tiger, dashed with its black streaks! And the brighter yellow of the
leopard and the jaguar, studded all over with rosettes of black spots!
We forget the ferocity of the savage in its beautifully-painted coat.
The zebra, too,--with the fine contrast of those bands of richest sable
on the cream-coloured ground, now bold and broad, as on the rounded
body, now running in fine parallel but irregularly-waved lines, as on
the face,--is a beautiful quadruped; and a herd of them galloping
wantonly over a South African plain, must be a sight worth seeing
indeed.
When we come to Birds, however, beauty is not the exception, but the
rule. The form of a bird is almost always graceful; the rounded
swellings and undulations of outline, and the smoothness of the plumage
give pleasure to the eye, even when there is no attractiveness of hue.
One has almost a difficulty in naming an inelegant bird. But when, as in
a thousand instances, brilliancy of colouring is combined with elegance
of shape and smoothness of plumage, we must be charmed. Is not our own
little goldfinch, is not the pert chaffinch that comes up to our very
feet for a grain or a crumb, a pretty object? But the tropical
birds,--we must look at them if we wish to know what nature can do in
the way of adornment. We should go to the flats on the embouchure of the
Amazon, and see the rosy spoonbills, in their delicate carnation dress,
set off by the lustrous crimson of their shoulders and breast-tufts,
feeding by hundreds on the green mud, or watch the gorgeous ibises, all
clad in glowing scarlet with black-tipped wings, when, in serried ranks,
a mile in length, like the vermillion cloud of morning, they come to
their breeding-place,--a truly magnificent sight.[204]
The first of the Parrot tribe that I ever had an opportunity of seeing
in its native freedom was the beautiful Parrakeet of the Southern
States. Eighty or a hundred birds in one compact flock passed me flying
low, and all nearly on the same plane; and, as they swept by, screaming
as they went, I fancied that they looked like an immense shawl of green
satin, on which an irregular pattern was worked in scarlet and gold and
azure. The sun's rays were brilliantly reflected from the gorgeous
surface, which rapidly sped past like a splendid vision.
The Cock of the Rock is a fine South American bird of the richest orange
colour, crowned with a double crest of feathers edged with purple. Mr
Wallace describes his search for it on the Rio Negro, and his admiration
of its beauty. Some time he sought in vain, for it is a rare bird, till
the old Indian who was his guide suddenly caught him by the arm, and,
pointing to a dense thicket, whispered in a low tone, "Gallo!" Peering
through the foliage, the naturalist caught a glimpse of the magnificent
bird, sitting amidst the gloom, and shining out like a mass of brilliant
flame. As it is easily alarmed and very wary, it required some following
and perseverance before he shot it. One of his Indians descended into
the deep rocky glen into which it fell, and brought it to him. "I was
lost," he says, "in admiration of the dazzling beauty of its soft downy
feathers; not a spot of blood was visible, not a feather was ruffled,
and the soft, warm, flexible body set off the fresh swelling plumage in
a manner which no stuffed specimen can approach."[205]
There is something exquisitely pleasing to the eye in the delicate
painting of the soft plumage in most of the Goatsuckers and their
allies. Entirely destitute of brilliant hues as they are, the
combinations of warm browns, and cool greys, interchanged with black and
white, and the manner in which these are softened, and blended, and
minutely pencilled, produce an effect that is peculiarly charming.
In the Trogons of the tropical regions we see elegance of form combined
with the most gorgeous colouring. Green and gold, crimson, scarlet,
orange, and black, are the hues of these birds, which hide themselves in
the deep dark recesses of the Amazonian and Indian forests. That species
called the Resplendent is the noblest of the race, whose magnificence
was so well appreciated by the ancient Mexican emperors, that none but
members of the royal family were permitted to adorn themselves with its
flowing plumes. The whole upper parts of this bird, its fine coronal
crest of erectile plumes, its shoulder-hackles, or long lance-shaped
feathers, that droop over the sides, and the elongated tail-coverts
which hang down beyond the tail to a length of three feet or more,
curving elegantly under the bird, as it sits on a branch, are of the
richest golden green, shining with a satiny radiance. The under parts
are of a splendid scarlet, and the tail feathers are white, with broad
black bars.
