Natural History, Birds/Tenuirostres
TRIBE II. TENUIROSTRES.
The birds of this division have the beak slender, long, compressed, and frequently curved; not notched at the tip. The tongue is often divided at the extremity into two or more filaments, and is commonly used to suck or lick up the nectar of flowers, and to draw in with this honeyed liquid multitudes of minute insects, which constitute the solid portion of their nutriment.
The smallest of the feathered races are found in this Tribe, as well as the most brilliantly adorned; for many of the genera are clothed with a plumage of metallic lustre, and on particular parts of their bodies, especially the forehead and throat, with dense feathers of a peculiar scale-like appearance, which reflect the varying radiance of precious stones. The tribe is eminently tropical in its geographical distribution, although many species visit the temperate zones, and a few are permanent residents of high latitudes.
The tenuirostral Families are the five following:—Upupadæ, Nectariniadæ, Trochilidæ, Meliphagadæ, and Certhiadæ. Family I. Upupadæ.
(Hoopoes.)
The Hoopoes constitute a small, and somewhat isolated Family, having some relations with the Tribe we have just dismissed. They have an elongated, curved, slender beak, much compressed, but somewhat dilated at the base; the nostrils, which are pierced near the base, are more or less covered with small velvety feathers which point forwards. The feet have the outer pair of toes partially united, as in several of the fissirostral genera. The toes are long and strong, the claws almost straight, that of the hind toe lengthened.
The birds of this Family are few in number, but of rather large size, and have much of the habit and appearance of the Crows. They walk on moist land, as pasture-grounds and newly turned earth, in search for insects and their larvae; but some species, as those of the genus Promerops, seek for minute insects in the corollas of flowers. The Family is confined to the Old World, and most of them are African and Indian.
Genus Upupa. (Linn.)
The true Hoopoes have the beak very long and slender, slightly curved through its length, and compressed at the sides: the nostrils are basal, small, covered by a scale, and surmounted by the feathers of the forehead. The wings are long and rounded: the tail long and broad. The toes are three before, and one behind; the hind-toe long, with a long and nearly straight claw. The head is furnished with an erectile crest.
The birds of this genus reside in Africa and Asia, and one species is a summer visitant of Europe, even as far north as Sweden. They prefer moist situations in the neighbourhood of woods, seeking for insects upon the ground, among manure, and among the foliage of trees.
The European Hoopoe (Upupa epops, Linn.) though certainly not a common, is a pretty constant visitor to the British islands; particularly
HOOPOE
in the later summer months; few seasons now pass without the record of some specimens having been observed; as from their size, their elegant plumose crest, and the striking contrasts of colour that distinguish them, they are sure to attract attention. White mentions a pair which, one summer, frequented an ornamented piece of ground, adjoining his garden at Selborne, for some weeks. They used to march about in a stately manner, feeding in the walks, many times in the day; and seemed disposed to breed in the outlet; but were frighted and persecuted by idle boys, who never let them be at rest. In a few instances, however, they have been known to breed in England.
