106 THE ''BIRD OF THE MUSICAL WING." 



the flower tube, her plump little form completely 

 filling it ; and there she hung motionless for a 

 few seconds, while I struggled with the tempta- 

 tion to inclose blossom and bird in my hand. If 

 the flower chanced to be an old one, her rough- 

 ness sometimes detached it, when she hastily 

 backed out, protesting indignantly, and looking 

 over to see it fall. 



Atom though the hummer was, hardly more 

 than a pinch of feathers, she was a decided 

 character, with notions and ways of her own. 

 One of her fancies was to open the honey-pots 

 for herself. When she found a bud beginning 

 to unclose, a lobe or two unfolded, she at once 

 took it in hand and vigorously proceeded to aid 

 the process with her needle-like beak, and the 

 instant it was accomplished rushed in to secure 

 her spoils in their first freshness. She never 

 appeared to have patience to wait for anything, 

 and sometimes even tried to hurry up dilatory 

 buds. She did succeed, as such vehemence 

 must, in breaking in the back way, as it were, 

 through a hole in the corolla tube, and rifling 

 the bud before it had a chance to become a 

 blossom. I could not decide positively whether 

 she pierced the tubes, or availed herself of the 

 labors of an oriole I had seen splitting them by 

 inserting his beak and then opening it wide to 

 enlarge the hole. 



