“Wherever a creeping vine opens its fragrant clusters, or wherever a tree-flower blooms, may these little birds be seen. In the garden, or in the woods, over the water, everywhere, they are darting about;—of all sizes, from one that might easily be mistaken for a different variety of bird, to the tiny Hermit (_Trochilus rufigaster_), whose body is not half the size of the bees buzzing about the same sweets. Sometimes they are seen chasing each other in sport with a rapidity of flight and intricacy of path the eye is puzzled to follow. Again circling round and round, they rise high in mid-air, then dart off like light to some distant attraction. Perched upon a little limb, they smooth their plumes and seem to delight in their dazzling hues; then starting off leisurely, they skim along, stopping capriciously to kiss the coquetting flowerets. Often, two meet in mid-air and fight furiously, their crests and the feathers on their throats all erected and blazing, and altogether pictures of the most violent rage. Several times we saw them battling with large black bees, who frequent the same flowers, and may be supposed to interfere often provokingly. Like lightning, our little heroes would come down, but the coat of shining mail would ward of their furious strokes. Again and again would they renew the attack, until their anger had expended itself by its own fury, or until the apathetic bee, once roused, had put forth powers that drove the invader from the field.” The Mexican Humming Birds have been, until recently, but little attended to, and even at this time are by no means well known. In an interesting volume by Mr. William Bullock, a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, “Six Months Residence and Travels in Mexico” (London, 1824), a work that contains much information on the natural history, and especially the ornithology, of that country, there is a chapter exclusively devoted to the Humming Birds. From it, we make the following extract, which may be regarded as the more interesting, as some of the species alluded to may be found hereafter in those parts of the United States contiguous to Mexico: “In Mexico, the species of Humming Birds are numerous. Near the capital, on my arrival, scarcely one was to be seen; but in the month of May and June, numbers were found in the Botanic Garden, in the centre of the city; and, by offering a reward to the Indians, many were brought to me alive. I had nearly seventy in cages, which, with attention and care, I kept living for some weeks; and could I have devoted my whole attention to them, I have no doubt of the possibility of bringing them alive to Europe.