they may be sometimes seen probing, from the places where they
sit, the flowers within their reach. The brilliant colours with
which they are adorned cannot be seen whilst they are fluttering
about, nor can the different species be distinguished unless they
have a deal of white hue in their plumage, such as Heliothrix
auritus, which is wholly white underneath, although of a
glittering green colour above, and the white-tailed Florisuga
mellivora.

There is not a great variety of hummingbirds in the Amazons
region, the number of species being far smaller in these uniform
forest plains than in the diversified valleys of the Andes, under
the same parallels of latitude. The family is divisible into two
groups, contrasted in form and habits: one containing species
which live entirely in the shade of the forest, and the other
comprising those which prefer open sunny places. The forest
species (Phaethorninae) are seldom seen at flowers, flowers
being, in the shady places where they abide, of rare occurrence;
but they search for insects on leaves, threading the bushes and
passing above and beneath each leaf with wonderful rapidity. The
other group (Trochilinae) are not quite confined to cleared
places, as they come into the forest wherever a tree is in
blossom, and descend into sunny openings where flowers are to be
found. But it is only where the woods are less dense than usual
that this is the case; in the lofty forests and twilight shades
of the lowlands and islands, they are scarcely ever seen. I
searched well at Caripi, expecting to find the Lophornis Gouldii,
which I was told had been obtained in the locality. This is one
of the most beautiful of all hummingbirds, having round the neck
a frill of long white feathers tipped with golden green. I was