a curious tubercle at the base of the bill. Its voice is loud and very singular, some of its notes having a certain degree of resemblance to particular words, and several of its colonial names, such as Poor Soldier, Pimlico, and Four-o'clock, have been derived from these notes. Its name of Friar-Bird alludes to its bare head, and the same character has obtained for it the denominations of the Monk and the Leather-head.

The Wattled Honey-Eater has a long wattle hanging down from each ear; its note is described as very harsh and disagreeable, resembling the noise made by a person vomiting; the native name, Goo-gwar-ruck, is said to be an imitation of it. This is the Philedon Goruck of Cuvier. Another group, that of the Myzomelina or Honey-Creepers, is distinguished from the preceding by having the third and fourth quills longest. In their habits and mode of life they resemble the true honey-eaters.

This group of small birds is very generally distributed over the continent of South America, and some species occur in the West Indian Islands. Their food consists principally of insects, which they take both upon trees and bushes, and on the ground, where they run and walk with great ease. They also occasionally feed on seeds. The species of the genus Cinclodes, inhabiting the west coast of South America, frequent the sea-shore, where they feed partly on small crabs and mollusca. Mr. Darwin says they are sometimes seen on the floating leaves of the Fucus giganteus, at some distance from the shore. A species of this genus, found in the Malouine Islands, described by Lesson under the name of Furnarius fuliginosus, is said to be so tame that it may be almost touched by the hand; and Pernetty, a French voyager, states that it will almost come and perch upon the finger. He adds, that in less than half an hour he killed ten of them with a little stick, and almost without changing his position. This species is five and a half inches long, and of a brown color, with yellow and brown stripes on the neck.

The HORNERO OVEN-BIRD of Buenos Ayres, F. rufus of Vieillot, Merops rufus of Gmelin, which is typical of the true Oven-Birds, is six to seven inches long, of a bright russet color, and builds a very remarkable nest. This is constructed of clay, straw, and dried herbage of different kinds, in the form of an oven, about ten or twelve inches in diameter, and with walls about an inch thick. The entrance is placed on one side, and the interior is divided into two chambers by a partition, the eggs being laid in the inner one. This curious nest is usually placed in a very exposed situation, as, for instance, on the branch of a tree or the top of a paling. In the construction of it, both the male and female labor in concert, cach bringing a pellet of earth of the size of a walnut, and depositing it in its place. Such is the energy of these little architects, that the nest is often built in two days. This bird is said to be an object of veneration with the inhabitants of La Plata.

The BROWN OVEN-BIRD resembles the preceding.

THE CERTHINE OR CREEPERS.

Beside the true Creepers, some naturalists have included various other analogous genera, such as the Soui-Manga, Guitguit, Dicæum, Nectarinia, Melithreptus, Furnarius, &c., under the name of Certhiada; we shall notice under the term Certhine only the true Creepers.

Genus CERTHIA: Certhia.-This includes the COMMON CREEPER or TREE CLIMBERGrimpereau of the French; Kleinste BaumHäcker of the Germans; Piccio Rampichino of the Italians-C. familiaris: this has a bill slender, and curved; length six and a half inches; head and neck above, streaked with black and yellowish-brown; a white line above each eye; back and rump tawny; coverts dusky brown and yellowish-white; breast and belly silver-white. It is a most restless and active little bird, ever on the alert, and climbing up and about the trunks and branches of trees, intent on picking up its insect food. But even where it is common it is not easily seen, for its activity in shifting its position makes it very difficult to follow it with the eye. At one instant it is before the spectator, and the next is hidden from his view by the intervening trunk or branch, to the opposite side of which it has passed in a moment. The toes are so contrived that the bird at will can remove their position; the tail feathers at the ends are bare, and operate as a support; these are beautiful adaptations to the peculiar motions of the bird. Its note is monotonous, and often repeated. It builds its nest in a hole of a decayed tree; this is formed of dry grass, lined with small feathers, in which six or eight eggs are deposited. While the female sits she is regularly fed by the male bird. It is found throughout the continent of Europe, migrating in October to the southern parts, but is permanent in Great Britain.

The AMERICAN BROWN CREEPER, C. Americana, is five and a half inches long; upper part of the head deep brown; back brown; both streaked with white. This has been supposed to be the same as the European creeper, but it is now held to be distinct. Wilson thus describes it: "In winter it associates with the small spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, titmouse, &c., and often follows in their rear, gleaning up those insects which their more powerful bills had alarmed and exposed; for its own slender, incurvated bill seems unequal to the task of penetrating into even the decayed wood; though it may into holes, and behind scales of the bark. Of the titmouse, there are, generally present, the individuals of a whole family, and seldom more than one or two of the others. As the party advances through the woods from tree to tree, our little gleaner seems to observe a good deal of regularity in his proceedings; he alights on the body near the root of the tree, and directs his course, with great nimbleness, upward to the higher branches, sometimes spirally, often in a direct line, moving rapidly and uniformly along, with his tail bent to the tree, and not in the hopping manner of the woodpecker, whom he far surpasses in dexterity of climbing, running along the lower side of the horizontal branches with surprising ease. If any person be near when he alights, he is sure to keep the opposite side of the tree, moving round as he moves, so as to prevent him from getting more than a transient glimpse of him. The best

