A Pleasant Acquaintance with a Hummingbird 



BY C. F. HODGE 



Clark L'niversity, Worcester, Mass. 



'N the Nature Study course of the Summer School, a little time 

 was devoted to the honey bee, life of the hive, care and 

 management, and especially th^ work of bees in cross- 

 pollination of flowers and fruits. The closing "laboratory 

 exercise" in the subject consisted in a honey spread, the 

 honey being removed from the glass hive in the window 

 of the laboratory, in the presence of the class, and dis- 

 tributed with hot biscuits and butter, cream and fresh milk. The 

 spread was pronounced the most enjoyable "laboratory work" ever 

 done by members of the class, but to crown the event in the most 

 exquisite w^ay possible, a Hummingbird flew into an open window, 

 and darting, unafraid, in and out among the noisy groups of fifty 

 or more busy people, it rifled the various flowers with which the 

 laboratory was decorated. In closing the windows for the night it 

 was accidentally imprisoned, and on visiting the room next morning 

 (Sunday), I found it still humming about the flowers. Thinking 

 that it might be a female, with nestlings awaiting its return, I gently 

 placed an insect net over it with the intention of passing it out of 

 the window. It proved, however, on closer inspection, to be a young 

 male, .so I thought it could do no harm to keep it a day or two 

 for aquaintance sake. No sooner was m}' finger, with a drop of 

 honey on it, brought within reach, than it thrust its bill and long 

 tongue out through the net and licked up the honey with evident 

 delight. Releasing it from the net, I dropped honey into a number 

 of the flowers, sprinkling water over them at the same time, and it 

 immediately began feasting and drinking. As it flew about it 

 taught me its bright little chirp, evidently a note of delight and 

 satisfaction. When I visited the laboratory again at noon, I took 

 in my hand a few heads of red clover and a nasturtium with its 

 horn filled with honey. On giving the chirp a few times, it flew 

 straight to the flowers in my hand, probed each clover tube, drank 

 its fill from the nasturtium, and, perching contentedly on my finger, 

 wiped its bill, preened its feathers, spread out its tail, scratched its 

 head, and for the space of a minute or two looked me over and 

 made himself the most delightful of tiny friends. The next time I 

 entered the room, about two hours later, he flew to the door to 

 meet me, and this time I took him home, the better to care for 

 him during the afternoon and evening. In the course of the afternoon 

 about a dozen friends called. Each one was provided with a nas- 



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