More enchanting than mere colour, however rich and glowing this may be,
is the fine metallic reflection which we see on the plumage of many
tropical birds. The Rifle-bird of Australia might be seen sitting on a
tree, and be passed by with contempt as a mere crow, while the eye was
attracted to a more gaily-hued parrot by its side. But viewed close at
hand, in the full blaze of the sun, the darker-plumaged bird is seen to
exceed the other by far, in gorgeous glory, and to be not unworthy of
the specific title of _Paradiseus_, by which it is known to naturalists.
The body generally is of a deep velvet black, but it reflects a purple
flush on the upper parts, and the feathers of the under parts are edged
with olive-green. The crown of the head, and the whole throat, are
clothed with scale-like feathers of the brightest emerald-green, which
blaze with a gemmeous lustre in certain lights, and make the most vivid
contrast with the velvet of the body. The tail displays its two middle
feathers of the same lustrous green, while the bordering ones are deep
black.
The vast and little-known island of Papua contains some specimens of the
feathered race of surpassing glory. The _Epimachi_, or Plume-birds, take
a prominent place in this category. They are remarkable for the erectile
scale-like feathers of the sides and shoulders, which form large
fan-shaped tufts, standing out from the body in a very striking manner.
Speaking of the superb Epimachus, Sonnerat, its describer, thus
writes:--"As if to add to the singularity of this bird, nature has
placed above and below its wings feathers of an extraordinary form, and
such as one does not see in other birds; she seems, moreover, to have
pleased herself in painting this being, already so singular, with her
most brilliant colours. The head, the neck, and the belly are glittering
green; the feathers which cover these parts possess the lustre and
softness of velvet to the eye and touch; the back is changeable violet;
the wings are of the same colour, and appear, according to the lights in
which they are held, blue, violet, or deep black; always, however,
imitating velvet. The tail is composed of twelve feathers, the two
middle feathers are the longest, and the lateral feathers gradually
diminish; it is violet, or changeable blue above, and black beneath. The
feathers which compose it are as wide in proportion as they are long,
and shine above and below with the brilliancy of polished metal.
"Above the wings the scapularies are very long and singularly formed;
their points being very short on one side, and very long on the other.
These feathers are of the colour of polished steel, changing into blue,
terminated by a large spot of brilliant green, and forming a species of
tuft or appendage at the margin of the wings.
"Below the wings spring long curved feathers, directed upwards; these
are black on the inside, and brilliant green on the outside. The bill
and feet are black."[206]
The same author, in referring to the brilliant metallic hues of this and
other birds, takes occasion to notice the iridescent effect which is
produced by the different angle at which light falls on the feathers.
The emerald-green, for instance, will often fling out rays of its two
constituent primary colours, at one time being blue-green, at another
gold-green, while in certain lights all colour vanishes, and a
velvet-black is presented to the eye. The ruby feathers of several birds
become orange under certain lights, and darken to a crimson-black at
other times.
[Illustration: MOURNING THE DEAD CUCKOO.]
This change of hue is analogous to the well-known iridescent
changeableness of the nacre which lines various shells, and is owing to
the structure of its surface reflecting the light in different rays,
according to the angle at which it falls upon the feathers.
Another species, a native of the same teeming region, the Twelve-thread
Epimachus, glows, with equal lustre, in the richest violet and emerald,
but somewhat diversely arranged. The long, elegant depending tail is
here reduced to ordinary dimensions, but, as if to compensate for this
inferiority, the Twelve-thread is adorned with an expanding dress of the
purest snowy white, composed of long silky plumes that spring from
behind and below the wings, so soft and so loosely webbed as to wave
gracefully in the slightest breeze. From these tufts project long and
very slender shafts, unwebbed, and as fine as threads, curling
elegantly, six on each side.
The little Sun-birds of India and Africa, and the still tinier
Humming-birds of the New World are conspicuous for the metallic radiance
of their plumage. Take for an example of the former the Fire-tailed
Sun-bird of Nepal. The crown and forehead are brilliant steel-blue,
while the neck, the back, and the rump are of the richest scarlet,
diversified by a broad patch of bright yellow across the middle of the
back. The central feathers of the tail are lengthened, and are bright
scarlet, while the lateral feathers are edged with the same rich hue on
brown. The breast is golden yellow or orange, flushed with crimson in
the centre, and the rest of the inferior parts are olive-green. Most of
those gorgeous colours have a silky or metallic lustre, and blaze out
under the tropical sunlight with amazing brightness.