method of outwitting him, if you are alone, is, as soon as he alights and disappears behind the trunk, to take your stand behind an adjoining one, and keep a sharp look-out twenty or thirty feet up the body of the tree he is upon, for he generally mounts very regularly to a considerable height, examining the whole way as he advances. In a minute or two, hearing all still, he will make his appearance on one side or other of the tree, and give you an opportunity of observing him. These birds are distributed over the whole United States, but are most numerous in the Western and Northern States; their haunts are in the depths of the forests, and in tracts of large timbered woods, where they usually breed, visiting the thicker settled parts of the country in fall and winter."

The C. albifrons is found in Texas; it is five and a quarter inches long, dark brown spotted. The WALL-CREEPER of Europe, Tichodroma muraria, seeks its insect food on rocks and in walls; it is chiefly found in the mountainous parts of Southern Europe; it is permanent though rare at Rome, being sometimes seen on the exterior walls of St. Peter's.

The TREE-CREEPERS, Dendrocolaptina, found in the vast forests of South America, resemble the species we have described; the form of the bill, however, is variable, in some cases being very long and bent downward. The Synallaxine are an allied group, but which not only devour insects upon the trees, but worms and snails on the ground. They are remarkable for the large size of their nests, those of one species measuring three or four feet in length.

Genus SITTA: Sitta. This includes several species. The COMMON EUROPEAN NUTHATCH— the Pic Maçon of the French, and Blauspecht of the Germans-S. Europaa, is a small bird, five inches long, blue-gray above, below rufous-brown. It runs with facility up and down the branches and trunks of trees, its head often down, but having no assistance in this from its tail-feathers. It sleeps with the head down, and generally alights in that position. It is almost constantly in motion, its food consisting of berries, insects, larvæ, and nuts. It derives its name from the hatches or hammerings which it makes on nuts, either for obtaining insects or the kernels. Its call in the spring is a clear, shrill whistle. The nest is made with a few dry leaves in the hole of a tree. If the hole is too large the bird reduces it by plastering up a part with mud. The eggs are five to seven in number. This bird is common throughout Europe.

Other foreign species are the S. rupestris, S. Syriaca, S. Uralensis, and S. Asiatica; there are also closely allied species in the Indian Archipelago and Australia.

The WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, S. Carolinensis, is five inches long; the head and back of the neck are glossy black; the back bluish-black; beneath white. It is found from Mexico to Maine, and is one of the birds that enliven our forests after the cold season has commenced and other birds have departed. It feeds on spiders, insects, larvæ, &c.

Other American species are the RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH, S. Canadensis; the BROWN-HEADED NUTIATCH, S. pusilla; and the CALIFORNIA NUTHATCH, S. pigmaa.

This family includes a number of small, lively, familiar birds, some of them living around the habitations of man, and feeding upon insects and seeds.

Genus TROGLODYTES: Troglodytes.-This includes several species: the COMMON WREN of Europe-Roytelet of the French; Fiorracino of the Italians; Cutty, Katy, or Kitty- Wren of the English-T. Europaeus, is an active, lively little bird, and appears, in Europe, to share with the robin in the affections of the country people. It frequents hedges, gardens, and bushy places, flitting from bush to bush with a direct flight, and feeding principally upon insects of various kinds, and also occasionally upon seeds and fruits. In spring and summer the male has a very sweet song, which is exceedingly loud and rich, especially when we consider the smallness of the pipe producing it. These birds are very familiar, and seek to be near the habitations of man, although they do not exhibit the same degree of confidence as the robin, but generally conceal themselves very quickly when approached too closely. Nevertheless, in the winter, when cold weather renders it somewhat difficult to keep up the vital heat in such a diminutive body, these birds often roost in cow-houses, for the sake of the warmth generated by the cattle. Most of them, however, shelter themselves in holes at this season, roosting in considerable numbers together, so as to keep up the heat by close packing. For the same purpose they often frequent their nests of the preceding summer; and it has even been said by some authors that the male occupies himself while the female is sitting, with preparing several nests, to afford shelter to the brood in the coming winter.

The wrens pair about the middle of the spring, and early in April commence the construction of their nests. These are placed in very various situations, but principally in holes and crevices in walls, banks and trees, and also in thatched roofs, amongst climbing plants, or even on the branch of a tree. They are made of various materials and lined with feathers: the number of is seven to twelve. It is calculated that these birds bring food to their young ones two hundred and seventy-eight times in a day, with an insect each time. They produce two broods This species is common throughout Europe, and permanent in France and England and the contiguous countries.

eggs

in

a season.

The AMERICAN HOUSE-WREN, T. ædon, or T. fulvus, is migratory in the United States, arriving from the South early in May. It is brown, banded with dusky; its length is about four inches; it builds its nest sometimes in the wooden cornice under the eaves, or in a hollow