A PET HUMMING-BIRD. 97 
CHAPTER XE. 
A PET HUMMING-BIRD. 
HUMMING-BIRD mothers are very tender of their 
young and will seldom go out of sight of them. We 
have ourselves picked the mother from the nest and let 
her go, when she would immediately return to it. 
If you see a humming-bird sitting on a twig napping, 
just clasp your hands behind you and go straight up to 
the bird. You can almost touch it with your face, but 
if you put out your hand the bird will dart away. A 
hummer will alight on the flowers you may be carry- 
ing, if you remain perfectly still. These birds seem 
to notice movement more than form. 
Humming-birds, like many others, do not seem to 
notice a person if he is going toward them in a straight 
line. It is “sidewise” movement that frightens them. 
We have known a humming-bird to “play ’possum,”’ 
though we are told, by some one who ought to know, 
that it was really frightened almost to death. 
This bird had come in at an open window for some 
flowers left on the sill. On leaving the room, by some 
mistake it flew up to the ceiling instead of going out 
at the window. The ceiling was high, so we took a 
long broom and chased the bird, catching it on the 
wisp end and bringing it down. It did not stir, 
though we were sure we had not hurt it. We took it 
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