The Hoopoe is remarkable for its intelligence, and its susceptibility of attachment: both of which qualities are illustrated by the following interesting, but rather tragical narrative, extracted from Bechstein's "Cage Birds." "With great care and attention," writes M. von Schauroth, "I was able last summer to rear two young Hoopoes, taken from a nest which was placed at the top of an oak-tree. These little birds followed me every where; and when they heard me at a distance shewed their joy by a particular chirping, jumped into the air, or as soon as I was seated, climbed upon my clothes, particularly when giving them their food, from a pan of milk, the cream of which they swallowed greedily; they climbed higher and higher, till at last they perched on my shoulders, and sometimes on my head, caressing me very affectionately. Notwithstanding this, I had only to speak a word to rid myself of their company; they would then immediately retire to the stove. Generally, they would observe my eyes to discover what my temper might be, that they might act accordingly. I fed them like the nightingale, or with the universal paste, to which I sometimes added insects; they would never touch earth-worms, but were very fond of beetles and may-bugs; these they first killed, and then beat them with their beak into a kind of oblong ball; when this was done they threw it into the air that they might catch it and swallow it lengthwise; if it fell across the throat they were obliged to begin again. Instead of bathing they roll in the sand. I took them one day into a neighbouring field that they might catch insects for themselves, and had then an opportunity of remarking their innate fear of birds of prey, and their instinct under it. As soon as they perceived a raven, or even a pigeon, they were on their bellies in the twinkling of an eye, their wings stretched out by the side of their head, so that the large quill-feathers touched; they were thus surrounded by a sort of crown, formed by the feathers of the tail and wings, the head leaning on the back, with the bill pointing upwards: in this curious posture they might be taken for an old rag. As soon as the bird which frightened them was gone they jumped up immediately, uttering cries of joy. They were very fond of lying in the sun; they showed their content by repeating in a quivering tone, 'vec, vec, vec;' when angry their notes are harsh, and the male, which is known by its colour being redder, cries, 'hoop, hoop.' The female had the trick of dragging her food about the room; by this means it became covered with small feathers, and other rubbish, which by degrees formed an indigestible mass in her stomach about the size of a nut, of which she died. The male lived through the winter; but not quitting the heated stove, its beak became so dry that the two parts separated, and remained more than an inch apart; thus it died miserably."
The Hoopoe usually builds in hollow trees, forming a nest of a few stalks and blades of dry grass mingled with feathers; here it lays from four to seven eggs of a pale bluish-grey hue.
Some species of this Family (as the genus Epimachus, Cuv.) are remarkable for the singular development of the feathers of the sides, and for the metallic splendour of their scaly or velvety plumage. They rival the birds of Paradise in beauty, and resemble them in some peculiarities of structure; they inhabit also the same region, the immense island of New Guinea.
Family II. Nectariniadæ.
(Sun-birds.)
The numerous species of this Family are birds of diminutive size, but of brilliant plumage, at least in the principal genera, the feathers reflecting metallic and gemmed lustre of various hues
HEAD OF NECTARINIA FAMOSA.
in most cases; in some, however, being of rich colours without effulgence. The beak is more or less lengthened, arched, and very slender, generally entire; the tongue, capable of being protruded, is divided at the tip into filaments, sometimes so numerous as to form a sort of pencil or brush, for the purpose of collecting minute insects from the interior of flowers. The nostrils are short, oval, covered with a membrane, and opening only by a lateral slit. The wings are comparatively weak; the feet of moderate size, formed for perching.
With a few slight exceptions the Sun-birds are peculiar to the Old World, where they represent the Humming-birds, which are peculiar to the New. The typical genus which contains the majority of the species, and these, such as are preeminently distinguished for their lustrous beauty, is proper to Africa and India, extending through the great Oriental Archipelago. Some of the genera are spread over the Australasian and Polynesian groups of islands, and of these all are destitute of metallic radiance, and some are of sombre colours.
Genus Nectarinia. (Illig.)
The beak in this genus is usually long, slender, and sharp pointed; the base dilated, and the edges minutely cut into regular saw-like teeth. The tongue is long and slender, the edges, for the whole length, turned over inwards, so as to form a double tube, the tip divided into two filaments, which are fringed. The wings are rounded, the first quill nearly obsolete. The tail is broad and rounded, with the middle pair of feathers more or less lengthened and narrowed.
These brilliant little creatures, as we have already observed, are found in Western and Southern Africa, and in the continent and islands of India, some of great beauty extending even to the alpine elevation of the Himalaya mountains. Their food is obtained principally from the interior of flowers; and they are almost constantly engaged, in small groups, on the twigs of trees and bushes, hopping about with a rapid motion, and at the same time moving their wings in a tremulous manner, while they insert their long beaks into the tubular blossoms in succession. Sometimes they have been observed to hover on the wing before a flower while probing its depths, but this is rare, the ordinary mode of procedure being to cling to the twigs. Occasionally they are seen to snap at a passing insect in the air; and judging from the analogy of the Hummingbirds, we should conclude that insects are the principal object of search in the corollas of flowers, the nectarious juice contributing but partially to their support. And this is confirmed by the observations of Dr. Andrew Smith, on some species of Southern Africa:—" The birds of the genus Cinnyris (or Nectarinia) have generally been regarded as feeding upon the saccharine juices which exist in flowers; but, as far as my experience goes, I should be inclined to consider them as giving a preference to insects. In those I examined I found the bulk of the contents of the stomach to be insects, though at the same time each contained more or less of a saccharine juice. The acquisition of a certain portion of the latter is not easily to be avoided, considering the manner they insert their bill into flowers; but the consumption of insects of such a size as I have found in their stomachs must easily be obviated, provided these were not agreeable to their palates, and not actually a description of food which they by choice selected."
