L'HE UOLUtrlSl 



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Mrs. ladifro, although of uot so 

 "loud"' a color has none thn less sweet- 

 er voice. UnassuiiiiQ^, iu a plaiu grey 

 gown she sits in content on her tieas- 

 ures while her bright husband sings her 

 praise fi;om the top of some twig or 

 from the telegraph wire, aud right well 

 does he champion her. 



The little nest belovv him is a marvel 

 of comfort and beauty- Some call it a 

 rough structure but surely that neatly 

 rouoded interior covered with selected 

 leaves, little bits of corn husks, vege- 

 table libre and the like can not be called 

 unhandsome. 



If you like call it rustic, but uoi 

 I'ough for rustic it is aud that very lus- 

 ticitj' is an added grace to its lovely 

 builders. For how well it suits their 

 taste and mode of Jiviug. Does it not 

 show to the greate.-t advantage those 

 delicately pale blue eggs w^hich it shel- 

 ters? Does it not form the warmest of 

 cosy places for the little children soon 

 to emanate from those delicate shells. 



Truly are we blessed with these 

 creatures and surroundings which man 

 calls "Nature;" the abiding place of life, 

 that which no man can or will under- 

 stand until guided by the Hand in a 

 world more fair and lovely to behold. 

 Otto Grady, 

 Ludlow, Ky. 



A Ne.st of the Rtiby-throated Hum- 

 mingbird. 



It may be of some interest to readers 

 of the OoLOGiST to listen to a little 

 pleasant experience of mine in I'egard 

 to the Hummingbird. To some it may 

 recall similar experiences, (<f which I 

 should be greatly pleased to hear, for I 

 think that the Hummingbird is one of 

 the most interesting types of North 

 American birds. This which I am 

 about to relate happened years ago, 

 but it has remained as fresh in my 

 memory as though it had happened but 

 yesterday, while my experience with 



other birds can only be recalled by re- 

 curring to the collection then made. 

 It Avas in this wise: 



One mild day, as was my custom, I 

 was strolling absentmiudedly through 

 a small wood not far from my home, 

 meditating on its varied beauties; I 

 aroused myself and my latent imagina- 

 tion and listened with delight to the 

 njauy feathered songsters overhead 

 while a casual glance to the ground re- 

 vealed the magniticent varieties of the 

 glorious plant kingdom to my enrap- 

 tured gaze. 



Suddenly a whirr and buzz above my 

 head caused me to look aloft, when, lo, 

 less than four feet overhead I beheld a 

 wee little nest, the outside of which 

 was c(mipletely covered with lichens so 

 :is to-be barely distinguishable from the 

 bough of oak to which it was attached 

 and a pretty Hummingbird sitting 

 thereon contentedly, while its mate, 

 whose Hight had attracted my atten- 

 tion, described various circles and 

 elipses, with sundry darts and reces- 

 sions, seemingly in perfect enjoyment 

 of the fact of its existence. 



I stood spell-bound, for this was the 

 first glimpse I had had of this feathered 

 "insect," as it was called oy the old 

 conquerors of Mexico, in its home. I 

 may also mention incidentally that the 

 bird is not so very common in this part 

 of the state, therefore my interest was 

 twoifold: first the nest and second the 

 bird itself, which I had neyer before 

 seen at so close a distance. 



One of my first thoughts was that I 

 determined to possess myself of their 

 eggs, provided they were not in a too 

 advanced state of incubation. The 

 nest was uot very far above the ground 

 but still too high to be reached without 

 the aid of a ladder, so I was compelled 

 to go home and procure one. This oc- 

 cupied but very little time and when I 

 returned I beheld the unusual spectacle 

 of both birds resting, one on the nest 

 and the other on a neighboring twig. 

 I raised my ladder and ascended to the 



