254 Birds of Colorado 



to 10,000 feet (Lowe), Steamboat Springs (Warren), Breckenridge 

 (Carter), Buzzard Creek, Mesa cc, at 8,000 feet (Rockwell), San Juan co. 

 (Drew), and the head-waters of the La Plata (Coues, 78). 



Habits. — This Humming-bird is very common, and 

 universally distributed over the mountain sides and 

 throughout the valleys ; it congregates everywhere 

 where there are flowers, from which it not only gets the 

 nectar, but also the insects attracted to the flowers. 

 It is also an expert insect-catcher, perching on a dead 

 limb and making sharp excursions after passing insects. 

 It has a sharp, quick note, uttered when angry or alarmed. 

 During early summer it mounts straight up into the 

 air, poising itself there for a few moments and then 

 descending again, and repeating this manoeuvre several 

 times. When flying a rattling, buzzing sound is -pro- 

 duced by the vibration of the wings, quite different 

 from the gentle hum of the eastern Ruby -throat. 



The nest of the Broad-tailed Humming-bird is generally 

 placed low down in a willow or alder bush overhanging 

 a stream ; though sometimes it is saddled on a horizontal 

 bough of a pine or fir ; but it is seldom more than fifteen 

 feet from the ground, generally a good deal lower. It is 

 an exquisite little structure, built up of the cottony 

 down of willows and cotton-woods, and has no feather 

 lining. The outside is covered with lichen, leaves or 

 shreds of bark, secured with spider or cocoon silk. A 

 large nest taken by W, G. Smith at Pinewood, June 

 23rd, measured 2 x If inches outside, while the cup 

 was 1 X |. The eggs are two or very rarely three in 

 number, white in colour, and average '50 x "33. 



According to Gale fresh eggs may be found in the 

 foothills as early as May 6th, at 8,500 feet by June 10th, 

 and at 10,000 feet on July 10th. Some observers 

 state that two or three broods are raised at 