Some of these birds add the charm of song to that of brilliancy of plumage. Freycinet says of some species:—"At night they have a lengthened song, the modulations of which are very agreeable," and the music of one has been compared to that of the Nightingale.
The nest of the Sun-birds is commonly suspended, of a globose form, having an opening on one side, generally near the bottom. Mr. Jerdon, in the "Madras Journal of Science," has thus described that of Nectarinia mahrattensis, (Lath.):—"I have seen the nest of this pretty little bird close to a house at Joulnah. It was commenced on a thick spider's web, by attaching to it various fragments of paper, cloth, straw, grass, and other substances, till it had secured a firm hold of the twigs to which the web adhered, and the nest, suspended on this, was then completed by adding other fragments of the same materials; the hole is at the one side, near the top, and has a slight projecting roof or awning over it."
We select, for illustration, the Splendid Sun-bird (Nectarinia splendida, Shaw) of West Africa, one of the most gorgeous of the tribe. It is thus described by Sir W. Jardine:—"The back of the neck, shoulders, and upper and under tail-coverts, are brilliant golden green, varying with every change of light; the head and throat are steel-blue, in some lights appearing as black, in others as rich violet; across the breast there appears, in most lights, a band of scarlet, but in some positions it appears as if banded with steel-blue, golden-green, or violet, and at times to be almost entirely composed of one of those tints; this is occasioned by the structure of the feathers; near the base the colour is of the metallic tints alluded to, but the tips of the plumules are
SPLENDID SUN-BIRD.
lengthened into fine vermilion tips without barbs, which are so slender as sometimes to be entirely lost, when seen against the dark tint of the feather lying beneath. On the sides of this beautiful bird spring two axillary tufts of pale lemon-yellow. The breast, belly, and flanks, wings, and tail, are deep black, the latter edged with golden-green. In this species, also, the tail-coverts are of an unusual form, very nearly as long as the feathers of the tail, the webs very ample, loose, and unconnected. The legs, feet and bill are black." This species inhabits the country about Sierra Leone; Le Vaillant found it also near the Fish River, in South Africa, but only during the breeding season. The nest is placed in the worm-eaten trunks of mimosa-trees, and contains four or five eggs, entirely white.
Family III. Trochilidæ.
(Humming-birds.)
Among vertebrated animals the Humming-birds have an undisputed pre-eminence for beauty; the gorgeous flashings and changing tints, the lustre as of burnished metal, which we have already described in the Sun-birds, being bestowed in still higher perfection and with greater profusion on these. They are also the most minute of the feathered races, many of the species being exceeded both in dimensions and weight, by several English insects. On the other hand, some few species equal a Swallow in size. Their form, too, is elegant and slender, their movements graceful and characterized by the most sprightly vivacity. Their wings are excessively long, and are moved by very powerful muscles, which are attached to a breast-bone (sternum) of great surface in proportion. Hence their flight is swift and vigorous, perhaps in a degree greater than that of any other birds; and it is capable of being long, almost constantly, sustained during day without fatigue. By the inconceivably rapid vibration of these powerful wings, they have the power, possessed by many insects, of poising themselves in the air, where they hang apparently motionless, while their wings, through the extreme swiftness of their oscillations, are rendered invisible, except as an undefined misty cloud on each side. The vibration of these organs produces, by their impact upon the air, a humming or whirring sound, more or less shrill according to the species, whence the common name of the birds is derived. Their feet are small and weak, and are in little request, so much of their time being passed upon the wing.
