146 THE MALE RUBY-THROAT. 
five minutes together! What was he doing? 
At first, in spite of his sex, it was hard not 
to believe that his nest was in the tree; and 
to satisfy himself, my companion “shinned ”’ 
it, schoolboy fashion, —a. frightful piece of 
work, which put me out of breath even to 
look at it, — while I surveyed the branches 
from all sides through an opera-glass. All 
was without avail. Nothing was to be seen, 
and it was as good as certain, the branches 
being well separated and easily overlooked, 
that there was nothing there. 
Four. days later I set out alone, to try 
my luck with the riddle. As I entered the 
clearing, the hummer was seen at his post, 
and my suspicions fastened upon a small 
wild apple-tree, perhaps twenty rods distant. 
I went to examine it, and presently the bird 
followed me. He perched in its top, but 
seemed not to be jealous of my proximity, 
and soon returned to his customary position ; 
but when I came back to the apple-tree, 
after a visit to a clump of oaks at the top 
of the hill, he again came over. I could 
find no sign of a nest, however, nor did the 
female show herself, as she pretty confidently 
might have been expected to do had her nest 
