Identifier: keytonorthameric00coue (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds -- North America Birds -- Collection and preservation
Publisher: Boston, Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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cumbent scale or operculum, sometimes naked, oftener feathered. In size theHummers average the least of all birds, the giants among them alone reaching a length of 6 or7 inches, the pygmies being under 3 inches; the usual stature is 3 or 4 inches. In a few thecoloration is plain, or even sombre; most have glittering iridescent tints — the most gor-geously brilliant metallic hues known among created things. The sexes are usually unlikein color. The chief anatomical peculiarity is the structure of the tongue, which somewhat resemblesthat of woodpeckers, in being protrusible or capable of being thrust far out of the beak by amuscular mechanism connected with the long horns of the hyoid or tongue-bone, which curveup around the back of the skull. The tongue is in effect a double-barrelled tube, supposed tobe used to suck the sweets of flowers. The character of the sternum and wing-bones has beenalready mentioned. How perfectly the feet are fitted for grasping and perching may be inferred
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TROCHILIDJE — TROCHILINjE : HUMMING-BIRDS. 459 from the fact that, as in Passeres proper, the flexor lougus hallucis is independent of the flexorlongus digituruni, —that is, tlie muscle which bends the hind toe works separately from thatwhich Hexes the other toes collectively. The arrangement of the thigh muscles is the same asin Ci/pselid(C. There is one carotid artery, the left; a nude oil-gland ; no coeca. The pterylosisis characteristic. The food of the Hammers was formerly supposed to be the sweets of flowers. It is nowknown that they are chiefly insectivorous. Their little nests are models of architectural beauty.The eggs are always two in number. The young hatch w^eak and helpless, requiring to be fedby the parents, the Hummers being thus of altricial nature. The voice is not musical. The fiimily is one of the most perfectly cii-cumscribed in ornithology, and one of the largestof its grade. So iuthnately and variously are the genera interrelated that every attempt todivide

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