No. 151 of 248 · The Natural History Series

Hermit Hummingbird

Pictures by John Gould and H. C. Richter

Two hermit hummingbirds in bronze and rust hover at a sprig of bright pink blossoms, from John Gould's great monograph on hummingbirds, drawn with H. C. Richter. Gould used metallic leaf and varnish on his plates so the birds' feathers would catch the light and shimmer. For a bird lover, or anyone who likes a little colour.

Add four of your own photos and your own words; we print the card in the US and post it for you.

On the back

From the great natural-history books of the 1700s to the 1900s / Hermit Hummingbird / Glaucis affinis, as Gould named it / Hermits are hummingbirds of the shady forest floor, / dressed in bronze and rust rather than glitter. Each flies / a regular round of flowers, like a trapper along a trapline. / A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Humming-Birds, 1849-61 / John Gould's hummingbirds, drawn with H. C. Richter; / Gould used metallic leaf and varnish to catch their shimmer.

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