ly below
the line of perpetual snow, where we should least expect to find so
delicate a creature. Its food it gathers from the thinly scattered
shrubs projecting from the ledges of rock near the snow. Its flight is
swift, but very short. When launching itself from the lofty height on
which it is perched, it flies obliquely downwards, uttering at the same
time a plaintive, whistling sound. It is more sedate in its habits than
its brethren, nor does it seem to partake of their joyous spirit. The
head and neck of the male are black, with a line running along the
centre. The long beard is white, and round the neck and back of the
head is a broad band of white. The upper surface of the body and the
two central feathers of the tail are bronzed green, the others being of
a warm reddish bronze. Its length is a little over five inches.

The female is chiefly brown, and possesses no beard or helmet-like
plume; it is also considerably smaller.

THE SICKLE-BILL.

In the humming-birds, we see the same perfect adaptation of their
construction to their peculiar wants which is found throughout the whole
animal creation. This is beautifully exhibited in the sickle-bill,
which is occasionally found in Bogota. Its bill is very short and
sharply curved, in order that it may enter the short, curved flowers of
that region. It is generally of a duller hue than most of its tribe.
Its head and small crest are blackish-brown, each feather having a spot
of buff on its tip. The upper part of the body is of a dark, glossy
green, slightly touched with buff. The under part is a brownish-black,
with a few buff streaks upon the throat and breast. It is about four
and a half inches long.

MARS' SUN-ANGEL.

Mr Gould describes the Mars' sun-angel as among the most beautiful of
the genus Heliangelus inhabiting the northern end of the Cordilleras.

"It has all the charms of novelty to recommend it, and it stands alone
among its congeners; no other member of the genus, similarly coloured,
having been discovered up to the present time. The throat vies with the
radiant topaz, while the band on the forehead rivals in brilliancy the
frontlet of every other species. The male bird has a fiery red mark on
its forehead, and the crown of the head and upper surface of the body
are bronzed green. The throat is ornamented with a gorget of deep fiery
red, and below it is a crescent-shaped band of light buff, while the
under part is of a deeper buf