HEAD OF LAMPORNIS PORPHYRURUS.
The beak is long and slender, sometimes straight, sometimes curved downward, and in one or two species even curved upward. The tongue is slender and capable of protrusion to a great extent; when recent, it presents the appearance of two tubes laid side by side united for half the length, but separate for the remainder. The substance of these is transparent in the same degree as a good quill, which, under a microscope, they much resemble: each tube is formed by a lamina rolled up, yet not so as to bring the edges into actual contact. Near the tip, the outer edge of each lamina ceases to be convoluted, but is spread out, and split at the margin into irregular points, directed backward.
TIP OF ONE FILAMENT OF A HUMMING-BIRD'S TONGUE.
The structure of the tongue is, therefore, essentially the same as in the Sun-birds; and it is applied to the same purposes, the sucking up of the nectar contained in flowers, and with it the minute insects that are always congregated in such situations. In searching these, however, the Humming-bird hovers on his strong vibrating wings in front of the blossom, while with his long protruded tongue he probes its recesses; yet not unfrequently may he be seen to assume the manner of his Oriental representative, and cling with his little feet to a leaf or twig, while he rifles the flowers.
But Humming-birds are also expert fly-catchers, and a great deal of their time is spent hovering in the air in the midst of swarms of very minute flies, snapping them up with many quick turns and sudden contortions. On dissection, their stomachs are usually found to be distended with insects.
The Trochilidæ are confined to the New World; and though the tropical regions of that continent, and the lovely islands of the West Indies, are their principal home, yet some species are found to penetrate, at least in summer, to high latitudes on each side of the equator. Captain King saw one at Tierra del Fuego, sporting in the midst of a snow shower, when the winter had already set in, and the mountains around were covered with snow. Though the species which compose the Family are very much alike in their important characters, yet as they are very numerous, upwards of two hundred species being known, they have been divided into several genera, founded, indeed, on comparatively slight distinctions, as the length and curvature of the beak, the form of the wings, and the greater or less development of the feathers of the tail, and of other parts.
Genus Trochilus. (Linn.)
In this genus the beak is of moderate length, slightly curved downward, broad and flattened at the base, and tapering uniformly to the point; the edges of the upper mandible inclosing the lower for the greater part of its length. The tail is forked, but the exterior feather, save one, on each side, is excessively prolonged beyond its fellows.
The Long-tailed Humming-bird (Trochilus polytmus, Linn.) is one of the most elegant of this lovely race. Its coral-beak, its double crest of black velvet, its golden back, its ample gorget of scaly plumage, now black, now olive, and now suddenly flashing with the hue of the emerald, and its lengthened tail-plumes of raven-purple,—conspire to give it a pre-eminence in beauty, over many which are adorned with more showy and more varied hues. It is peculiar to Jamaica, but there it is very common, especially in the recluse mountain-gorges of that magnificent island. 
LONG-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD.
This Humming-bird is easily captured, as it hovers around the blossoms of the low trees, and, if allowed the liberty of a room, will become so familiar as to suck from a flower held in the hand, or even to take sugar from the lips, hovering in front of the mouth, or clinging with its tiny feet to the face of the person who feeds it. It will very readily learn to suck from a cup of sugar and water placed in the room, and will amuse itself all day in capturing minute flies, on the wing. We have had half a dozen, or more, in this state of confiding familiarity for several weeks, in the West Indies.
The nests of the Humming-birds are exquisite specimens of the constructive art. Those of the species now before us, are composed ordinarily of the fine down of the silk-cotton tree (Bombax), formed into a neat and compact cup. On the outside it is generally bound round in different directions with spider's web, made to adhere by a viscous saliva, secreted by large glands in the mouth of the bird. Little fragments of papery lichen are stuck here and there about the outside, and bound down with web. In this structure, which is usually placed upon a horizontal twig, the twig passing the substance of the bottom, two oval eggs are laid, of the purest and most delicate whiteness, which commonly produce a male and a female.
