394 THE BLACK-CHIN X ED HUMMINGBIRD. 



While more than fi\f luimlretl species of Huniniingbirds — and these all 

 confined to the New World — are known to science, those which have looked 

 northward at all have shown a decided preference for the Pacific Coast. Thus, 

 we have four species in Washington, and we send our boldest member, Sclas- 

 phorus nifiis, as far north as the St. Elias range in Alaska, while our frienils 

 east of the Mississippi River know only one species, the Ruby-throat, Tro- 

 cliilus cohihris. which is own cousin, and only own cousin to our T. alc.vaiiilri. 



Contrary to the popular belief Hummers do not feed largely upon nectar, 

 but insert their needle-bills into the depths of flowers mainly for the purpose of 

 capturing insects. This explains the otherwise puzzling habit the birds have of 

 revisiting the same flower beds at frecjuent intervals. It is not to gather new- 

 flowing sweets, but to see what flies the sweets themselves have gathered. If 

 a Hummingbird extracted honey to any great extent — it d(5es some — it would 

 be rifling the bait from its own traps. Again, the bird is not footless, as 

 some suppose, for it spends a good deal of time perching on exposed limbs, 

 from which it may dart. Flycatcher fasliion, after passing insects. 



Nor is the bird cjuite songless. At La Claire's, on the banks of the 

 Pend d' Oreille River, we once witnessed a very pretty episode in the life of 

 the Black-chinned Hummer. We were passing beside a brush-and-log fence 

 in a clearing, when we noticed the rocking song-flight of a male Black-chin. 

 The bird first towered to a height of forty feet, or such a matter, with loudly 

 buzzing wing, then descended noisily in a great loop, passing under a certain 

 projecting branch in the fence, and emitting along the lower segment of his 

 great semicircle a low, musical, murmuring sound of considerable beauty. 

 This note, inasmuch as we stood near one end of the fairy Io\'er's course, was 

 raised in pitch a musical third upon each return journey. Back and forth the 

 ardent hero passed, until he tired at length and darted ofi^ to tap a Canada 

 lily for nourishment, or the pretense of it. Then he perched on a twig at 

 ten feet and submitted to a most admiring inspection. 



The Hummer's back, well up on the neck, was of a dull green shade, the 

 wings were dusky, and the head dusky, shading into the deep velvety brownish 

 black of the throat. There was no lustrous sheen of the gorget in the dull 

 light, but on each side of the median line of the throat lay an irregular patch 

 of metallic orange. The underparts were tinged with dusky and dull rufous; 

 and these modest vestments completed the attire of a plain-colored but very 

 dainty bird. 



LTpr)n the passionate resumption of his courting dance we ordered an 

 investigation, and succeeded in finding "the woman in the case." She rose 

 timidly from the thicket at the very lowest point of the male's song circuit, 

 but at sight of us cjuickly took to the brush again. 



The fairj^'s nest is commonly saddled to an obliquely descending branch of 

 willow, alder, cottonwood, or young orchard tree. It is a tiny tuft of vege- 



