THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD 
THE restless activity and general appearance of the Humming- 
bird make one almost hesitate to believe that it is really a bird 
and not a brilliant tropical insect. It possesses no song; few 
people see it except on the wing, and its nest is so rarely found 
that to most people the bird is merely a sudden apparition, seen 
hovering over a flower, its ruby throat sparkling in the sun. When 
the Humming-bird’s nest is discovered, it turns out to be a struc 
ture as delicate and rare as its little architect. It is often fixed 
on a lichen-covered twig, frequently in orchards, but as often on 
tall forest trees. To the outside of the nest, bits of gray lichen 
are fastened, so that at a distance the nest is mistaken for a knob 
of the twig itself. The eggs are always two, ridiculously small, 
like pea beans. 
The Humming-bird is not a good father. He neglects all the 
domestic duties, being rarely seen near the nest after it is com- 
pleted. The female brings up the two young birds unaided, feeding 
them by thrusting her long bill into their gaping mouths and 
pumping food into their throats. The process has been described 
as “a frightful-looking act.” The food thus administered to the 
young consists, probably, of soft-bodied insects, for when Humming- 
birds visit flowers, it is not only to gather honey, but also to capture 
the smaller honey-gatherers. 
Many charming stories have been told of the fearlessness of 
the Humming-bird. It had often been observed that birds fed from 
flowers held in the hand, but it remained for Mrs. Soule to make 
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