Exquisite ornaments are these to an Indian garden, where they delight in
the flowering plants and shrubs. They creep to and fro about the stalks
and twigs, clinging by their little purple feet, and rifling the tubular
corollas of the honeyed blossoms, whence doubtless they gather many
minute insects, licked up with the nectar, by the aid of their curiously
pencilled tongue.
For that peculiar charm which resides in flashing light combined with
the most brilliant colours, the lustre of precious stones, there are no
birds, no creatures, that can compare with the Humming-birds. Confined
exclusively to America,--whence we have already gathered between three
and four hundred distinct species, and more are being continually
discovered,--these lovely little winged gems were to the Mexican and
Peruvian Indians the very quintessence of beauty. By these simple people
they were called by various names signifying "the rays of the sun," "the
tresses of the day-star," and the like. Their glittering scale-like
plumage was employed to make, at the cost of immense time, patience, and
labour, the radiant mantles in which the emperors and highest nobles
appeared on state occasions, as well as to form by a sort of mosaic,
those embroidered pictures which so attracted the admiration of the
Spanish conquerors. The Mexican priests adopted the tiny birds into
their mythology: they taught that the souls of those warriors who died
in defence of the gods, were conducted by Toyamiqui, the wife of the
god of war, straight to the mansion of the sun, and there transformed
into humming-birds.
In the gorgeous forest glooms of the mountainous parts of Jamaica, and
especially in the sunny glades which here and there break their
uniformity, where the ever-verdant foliage rises upon all sides of the
open space like a wall, covered with the most elegant and fragrant
flowers, I have been charmed by the familiar fearlessness and lustrous
splendour of these little creatures. Here sitting down on a prostrate
log in the shadow, I have watched them sipping all around, flitting to
and fro, coming and going, every moment disappearing in the sombre
shade, or suddenly flashing out, with a whirr like that of a
spinning-wheel, into the bright sunshine. Bold and unsuspecting, they
might be seen exploring bush after bush, and coming, while I remained
motionless, even within arm's length of me, busily rifling all the
blossoms in rapid succession, regularly quartering the surface of some
favourite shrub, so as to lose none, and of course, in their zeal,
frequently probing the same flower again and again. Sometimes it would
be the Mango, suspending himself on whirring pinions in front of the
flowers, his broadly-expanded tail-feathers of the richest violet, his
body plumage all green and gold, and his cheeks and throat blazing, in
the changing light, with the radiance now of the ruby, now of the
amethyst, now of the sapphire, and now becoming for an instant the most
intense black. But much more commonly on these occasions was I visited
by the elegant Long-tail, whose slender form, black velvet crest,
emerald bosom, and long tail-plumes, distinguish it as one of the
_principes_ of this patrician race. This lovely little gem would be
hovering about, half-a-dozen visible at the same moment, threading the
projecting branches, now probing here, now there, one moment above a
flower and bending down to it, the next hanging below it, and thrusting
up its crimson beak to kiss its nectar-tube from beneath, the cloudy
wings on each side vibrating with a noise like that of a factory wheel,
and its entire throat, breast and belly clothed in scaly plumage of the
richest green, contrasted finely with the velvety black of all beside.
This scaly plumage would flash brilliantly back the sun's light, like a
noble emerald in the crown of a king; then, by the slightest possible
turn of the bird, it would become black, all the light being absorbed;
then, on another movement, it would seem a dark rich olive, and in an
instant flame forth again with emerald effulgence, over which olive and
black clouds were momentarily passing and repassing.
