The ancient Egyptians never saw one. Neither did the Assyrians nor the Chinese nor the Greeks nor the Romans. In fact, until 1492, only the aboriginal peoples of the Americas ever had the pleasure of watching these tiny, long beaked bits of scintillating color stunt flying as they flitted from flower to flower in search of nectar. Of the more than 320 species of hummingbirds, not one is found outside the New World and most are confined to the American tropics. Nearly half, or 158 species, can be seen in Mexico, though only 12 of them live here year round. The others are merely passing through on their long yearly migrations.