286 THE POPULAR SCIEXCE MONTHLY. 



unable to follow the movement, loses sight of it, until it again returns 

 to tlie flower which at first attracted its attention." 



The ruby-throated, or northern, humming-bird [Trocliilus coluhris^ 

 Linnifius) is so called, says Wood, " on account of the glowing, me- 

 tallic feathers that blaze with ruby lustre upon its throat, and gleam 

 in the sunshine like plumes of living fire. The general color of its 

 upper surface and the two central tail-feathers is light, shining green, 

 glazed with gold. The under parts of the body are grayish-white in- 

 termingled with green ; and the throat is of the most gorgeous ruby 

 carmine " tint, which changes, w^th the change of light, to a fiery crim- 

 son, to a burning orange, or to the deepest velvety black. The Avings 

 and eight tail-feathers are purplish-brown. The throat of the female 

 is white. 



The ruby-throats arrive in Louisiana and Florida in the first part 

 of March, and, gradually proceeding north as tlie weather grows warm, 

 arrive in Pennsylvania in the latter part of April, and in New York and 

 Canada in May. They generally build their nests two or three weeks 

 after their arrival. They usually place them a few feet from the ground, 

 on an almost level branch of some tree, as the white-oak or pear tree, 

 and extend the bottom of the nest round the limb so as to inclose it and 

 appear as a mere mossy knot, or natural enlargement. Audubon says : 

 " The nest of this humming-bird is of the most delicate nature, the ex- 

 ternal parts being formed of a light-gray lichen, found on the branches 

 of trees or on decayed fence-rails, and so neatly arranged round the 

 whole nest, as well as to some distance from the spot where it is attached, 

 as to seem part of the branch or stem itself. These little pieces of 

 lichen are glued together by the saliva of the bird. The next coating- 

 consists of cottony substances, and the innermost, of silky fibres, ob- 

 tained from various plants, all extremely delicate and soft. On this 

 comfortable bed, as if in contradiction to the axiom that the smaller 

 the species the greater the number of eggs, the female lays only two, 

 which are pure white, and almost oval. Ten days are required for 

 their hatching; and the birds raise two broods in a season. In one 

 week the young are ready to fly ; but are fed by the parents for nearly 

 another week. They receive their food directly from the bill of their 

 parents, who disgorge it in the manner of canaries and pigeons." They 

 probably join the young of other broods, and migrate without tlie old 

 ones. They no not receive their full brilliancy till the next spring. 

 When caught in a gauze net they easily die, or simulate death. 



The ruby-throat has sometimes been tamed. Mr. Webber, in his 

 " Wild Scenes and Song Birds," says, after several imsuccessful at- 

 tempts, at last "I succeeded in securing an uninjured captive, which, 

 to my inexpressible delight, proved to be one of the ruby-throated 

 species, the most splendid and diminutive, that comes north of Florida. 

 It immediately suggested itself to me that a mixture of two parts of 

 loaf-sugar, with one of fine honey, in ten of water, would make about 



