LONG-TAILED HUMMING-BIRD. 117 



moisture. He grew so bold, and so frequent in 

 his visits, as at length to become almost annoying ; 

 and so pertinacious as to thrust his protruded 

 tongue into all parts of my mouth, searching between 

 the gum and cheek, beneath the tongue, &c. Oc- 

 casionally, I gratified him by taking into my mouth 

 a little of the syrup, and inviting him by a slight 

 sound, which he learned to understand; and this 

 appeared to please his palate. Bouquets of fresh 

 flowers they did not appear much to regard ; but 

 one or two species of Lantana seemed more at- 

 tractive than the rest. I expected that the honey- 

 ed and fragrant bunches of blossom of the Mo- 

 ring a, which on the tree is perpetually visited by 

 them, would tempt my captives, but after a brief 

 trial, they disregarded them. Perhaps it was be- 

 cause they could sate their appetite more freely 

 and fully at the syrup glass, which they frequently 

 visited, but only sipped. They always clung to 

 the glass with their feet, and very often to the 

 flowers also. Each selected his own places of 

 perching; there were lines stretched across the 

 room, for drying bird-skins ; and from the first 

 each took a place on one of the lines, distant 

 from the other, where he then invariably roosted, 

 and rested. Each selected also one or two other 

 stations for temporary alighting, but each adhered 

 to his own, without invading his neighbour's. So 

 strong was this predilection, that on my driving 

 one away from his spot, he would flutter round 

 the room, but return and try to alight there again, 

 and if still prevented, would hover round the place. 



