304. LAND-BIRDS AND GAME-BIRDS 
in all their movements, that it is as difficult to observe them, 
unless stationary or seemingly so, as to follow the course of a 
shooting star. So rapid is the beating of their little pinions, 
that they produce a loud humming whenever flying, and seem 
to be immovable, when pausing before a flower, while the pres- 
ence of their nearly invisible wings is scarcely indicated except 
by the cgnstant buzz and whirr. The Hummingbirds have two 
distinct methods of feeding, easily observable upon studying 
their habits. They may be seen darting from flower to flower, 
and thrusting their long slender bills into the heart of the 
blossoms, not only to procure the honey, but to obtain the 
smaller insects which feed upon it. Of all the various flowers 
which they visit, they show a marked fondness for those which 
are trumpet-shaped, such as belong to the bignonia and honey- 
suckle. They do not frequent the lower and more humble 
kinds, but prefer those which are large and showy, and grow 
on shrubs, bushes, and vines. The taller garden-flowers also 
attract their attention. They are not wholly nectar-fed, as has 
poetically and popularly been supposed to be the case, but are 
chiefly insectivorous. They may be seen perched on some 
twig, from which they shoot into the air, and with great address 
seize the gnats and smaller insects, many of which are invisible 
to the naked human eye. They sometimes perch as if merely 
to rest, the female especially. They never alight upon the 
ground, but they sometimes perch upon weeds, and have been 
known to perish from being caught in the burs of the burdock.® 
They choose for their haunts not only orchards, gardens, and 
groves near them, but also forests, as I have several times 
observed among the White Mountains. It is probable that 
they much more often frequent the woods in civilized districts 
than is commonly supposed. Though they are jealous, and 
6This fact has been communicated to the “Naturalist” by Mr. A. K. Fisher. 
The original discoverer of the dead bird (or rather its remains, a skeleton) ‘found 
alive one ona plant near by.” Mr. Fisher himself found a Yellow Bird (Chryso- 
mitris tristis) thus caught, who “tore itself away, leaving a number of its feathers 
on the burs.” He also found a Yellow-rumped Warbler ‘fastened to the same 
kind of plant.” 
