Humming-birds cannot be preserved in captivity—not that they do not become familiar and affectionate, but their extreme delicacy unfits them for confinement, and in spite of the utmost care that can be bestowed on them, they will die in a few months. In their habitat they are killed with very small shot or with the sarbacane: if desired alive, they are taken with a butterfly net.
Among the most formidable enemies of the Trochilidæ may be reckoned the Monster Spider (Mygale avicularia), which spins its web round their nests, and devours eggs or little ones; even the old birds are sometimes its victims. Humming-birds are scattered over the whole of South and North America, even as far north as Canada; but in Brazil and Guiana they are most abundant. At least five hundred species are known. Cuvier included them in his genus Colibri. Mr. Gould has described three hundred of which he has actual specimens; these he divides into fifty-two genera. Among the more remarkable species we may note the Topaz-throated Trochilus (T. pella, Gould), a native of Brazil; the Sickle-winged Humming-bird (Trochilus falcatus, Sw.); Gould's Humming-bird (Ornismya Gouldii, Less.); the Double-crested Humming-bird (Trochilus cornutus, Wied.); Cora Humming-bird (Ornismya cora, Less.); the Giant Humming-bird, which attains the size of the Swallow; the Dwarf Humming-bird, whose size does not exceed that of a bee; the Bar-tailed Humming or Sapho Bird of Lesson ([Fig. 207]), a native of Eastern Peru; and the Racket-tailed Humming-bird, so named from the shape of its tail, which spreads out at the extremity in the form of a racket.
Fig. 207.—Bar-tailed Humming-bird (Trochilus sparganurus, Lesson).
The Climbers (Scansores, Vig.) among birds, such as the Woodpeckers, are characterised by an arched beak and a stiff pointed tail. The family comprehends several genera and sub-genera, of which the principal are the Climbers, properly so called, as the Creepers (Certhia), the Wall-Creepers (Tichodroma), the Picumnus, the Furnarius, the Sucriers, the Soui-mangas, and the Nuthatches (Sitta).
Fig. 208.—The Creeper (Certhia familiaris, Linn.).
The Creepers (Certhia) are small Climbing birds which live and build their nests in the holes they bore in the trunk or in the natural hollows of trees: the insects to be found under the bark are their food. Looking at the form of their slender beak, it is difficult to imagine how it can penetrate the hard covering of an oak, for which they exhibit a marked preference. The Tree-Creeper (Certhia familiaris) is spread over nearly every European country, and is very common in France. The Wall-Creeper (Tichodroma muraria, C. Bonap.), called also Wall-Climber (the Grimpereau des Murailles of French authors), owes its name to its habit of climbing the walls of dwellings. Supporting-points are not found in their tails, as in the Woodpeckers. Grasping the tree with their claws, they assist their feet by a slight movement of the wings. They feed on insects, and lead a solitary life on the mountains, only descending into the plains with the early frosts of winter. They are found diffused over all the South of Europe.
The Picumnus (Climacteris picumnus, Temm.) have form and habits very similar to the Creeper, but the beak is stronger and more boldly curved. They are natives of Brazil and Guiana.