The phenomenon of this changing lustre is worthy of more careful
attention than it has received. In such Humming-birds as I have
examined,--and possibly it may be a general rule,--the iridescence of
those portions of the plumage that are changeable is splendid in the
ratio of the acuteness of the angle formed by the incident ray and the
reflected one. Thus the scaly plumage of the neck of the Mango appears
to advantage in a room with a single window, only when the beholder
stands with his back to the light, and has the bird before him and
facing him. Then the perpendicular band down the throat and breast,
which seems composed of the richest black velvet, is bounded on each
side by a broad band of glowing crimson, mingled with violet. It is not
the _entire_ plumage of even a Humming-bird that displays these
refulgent gleams: some of the brilliant hues are permanent, not
changeable colours; such as the golden greens which adorn the back and
wing-coverts in so many species; in which the colour is subject to
little change, and the only effect produced by the alteration of the
angle of the light is the transforming the tips of the feathers into the
appearance of burnished gold.
Wilson[207] has remarked that the plumage of the Indigo finch
(_Fringilla cyanea_) in certain lights appears of a rich sky-blue and in
others of a vivid verdigris green, so that the same bird, in passing
from one place to another before your eyes, seems to undergo a total
change of colour. When the rays of light so fall on the plumage that the
angle of the incident and reflected ray is acute, the colour is green,
when obtuse, blue. I have myself noticed exactly the same thing in the
brilliant changeable colour of insects,--as, for instance, the
_Cicindelae_ of America, and the Emerald Virgin Dragonfly (_Agrion
Virginica_.)
To return, however, to our Humming-birds, of which my readers will like
to have one or two more described,--_la creme de la creme_, the very
_elite_ of this lovely little fairy population. If we were to cross the
Atlantic to Brazil, track up the mighty Amazon some thirty days' sail,
and a distance of a thousand miles, we should come to the mouth of the
Rio Negro, where a remarkable change in the appearance of the water
indicates a totally different region. Instead of the muddy water of the
Amazon, resembling pea-soup, that of the Negro is intensely dark, but
clear and limpid, every ripple sparkling like crystal. The land becomes
high, and the river, some four miles wide, passes between lofty cliffs,
crowned with the rich green walls of the primeval forest. The country is
far more attractive than that on the Amazon; instead of a dead level,
swampy and intersected by sluggish _igaripes_, or shallow ponds,
overhung by impenetrably tangled thickets, and full of venomous flies,
here are gentle hills, and tiny brooks of sparkling water, and a
comparatively open forest, with bright clear glades in which the
traveller may recline without persecution from the flies,--these pests
being unknown on the "black waters." The ground is covered by evergreens
of different species and exquisite forms, and many kinds of elegant
ferns are growing in the valleys. There are few lianes or spinous briers
stretching from tree to tree, obstructing free passage, but a thousand
lesser vines drape the low tree tops with myriads of flowers, new and
attractive to the visitor. Everywhere the forest is intersected by
paths, some made by the inhabitants in their frequent rambles, others by
wild animals that come to the water to drink; and along these the eager
naturalist can readily pass to the feeding trees of many beautiful and
peculiar birds.
Here are wont to haunt many varieties of the richly-hued trogons,
unknown to the lower regions; and at any hour their plaintive note may
be heard at intervals, as they sit moodily, singly or in pairs, on the
branches, with the long tail outspread and drooping, watching for
passing insects. Cuckoos of several kinds, their plumage glancing red in
the subdued light, flit noiselessly through the woods, searching for
caterpillars. Purple jays, in large flocks, alight on some berry-bearing
tree, chattering and gesticulating, but shy and alert,--ready to start
at the snapping of a twig. Motmots and chatterers in gayest
hues,--scarlet, violet and blue,--are abundant. Goatsuckers, in
exquisitely-blended and pencilled tones of colour, start from some shady
glen where they are dozing away the day hours, and, flying a short
distance on soft winnowing pinions, rest again, and seem to fall asleep
in an instant. Showy manikins and tanagers of the brightest tints are
flaunting in every bush: pigeons and doves of soberer hues are cooing
their gentle complainings in the taller trees; and guans and curassows
are marching with stately pace in the paths, picking here and there some
delicate morsel; or running with loud harsh cry, with outstretched neck
and rapid stride, as they detect approaching danger.[208]
Still, conspicuous above all are the Humming-birds, which, revelling in
this region of the sun, are buzzing around the blossoming shrubs like
insects. And pre-eminent among these is the Fiery Topaz, a name that
attempts to express what neither title, nor description, nor coloured
figure can adequately express,--its gemmeous magnificence and lustre.
