308 THE RUFOUS HUMMER. 
their mother. Indeed it was a mystery where she could possibly have found 
anything to eat. This nest was saddled upon a twig a few feet above the 
ground amidst the sheltering branches of a huge cedar, thus protecting the 
young from any direct contact with the rain. 
There is scarcely a conceivable situation, except directly on the ground, 
that these birds will not select for a nesting site. Such odd places have been 
chosen as a knot in a large rope that hung from the rafters of a woodshed; 
and again, amongst the wires of an electric light globe that was suspended in 
the front porch of a 
city residence. It may 
be found fifty feet up . 
in some huge fir in the 
depths of the forest, or 
on the stem of some 
blackberry bush grow- _ 
ing in a city lot. 
Very often they 
form colonies during 
the nesting season, as 
many as twenty nests 
being built in a small 
area. Some large fir 
grove is generally 
chosen for the colony, 
but a most interesting 
one was located on a 
tiny island in Puget 
Sound. This island has 
had most of its large 
timber cut away, and 
Taken near Tacoma. Photo by the Authors. 
NEST OF RUFOUS HUMMER ON FIR BRANCII 
is heavily overgrown with huckleberry, blackberry, and small alders. In the 
center is the colony, the nests placed only a few yards apart on any vine or 
bush that will serve the purpose. Huckleberry bushes seem the favorites, 
but many nests are built in the alders and on the blackberry vines. 
The nesting season is greatly protracted, for fresh eggs may be found 
from April till July. This makes it seem probable that each pair raises at 
least two broods during the spring and summer. After incubation is some- 
what advanced, the female is most courageous, often permitting herself to be 
lifted off the nest before its contents can be examined. At such times the 
bird student must be on his guard, as the little mother will often resent the 
intrusion, and her attack is always made at the eyes. 
