296 CITIZEN BIRD 



The Ruby-throated Hummingbird 



Length less than four inches. 



]\Iale : shining goldeii-green above, with dark purplish wings and 

 tail, the latter forked; glittering ruby-red throat; other under 

 parts grayish, with some white on the breast and greenish on the 

 sides. 



Female : lacks the ruby throat, and has the tail not forked, but 

 some of its feathers white-tipped. 



A Summer Citizen of the eastern United States from Florida to 

 Canada. 



Though songless, a jew^el of a bird, belonging to the guild of 

 Tree Trappers. Nest a tiny round cup of moss and plaut-down 

 stuccoed with lichens ; eggs only tw^o, white. 



THE CHIMNEY SWIFT 



" Now, wouldn't you like to see the big cliimney ? " 

 asked Joe. '' The birds go in and out a good deal this 

 time o' day. It's across the road there, where the old 

 house used to be. The house is all gone, but the chim- 

 ney is as strong as ever — I can climb up top and look 

 down at the nests inside. See ! there it is now ! " 

 Looking over the fence, they saw a tall stack of worn 

 gray stones, that looked more like a tower than a chim- 

 ney. Small blackish birds kept streaming from the 

 top, circling high in the air and darting down again, 

 all twittering as they dropped one after another out 

 of sight, inside the Aveather-beaten pile. 



"Look, children!" said the Doctor. "These are Chim- 

 ney Swifts, usually called Chimney Swallows ; and their 

 color is like soot, to match the places they live in." 



" Aren't they any relations of Swallows ? " asked Rap. 



" No, my boy ; the}^ look like Swallows, but as I think 



