388 MICHIGAN P.IK1) IJFE. 



usually at some little distance from the trunk of the tree, conuuonly saddling 

 the nest on a branch an inch in diameter or less. Occasionally it is 

 placed in a small fork, and more rarely still in one of the main forks of 

 a large tree. It is built of various soft fibers, mainly or entirely vegetable, 

 among others the down from various kinds of ferns, the milkweed down, 

 and the silky filaments from different kinds of willows and poplars. These 

 are held together largely by spider's silk, and the whole structure averages 

 about one and one-half inches in diameter outside and a little less in depth. 

 Internally the cup is about an inch across and a little more than half an inch 

 deep. The eggs are invariably two, pure white, with a polish, nearly 

 elliptical in shape, and average .50 by .31 inches. They are laid, in this lat- 

 itude, in June, the date varying somewhat with the season and locality. 

 There is some reason to believe that a second brood is reared in August, but 

 we have no positive evidence in support of this, except that Mr. B. H. Swales 

 found two fresh eggs in the vicinity of Detroit, July 15, 1896, and the late 

 R. B. Westnedge found two eggs far advanced in incubation, July 26, 1891, 

 at Kalamazoo. The earliest record, furnished by the same collector, is of 

 two fresh eggs taken June 3, 1892 in Kalamazoo county, and his notes refer 

 to other nests as follows: Fresh eggs June 16 and June 23, 1888, June 10, 

 13 and 15, 1891. At Plymouth, Wayne county, J. B. Purdy found nests 

 on June 11 and June 18, 1904. 



The parent often betrays the location of the nest by diving at the passerby, 

 swooping back and forth past his head like an angry bumblebee. While 

 this action does not invariably indicate the proximity of a nest this is usually 

 the case. 



Probably the Hummingbird is not particularly valuable on account 

 of any service rendered the agriculturist, but it is known to aid in the 

 cross-pollination of flowers, and it probably at the same time distributes 

 some plant diseases, as has been shown to be the case with pear-blight. 

 When visiting flowers with deep tubular corollas, like those of the trumpet 

 creeper (Bignonia), it frequently pierces the corolla near the base, thus 

 reaching the nectar without being compelled to enter the corolla bodily. 



Its ordinary note is a high-pitched, insect-like chirp repeated many times 

 in succession, especially when two birds are chasing each other and when 

 two males give battle, as they frequently do. 



Although commonly supposed to be very sensitive to cold, and individuals 

 are sometimes found apparently benuml)ed and unable to fly on very cool 

 mornings, yet the bird seems to be in no hurry to move southward in the 

 fall, remaining always until after the first of September, and not infrequently 

 until the very end of the month. In fact, Octol)er records are not paiticu- 

 larly rare; Major Boies records seeing one in October on Neebish Island, 

 in the St. Mary's River, and Swales found several near Detroit on October 

 2, 1893. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Upper ])art,s uniform metallic bras.sy green, as are also tiie sides and flanks; 

 entire cliin and throat rich metallic ruby-red endinji shar|)ly against the grayish white breast, 

 wiiicli darkens to dull gray on Ix'lly and under tail-coverts; wings purplish brown above; 

 tail similar but blacker, forked; l)ill black; iris dark brown. 



Adult female: Similar above to male, but duller green on head; throat grayisli, without 

 trace of metallic coloring; rest of under parts dull whitish; tail double-rounded, not forked, 

 tlie middle pair of feathers entirely green, the rest green at base with a broad sul)-terminal 

 l)lack bar, the three outer pairs tipped with white. Immature birds resemble the adult 

 female, but sex is indicated by shape of tail. 



Length 3.25 to 3.85 inches; wing 1.60 to 1.80; tail 1.20 to 1.25. 



