510 Short Commtinicaiions : — 



Lower Canada. I should, however, except the snow bunting, 

 or snow flake (Emberiza nivalis). This hardy little fellow is 

 said to build in Greenland ; and is found not only upon the 

 hoary mountains of Spitzbergen, and upon the inhospitable 

 shores of Hudson^s Bay, but in the highest northern latitudes 

 that our navigators have reached. It feeds on the ground ; 

 and, from having the long claw of the lark (^lauda arvensis), 

 and not perching in trees [see VI. 486.], has frequently been 

 mistaken for a white variety of that bird. 



The immense flights of the passenger pigeons that pass 

 over here must be seen to be credited. We are, however, all 

 famihar with Wilson's and Audubon's descriptions of them. 

 They seem to migrate with a south-west wind. 



The martins (-&irundo urbica) arrive hereabout the middle 

 of March ; and are soon followed by another and larger spe- 

 cies, called here the black martin. This I take to be the 

 H. melba. The inhabitants prepare small houses for them ; 

 and they take possession of them as soon as they arrive. 



The only humming-bird here or in the States is the red- 

 throated species ( Ti'ochilus Colubris). They come about the 

 end of April, and depart the latest of the summer birds. 

 During the hot weather, they are seldom much about in the 

 middle of the day. From the early part of June to near the 

 end of August, they retire into the most impenetrable parts of 

 the woods, where they breed ; and are never seen, except in 

 the morning and evening. One reason of this absence during 

 the day appears to be, that, while the sun is shining hot upon 

 the flowers, very little honey is secreted : and, as their food 

 chiefly consists of honey [see I. 371., V. 473. 475. 675.], they 

 cannot obtain it ; but, when the weather is moist and cloudy, 

 they may then be seen busily engaged in extracting their food 

 from the flowers. I have seen as many as eight or ten hum- 

 ming and hovering round the blossoms of the scarlet runners. 

 The young ones fly about the first week in August ; and, 

 from that time until the middle of September, they perch in 

 the sticks [placed to support the stems and branches] of the 

 above plants. Here they will remain for hours, being fed by 

 the old birds ; whose affection for them is so great, that they 

 will not allow any bird to come near them. The male of this 

 species of humming-bird does not assume its full plumage 

 until the spring ; the female is a beautiful bird, but greatly 

 inferior in splendour to the male. By remaining quite still 

 near a flower they frequent, they will come within a yard of 

 you. A friend of mine, on whose fidelity and accuracy I can 

 depend, witnessed the following scene ; which I relate in illus- 

 tration of the pugnacious habits of these birds ; — There is, 



