File:The Aviary, or, Child's book of birds (1856) (14751683395).jpg

Identifier: McGillLibrary-PN970_K5_A8_1856-1244 (find matches)
Title: The Aviary, or, Child's book of birds
Year: 1856 (1850s)
Authors: Kiggins & Kellogg,publisher
Subjects: Birds -- Juvenile literature. Chapbooks -- Specimens. Chapbooks -- New York (State) -- New York -- 19th century McGill University Library Digitized Title McGill Library's Chapbook Collection Birds Chapbooks
Publisher: New York : Kiggins & Kellogg
Contributing Library: McGill University Library

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tribe, some being not mucli more than lia^f an inchin length; they arc the most beautiful m the textureand colors of their plumage ; for no matter nor otliersubstance can come up to the richness of tl.eir tints,or the glowing brilliancy of their metallic reflections.They are the most active of all known birds, exceed-ing m this respect even the swifts; they are still morepowerfully winged, in proportion to their size, thanthese are^; and there are no birds which have thebreast and the bones which give firmness to theshoulder more finely developed. In fact, the wholeof their energy is concentrated upon this part of theirorganiz:\tion, and their different styles.of ilight are allequally vigorous. Suspended in the air. and hover-ing over a flower, theii v. ings move with so muchraj)idity that they are not seen except as gleams oflight of differentcolors, but all radiant, as the beamsof the sun take them at those angles at. which theyffive out their different lustres ; and while the rapid
Text Appearing After Image:
childs book of birds. motion of tlie wings thus renders them invisible, ex-cept as gleams of light playing around the little bodyof the bird, they make a sound similar to that of thehumming produced by the wings of bees and otherinsects; and it is on account of this, that they gettheir English name of humming-birds. The texture of their plumage is indeed as worthyof attention as the tints of color, and the brilliantmetallic reflections ; for though they are very littlebirds in all the species, and not larger than humble-bees in the most minute one, their plumage is exceed-ingly compact, and probably forms a better defenceagainst alternations of heat and cold, and of droughtand moisture, than that of any other birds whatever.The individual feathers are beautifully formed;_ andmore compactly laid than those of any others, if ^ weexcept the under parts especially, of those birdswhich are almost constantly in the water without evergetting wet. One of the most curious of the humming-birds,McGillLibrary-PN970_K5_A8_1856-1244

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