THE HUMMING FAMILY 147 
Hummingbirds are never so afraid of people 
as other birds. They are easily tamed. But 
they should never be caged, for they will not 
live long ina house. They need food that we 
cannot give them. 
A man had a hummingbird whom he kept 
alive a long time by letting him go free when he 
seemed to need change of food. He would fly 
off, but always came back. After the bird got 
to be very tame, the man brought two young 
hummingbirds and put them in the cage with 
him. He did not notice them much till they 
began to droop. Then the man opened the 
door to let them out. 
At once the elder bird took the little ones in 
charge, and coaxed them to fly out with him. He 
led them to a place where he had found the tiny 
spiders these birds like, and showed them how to 
get what they wanted. They all ate their fill 
and then came back to the house, where they 
were well contented to be. 
The way the mother hummingbird feeds her 
babies is curious. When she comes with food, 
she alights on the edge of the nest, and pulls a 
little one up so that she can get at it. Then she 
runs her long, slim bill down its throat, and 
pokes the food in with little jerks. It looks as 
if it would kill the youngster, but he seems to 
