I02 The Ottawa Naturalist. [July 



I once saw two males g-o through a curious performance. 

 They were feeding at a trumpet creeper growings on a fence, one 

 on each side, and, when they rose to where they could see each 

 other, they flew together and, without touching, rose perpendicu- 

 larly about 12 feet, facing each other all the time, then separating 

 came down ; but, if they were in mutual view when they reached 

 their feeding flower, up they went again, and sometimes for three 

 or four flights in succession. This performance was repeated 

 several times, but without apparent object. I guessed that it was 

 a game of bluff" on each side, but the other fellow wouldn't be 

 scared. 



Dr. Bendire quotes from Mr. Otto Widmann, of Old Orchard, 

 Missouri, relating a still more curious play. Mr. Widmann says : 



** A peculiarity of the Ruby-throat which I have only once seen 

 mentioned in print, is the pendulum play of the male Hummer. In 

 time, it coincides with the period of sexual excitement ; it begins 

 here about May 12th, with the arrival of the bulk of the females, 

 and lasts until incubation has commenced. In this play the bird is 

 swinging to and fro, as if suspended from a fixed point. It describes 

 one-fourth of a circle and travels about a rod. This movement is 

 continued a dozen times, the bird emitting chirps all the time." 



With Dr. Fletcher I witnessed this action on the Ottawa Ex- 

 perimental Farm in May, 1901, when we saw the bird pass 

 through an arc of about 12 yards, and looked for the female near 

 by, but without success. 



In the Ornithologist and Oologist for May, 1882, Mrs. C. M. 

 Crowell, Hay wards, Cal., describes the habits of a pair which she 

 raised from the nest by feeding- on syrup only, though she says 

 they would frequently pursue and capture a house fly and doubtless 

 they ate a small number of other insects ; they lived for nearly 

 four months. 



The feeding habits of the young birds are peculiar, resembling- 



to a certain extent those of the pig-eons, the bill of the old bird 



being inserted deep into the throat of the young. But, while this 



would lead us to infer that the young are fed with a semi-digested 



food, we have the testimony of one observer that he took a number 



of small spiders from the throat of a young bird whose contents he 

 investigated. 