One of the first ornithologists of the age, the Prince of Canino, has
assigned to the species the honour of being "_inter Trochilides
pulcherrimus_." Description, however, I must give, for want of anything
better, since, even if I possessed a living specimen, I could not
exhibit its living radiance to all my readers: therefore, pray pay
attention to the details, and imagine. The general hue of this imperial
atom is a blazing scarlet, in fine contrast with which the head and
lower part of the throat are deep velvet-black. The gorget of the throat
is emerald green, with a cloud of delicate crimson in the centre. The
lower part of the back, the rump and the upper tail-coverts are of that
beautiful bronzed green which changes to orange gold, so frequently seen
in this tribe; while the wing-quills and tail are purplish black, except
the middle pair of feathers in the latter, which are very slender,
project to a great length, and cross each other; these are green with a
purple gloss.
Among the hundreds of species of this very lovely tribe that swarm in
the intertropical regions of South America, I will select one more for
its surpassing beauty. It is the Bar-tailed Comet. We must look for it
in the temperate and equable valley of the Desaguedero, which leads out
of Lake Titicaca, the largest sheet of water on the South American
continent, and famous in Peruvian tradition, as the scene where Mango
Capac and Mama Ocollo surprised the barbarous aborigines by their first
appearance. On one of the charming islets of this quiet lake, the two
august strangers were seen, clothed in garments; and, declaring that
they were the children of the sun long prophesied of, proceeded to teach
their simple subjects the arts of civilisation, and to establish a
regular government. We must search for our tiny Comet, too, in the
cultivated plains that surround the Cerro of Potosi, that singular cone
sixteen thousand feet in height, which is wholly composed of silver, and
which is estimated to have yielded, during the three hundred years that
have elapsed since the Indian exposed the solid silver, when he
accidentally tore up a shrub by the roots,--the sum of two hundred
millions of pounds sterling. The districts around, and specially the
environs of the town of Chuquisaca, are adorned with a profusion of
gardens and orchards, in which many European trees and flowers grow, as
well as those of the tropics, the climate possessing the charms of many
regions. In the shrubberies of the city, and in the gardens of the
Indian cottages, as well as the slopes of the surrounding mountains,
where the native groves and forests grow undisturbed, the brilliant
Bar-tail may be seen during the summer months; but, as soon as the
chilling winds of April tell of coming winter, the charming visitor
becomes scarce, and flitting northward finds in the forests of Lower
Peru the mild and balmy air which he loves. When the trees are in
blossom, and particularly the apple-trees, which have been introduced
from Europe, and are largely cultivated in orchards, the males may be
seen shooting in and out among the foliage, like glowing coals of fire,
chasing each other with shrill chirpings, and with surprising
perseverance and acrimony. The fields of maize, and pulse, and other
leguminous plants which are cultivated in the plains, receive a fair
share of his attention; and the nopaleries, or cactus-gardens, where the
cochineal insect is reared for those most valuable crimson and scarlet
dyes, which far outshine the vaunted productions of ancient Tyre. The
blossom of the nopal is itself one of the most splendid of flowers. It
begins to open as the sun declines, and is in full expanse throughout
the night, shedding a delicious fragrance, and offering its brimming
goblet, filled with nectareous juice, to thousands of moths, and other
crepuscular and nocturnal insects. When the moon is at the full in those
cloudless nights whose loveliness is known only in the tropics, the
broad blossom is seen as a circular disk nearly a foot in diameter, very
full of petals, of which the outer series are of a yellowish hue,
gradually paling to the centre, where they shine in the purest white.
The numerous recurving stamens surround the style which rises in the
midst like a polished shaft, the whole glowing in its silvery beauty
under the moonbeams, from the dark and matted foliage, and diffusing its
delicious clove-like fragrance so profusely that the air is loaded with
it for furlongs round.
Other species of Cactus and Cereus, some with yellow, and some with
pink, and some with rich crimson blossoms,--the pride of our
conservatories,--sprawl profusely in these gardens; and here the
Bar-tail flaunts all day long sipping the nectar, and picking up myriads
of minute insects which the blossoms attract, and which lodge in the
honeyed recesses.