THE # OOLOGIST,^ 



YOL. vn. 



ALBION N. Y, NOV, 1890. 



No. 11 



Faries in a Fary land. 



THE RUBY-THKOATED HUMMINGBIRD. 



Ill the eastera U. S., there is, per- 

 haps, no bird Avhich is so generally 

 admired by all and l)ears such an un- 

 mistakable identity as the Ruby-throat- 

 ed Hummiugbird. Common through- 

 out its range, it is always a welcome 

 wonder of untiring beauty in the sight 

 of man, Aisitiug the gardens and even 

 entering the houses to sip a tiny drop 

 from the gayest tiowers. And yet, its 

 minute size and lightening-like tiight 

 render it difficult to get acquainted 

 with. 



Of a family of several Jiuudred 

 species, (all American) the Ruby-throat 

 is the only one known to occur east of 

 the Mississippi River. It is our small- 

 est and fairy of birds, while in the 

 Tropics there are even smaller Hum- 

 mers, and others, whose spread of 

 wing equals that of the Robin. Others 

 still, have bills longer than their bodies, 

 others with bills curved into a quarter 

 circle, and many with puffs and frills, 

 and long streaming tail feathers. All 

 wear gorgeous colors, and while many 

 ai*e adorned in various shades of the 

 most brilliant and iridescent hues, 

 which dazzle the e3'e, ours is one of the 

 plainest, but prettiest. 



Though not tame, the Ruby-throat is 

 little suspecting of danger, and will 

 sometimes take honey from flowers 

 held in the hand. Why should they be 

 wild, when they have no enemies, ex- 

 cept now and then a cruel cat (which 

 has learned to hide 'mongst the flowers 

 in the garden to catch them) and man? 



This little creature is well deserving 

 of attention, for no species of the feath- 

 ered tribe furnishes a better or more 

 interesting field for study and observa- 

 tion. 



^^'atch it as it goes about, moving 

 with jerks from flower to flower, al- 

 ways flying when it takes its food, and 

 always humming too. 



One would think so small and gay a 

 bird knew no care but joy, Ijut follow 

 the collector into the woods and see 

 how these tiny beings are left without 

 houses, for the sake of knowledge. 



A few yeai-s ago, the eggs of this, the 

 commonest of the Hummingbirds, were 

 known only to a favored few, but, 

 through study and investigation, they 

 are now in the reach of amateur. It 

 was only in 1886 that I could not buy a 

 nest (which was accidentally found) for 

 five dollars. Now, I would be glad to 

 realize the one-tenth that. 



It was in this same year that I saved 

 my $5.00 by flnding one myself. In 

 passing along the road I had seen the 

 female busily engaged among the blue- 

 grass tops in a woods pasture. She 

 would fly away and return, but any 

 efforts to learn her mission or discover 

 her nest were futile. Just one week 

 later, I rambled through the woods, 

 when lo, I heard her fly from overhead. 

 I stood as still as a statue for some fif- 

 teen minutes. Presently she returned 

 and after reconnoitering awhile, to my 

 great delight, she went to her nest. I 

 watched her till my neck was sore and 

 then hurried home to tell the news. 

 Next day, accompanied by my father, I 

 returned with collecting can, a long 

 ladder and ropes for guys. The ladder 

 was up-ended imder the nest. With 

 one guy tied to a tree and the other 

 held by my father, I ascended to "the 

 prettiest of them all," and was over- 

 joyed to find two fine eggs in it. I now 

 understand her errand in the bluegrass. 

 She Vv-as gathering spider webs which 

 served as nails in her house to fasten 

 it together. 



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