DESCRIPTION AND TECHNICAL OBSERVATIONS.
Genus Trochilus. Linnæus, Syst. Nat., I. p. 189. (1766.)
Size small, in some species diminutive, and the smallest of birds; bill slender, frequently straight, and also frequently curved, acute; wings comparatively large, generally pointed and formed for rapid flight; quills flattened, first primary longest, and curved inwards; tail various; legs and feet very short and feeble. The birds of this group are exclusively American.
Trochilus Alexandri. Bourcier and Mulsant, Annals of the Royal Society of Physical and Natural Sciences of Lyons, IX. p. 330. (1846.)
Form. Small; bill long; nearly straight; wings rather short; first quill longest, and somewhat curved; tail rather short, marginated, with its feathers narrow and pointed; legs and feet very short and weak.
Dimensions. Total length of skin, about 3¼ inches; wing, 2¹/₁₀; tail, 1 inch.
Color. Entire upper parts golden green; dark on the head; wings and tail brownish-black, except the central feathers of the latter, which are green; throat brilliant purple, with violet reflections, which color is succeeded by a broad transverse band of white; other under parts golden green, mixed with pale brownish and ashy; bill and feet dark.
Hab. California and Mexico. Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.
Obs. This bird is about the size of, or slightly larger than the ruby-throated Humming Bird (T. colubris) of North America, and resembles it in the general distribution of its colors. Those of the throat are, however, entirely different. The two species belong evidently to the same subdivision of the old genus Trochilus, which is, however, given so differently by late authors, that we have not at present determined the relative claims of either. It is given by one as belonging to the genus Mellisuga, and by another as Trochilus proper, in a restricted sense.
The study of the Humming Birds, now difficult, will be rendered easy by Mr. Gould’s great work on these birds, now in the course of publication. All the known species are to be figured of the size of life; and in the parts already published, the drawing and coloring is exceedingly accurate, and magnificent beyond any precedent in the literature of ornithology.
In the old world, the Humming Birds are represented by the Sun Birds (genus Cinnyris, Cuvier; Nectarinia of some authors), numerous species of which inhabit Africa and Southern Asia. They partake in some measure of the habits of the Humming Birds, and also of their lustrous colors, many of the species being very beautiful.
Several naturalists and admirers of ornithology have formed special collections of Humming Birds, and there are now extant several which contain very nearly all the known species, of which may be mentioned those of Mr. Edward Wilson, and Mr. John Gould, in England, and of Messrs. Edward and Jules Verreaux, in Paris. That of the first named, who is an American gentleman resident in England, is the most extensive and complete, and includes several of the only specimens known of the species which they represent. This gentleman and his brother, Dr. Thomas B. Wilson, of Philadelphia, have won for themselves the imperishable respect and gratitude of American naturalists, by forming in their native city the most extensive library and collections in natural history in America, and, in some departments, unrivalled by any in the old world. For these, now constituting, mainly, the magnificent museum and library of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, it is indebted to the distinguished patrons of zoological science whom we have just mentioned.
EMBERIZA BILINEATA.—Cassin.
The Black-throated Finch.
PLATE XXIII.—Adult Male.
This curious little Finch was discovered in Texas, in 1849, by Mr. John W. Audubon, a son of the celebrated ornithologist, and himself a naturalist and zoological draughtsman of high merit and accomplishments.
It appears to be extensively diffused throughout Mexico, Texas, and New Mexico, and in the former country is a common species. In the States last mentioned, it has been noticed by nearly all the naturalists who have visited them; though, as a bird of the United States, little beyond the fact of its existence in those regions has been placed on record, or has otherwise come to our knowledge.
In Mexico, this bird was found by Lieut. Couch to be numerous in some parts of Tamaulipas, Nueva Leon, Coahuila, and other States on the Rio Grande, immediately south and west of the limits of the territory of the United States. For our present article, this gentleman has very kindly furnished the following interesting communication, for which and other similar favors we beg to tender our grateful acknowledgments:—
“This bird was first seen at Santa Rosalio, and specimens were obtained. Though a month had been spent at Brownsville, in Texas, only about twenty miles distant, it had not been observed. At Charco Escondido, forty miles farther in the interior, it was very plentiful, and early in March, seemed to have already reared a breed of young; one specimen procured, having the appearance of being a young bird but a few weeks old.
“Its favourite home appears to be the scattered Mesquite or Acacias that sprinkle the plains east of the Sierra Madre. Like many other birds of its family, it does not seek the shade during the warmer hours of mid-day, but may always be found chirping and hopping from one bush to another, apparently as much for the pleasure of enjoying the society of its fellows as to seek for food.
“After striking south from Cadorcita, this little bird suddenly disappeared, much to my regret, as I had become so accustomed to seeing it constantly during my daily marches, that I almost regarded it as a travelling companion. But after nearly a month’s absence, I again recognized it among some flowering Leguminosa, between Pesqueria and Rinconada. I afterwards ascertained that it would thus be entirely absent from districts of considerable extent, but always reappeared again throughout my journey, and was always welcome.
Plate 23
The Black-throated Finch
Emberiza bilneata (Cassin)
“The usual note of this bird at the season in which I saw it, is a simple chirp; but one day, having halted during a norther, in the State of Tamaulipas, I amused myself watching a party of adult and young birds of this species, in the neighboring bushes. One gay little black-throated fellow, who was probably the father, showed unusual uneasiness at my presence, which fact led me particularly to observe him. After carefully reconnoitering and apparently satisfying himself that there was no immediate danger, he flew off a few yards to the top of a yellow mimosa then in bloom, and, regardless of the bitter wind still blowing, gave utterance to a strain of sprightly and sweet notes, that would have compared favorably with those of many a more famed songster of the feathered race. This was the only time that I ever heard this species indulge in anything more than a single chirp.”
This little Finch was observed at various localities in Texas by gentlemen attached to the commission for running the boundary line between the United States and Mexico.
The figure in our plate, which is that of an adult male from Lieut. Couch’s collection, is about two-thirds of the size of life.
The plant represented is Spirea Douglasii, a native of western North America.