218 A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. 



side of the limb, making it the highest humming- 

 bird's nest I had ever seen. It was attached to a 

 red leaf — to mark the spot, perhaps — one often 

 wonders how a bird can come back twice to the 

 same leaf in a forest. How one little home does 

 make a place habitable ! From a bare silent 

 woods it becomes a dwelling-place. Everything 

 seemed to centre around this little nest, then the 

 only one in the grove ; the tiny pinch of down 

 became the most important thing in the woods. 

 It was the castle which the trees surrounded. 



When I first found the nest it held two white 

 warm eggs about as large as peas, and I became 

 much interested in watching their progress, often 

 riding down to see how they were getting on. 

 The hummer did not return my interest. She 

 was nervous, darting off when Billy shook him- 

 self or when the shadow of a soaring turkey buz- 

 zard fell over the nest ; but in spite of that we 

 made ourselves quite at home before her door. I 

 would dismount and sit on the ground, leaning 

 against a blue gum, while Billy stood by, in a 

 bower of green leaves, with ears pricked forward 

 thoughtfully, and a dreamy look of satisfaction in 

 his eyes. Hummingbirds are such dainty things. 

 Once when this one alighted on the rim of her 

 nest she whirred herself right down inside. Soon 

 she began to act so strangely for a brooding bird 

 that, when she flew, I went to feel in the nest. 

 The tips of my fingers touched what felt like 