The Humming-birds of the West Indies, breed all the year round; but in January and June, nests are found in greatest abundance. The young are easily reared by hand, and will readily learn to take syrup from the end of a quill; gnats, ants, and other small insects caught and put into the fluid, and then given to the young bird upon the point of the quill, will add to the probability of success. Family IV. Meliphagadæ.
(Honey-eaters.)
"This extraordinary group," observes Mr. Vigors, "the existence of the much more considerable portion of which was unknown to the Swedish naturalist, for which there was consequently no place in his system, occupies a prominent and important situation in the ornithological department of nature. Chiefly confined to Australia, where they abound in every variety of form, and in an apparently inexhaustible multitude of species, they find a sufficient and never-failing support in the luxuriant vegetation of that country. There the fields are never without blossom, and some different species of plants, particularly the species of Eucalyptus, afford a constant succession of that food which is suited to the tubular and brush-like structure of the tongue in these birds. Their numbers and variety seem in consequence to be almost unlimited."[1]
The Honey-eaters in some measure depart from the tenuirostral type, in the increased strength and stoutness of the beak; this organ is compressed, awl-shaped, and arched; with the tip distinctly notched. The feet are large and strong, the hinder toe much developed. The tongue is still capable of protrusion, but in a subordinate degree; it terminates in a brush of hairs.
These birds are found only in New Holland, and the adjacent islands, where they feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers, on insects, and on berries. They are usually of sombre colours, black, or olive-brown, without any metallic lustre. They are said to construct cup-shaped nests, in the forks of small branches of shrubs, not far removed from the ground. They are of a larger size than most of the members of this Tribe; several species equal a thrush in dimensions, and some are considerably larger.
Genus Meliphaga. (Lewin.)
Of the typical genus of Honey-eaters the characters are as follow:—The beak is moderate or comparatively short, and feeble; the under mandible is not thickened. The inner toe is shorter than the outer one. The tail is rounded or graduated. The tongue is cleft into two divisions, and each part terminates in a bundle of filaments. This organ, though still essentially constructed upon the type of that which we have described in the Sun-birds and Humming-birds, is of a form almost peculiar to the present group. It is not nearly so extensile as in the Humming-birds, being seldom more than half as long again as the beak, nor are the branches of the tongue-bone (os hyoïdes) carried beneath and behind the skull, as in those birds. It seems to be constructed rather for licking up honey, pollen, &c., with its brush-like tips, than for sucking. Lewin, who, in his " Birds of New Holland," drew and described these species in their native regions, has figured the tongue of the Warty-faced Honey-sucker, (Meliphaga phrygia, Lath.), and describes the bird as sometimes to be seen in great numbers, constantly flying from tree to tree, particularly those known as the blue-gum, feeding among the blossoms by extracting the honey, with their long tongues, from every flower as they pass.
WARTY-FACED HONEY-EATER.
Another species the same author describes as being fond of picking transverse holes in the bark of trees, between which and the wood it inserts its long tongue in search of small insects, which it draws out with great dexterity. The analogy which we find in this species with the Woodpeckers is interesting; and is not confined to this habit, for it is associated with the power of climbing with dexterity, by means of the long and strong hind claw. Mr. Vigors, indeed, considers these birds to represent in Australia the true Woodpeckers, no species of which Family, though a widely scattered one, having been discovered in that continent.
Family V. Certhiadæ.
(Creepers.)
There is in this Family a manifest departure from the tenuirostral type, and a decided approach to the following Order, connecting itself very obviously with the Woodpeckers, through the genus Dendrocolaptes on the one side, and Colaptes on the other. The tongue, though still capable of protrusion, is no longer divided into filaments, but the tip is sharp, horny, and fitted for transfixing insects, which are sought beneath the bark of trees, in crevices of walls, and similar concealed situations. To procure these, the beak also is usually slender, sharp-pointed, and strong, curved in various degrees, sometimes, as in the Wall-creeper (Tichodroma muraria, Linn.) of Southern Europe, being almost straight, at others, as in some of the Tree-creepers (Dendrocolaptes, Herm.) of Brazil, bent almost to a semicircle.
