RUBYTHROAT 197 



been Rubythroat's deligbt to perch on one's fingers to 

 preen his feathers. Humming birds are very easy to 

 tame. Ahnost as soon as they have been fed they lose 

 all fear, recognizing that only a friend would furnish them 

 such wonderful nectar aa sugar sirup. This is best made 

 by diluting sugar with ten or twelve times its bulk of water. 

 All that is necessary is to put it in a cup and allow the bird 

 to get a taste of it by carefully placing his bill in the sirup. 

 He drinks greedily, if hungry, often plunging his bill and 

 head in the sirup up to his eyes. 



The Rufous humming bird is about as large as the 

 Rubythroat. It is he that is found in Southern Alaska. 

 I have never been in this region, but I have seen these 

 birds in the vicinity of Bellingham, Washington, and 

 Portland, Oregon. We have some fourteen varieties of 

 humming birds in California and the Southwest. As be- 

 fore stated the members of the family are easily recognized 

 by their small size and by the humming of their wings, 

 even tho one should not catch them and examine the 

 partly tubular tongue and the long pointed bill. Tho 

 the humming bird appears to be very slender, if one should 

 pick off all his feathers he would be surprized to find what 

 a plump muscular little fellow he is. The breast is espe- 

 cially plump and well developed. 



Key to the Families of Macrochires 



TsoCHlLiD^ — Humming birds. 



With the bill long and slender, the gape narrow, and wing with only 6 

 secondaries. 



M1CROPODID.5: — Swifts. 



Birds of firm plumage, with bill short and broad, gape wide, secon- 

 daries more than 6, and with the claw of middle toe without a comb' 

 like edge. 



CAPRiMULGiDiE — Goatsuckcrs. 



Birds of 3oft plumage, with middle toe decidedly longer than the 



