scarcely restrain her delight and admiration at the
spectacle; for though we had often seen humming-birds before, we had
never beheld them to such advantage. The little creature we saw had a
crest on the top of its head of a peculiarly rich chestnut, or ruddy
tint. The upper surface of the body was of a bronzed green hue, and a
broad band of white crossed the lower part, but the wings were
purple-black. The chief part of the tail was chestnut. The forehead
and throat were also of the same rich hue. On either side of the neck
projected a snow-white plume, tipped with the most resplendent metallic
green. The effect of these beautiful colours may be imagined as the
birds flew rapidly to and fro, or perched on a spray, like the one I
have described. Another little creature, very similar to it, was to be
seen flying about above the heads of the others. It also had a crest,
which was of the same colour as the others, but of a somewhat lighter
tint; while at the base of each feather, as we afterwards observed, was
a round spot of bronzed green, looking like a gem in a dark setting.
The crest, which was constantly spread out, appeared very like that of a
peacock's tail, though, as Ellen observed, it would be a very little
peacock to have such a tail. On searching in our book, we found that
the first of these humming-birds we had remarked was a tufted coquette
(_Lophornis ornatus_), while the other, which we seldom saw afterwards,
was the spangled coquette. These birds, with several others of similar
habits and formation, are classed separately from the _Trochilidae_, and
belong to the genus _Phaethornis_. They are remarkable for the long
pointed feathers of their tails, the two central ones being far longer
than the rest. We met with a greater number of them than of any other
genus on the banks of the Amazon.

After we had enjoyed the spectacle for some time, Duppo begged us to
come a little further, when he showed us a beautiful little nest,
secured to the innermost point of a palm-leaf. On the top of the leaf a
little spangled coquette was watching her eggs within. Unlike the nests
of the _Trochilidae_, which are saucer-shaped, it was of a long,
funnel-like form, broad at the top and tapering towards the lower part.
The outside, which was composed of small leaves and moss, had a somewhat
rugged appearance; but the inside, as we had reason to know, was soft
and delicate in the extreme, being thickly lined with si