E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Hum’a (The).
A fabulous Oriental bird which never alights, but is always on the wing. It is said that every head which it overshadows will wear a crown (Richardson). The spléndid little bird suspended over the throne of Tippoo Saib at Seringapatam represented this poetical fancy.
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In the first chapter of the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table a certain popular lecturer is made to describe himself. in allusion to his many wanderings, to this bird: “Yes, I am like the Huma, the bird that never lights; being always in the cars, as the Huma is always on the wing.”