The Creepers, as their name imports, are true climbers, though their feet have not the typical Scansorial structure. The outer toe is not reversible, but the back toe is considerably longer and stronger than it is in the generality of passerine birds. Mr. Vigors, indeed, arranges them with the Scansores. In several of the genera, the shafts of the tail-feathers are strong and rigid, and their tips are lengthened beyond the barbs, as in the Woodpeckers, and from the same cause, the wearing away of the more fragile parts in the constant friction of the tip of the tail against perpendicular surfaces; this organ being thrown in, and pressed against the tree or wall, as a support in climbing.
Genus Certhia. (Linn.)
The beak in this genus is moderately long, more or less curved, triangular at the base, compressed at the sides, slender, and pointed: the wings are moderate, the fourth quill the longest: the tail is lengthened, graduated, the middle feathers the longest; the shafts of the feathers are stiff, and project beyond the tips, which are pointed: the feet are large, the claws slender, that of the back toe long and much curved.
The common Creeper (Certhia familiaris, Linn.) is one of the smallest of British birds, being not more than five inches in total length; it is of a yellowish-brown above, the under parts being white. It is generally distributed throughout Europe, as well as through the United States of North America. It is common enough in the British Islands, though, on account of its shy and recluse habits, frequenting large woods, and well-timbered parks, as well as its habit of creeping about the trunks of trees, where its brown hue renders it difficult to be discerned,—it has been accounted rare. Wilson has graphically delineated its manners in the following terms:
"The brown Creeper is an extremely active and restless little bird. In winter it associates with the small spotted woodpecker, nut-hatch, titmouse, &c.; and often follows in their rear, gleaning up those insects which their more powerful
CREEPER.
bills had alarmed and exposed; for its own slender, incurvated bill seems unequal to the task of penetrating into even the decayed wood; though it may enter into holes, and behind scales of the bark. Of the Titmouse, there are generally present the individuals of a whole family, and seldom more than one or two of the others. As the party advances through the woods, from tree to tree, our little gleaner seems to observe a good deal of regularity in his proceedings; for I have almost always observed that he alights on the trunk near the root of the tree, and directs his course, with great nimbleness, upwards to the higher branches, sometimes spirally, often in a direct line, moving rapidly and uniformly along, with his tail bent to the tree, and not in the hopping manner of the Woodpecker, whom he far surpasses in dexterity of climbing, running along the lower side of the horizontal branches with surprising ease. If any person be near when he alights, he is sure to keep the opposite side of the tree, moving round as he moves, so as to prevent him from getting more than a transient glimpse of him. The best method of outwitting him, if you are alone, is, as soon as he alights and disappears behind the trunk, to take your stand behind an adjoining one, and keep a sharp look-out twenty or thirty feet up the body of the tree he is upon, for he generally mounts very regularly to a considerable height, examining the whole way as he advances. In a minute or two, hearing all still, he will make his appearance on one side or other of the tree, and give you an opportunity of observing him."
The Creeper builds early in spring: it selects, for this purpose, some rent or cleft in a tree, where a branch has been broken off, or where a hole has been chiseled by a woodpecker; Sir William Jardine has recorded a case in which a pair built in a stack of peat dried for fuel, and he thinks that holes in walls are sometimes chosen. The nest is composed of dried grass, moss, fibres of slender roots, and feathers, a large quantity of these materials being sometimes accumulated to fill up a wide rent, so as to form a firm base. Six or eight ash-coloured eggs, marked with dusky reddish spots, are here deposited, on which the female sits very intently, keeping her place during the near presence of an intruder, but watching an opportunity to dart silently away, if his attention is for a moment averted.
The voice of the Creeper is a monotonous cry, not very loud, but frequently and suddenly repeated, especially during its short flights from tree to tree. At the season of incubation the old birds are more than usually noisy. The food on which it subsists consists principally of small beetles, bugs, and flies that habitually conceal themselves in the crevices of bark and similar places: but Wilson mentions having frequently found in its stomach the seeds of the pine tree, as well as a large quantity of gravel. The foot and tail of this species show a beautiful adaptation of structure to peculiarities of habit.
- ↑ Linn. Trans, vol. xv.