394 llll-: l'.L.\eK-Clll.\.\i:i) lir.MMlXClUKD. 



\\ liilc moif tliaii five liiiiulrcd s|jecies of Huinmiiigbinls — and these all 

 coiifuied to the New World — are known to science, those wiiich have looke<i 

 northward at all have shown a decided preference for the Pacific Coast. Thus, 

 we have four species in Washington, and we sen<l our l>oldest member, Sclas- 

 f<lit>nis riifiis. as far north as the St. h'lias range in Alaska, while our friends 

 east of the Mississipjji River know only one species, the Ruhy-throat, Tro- 

 chiliis ci'liibris, wliich is own cousin, and only own cousin to our 7'. alc.vaudri. 



Contrary to the ])oi)ular belief Hummers do not feed largely u\nm nectar, 

 but insert their needle-bills into the depths of Howers mainly for the jHiriKase of 

 capturing insects. This explains the otherwise puzzling habit the birds have of 

 revisiting the same (lower beds at frequent intervals. It is not to gather new- 

 llowing sweets, but to see what flics the sweets themselves have gathered. If 

 a Hummingbird extracted honey to any great extent — it docs some — it would 

 be rifling the bait from its own tra])s. Again, the bird is not footless, as 

 some supi)ose. for it si)ends a good <leal of time perching on exi)osed limbs, 

 from which it may dart. Flycatcher fashion, after passing insects. 



Xor is the bird quite songless. At La Claire's, on the banks of the 

 Pend d' Oreille River, we once witnesse<l a very j)retty episode in the life of 

 the Black-chinned Hummer. W'e were passing lieside a brush-aiul-log fence 

 in a clearing, when we noticed the rocking song-flight of a male Black-chin 

 The bird hrst towered to a height of forty feel, or such a matter, with loudly 

 buzzing wing, then descended noisily in a great looj). passing under a certain 

 proiecting branch in the fence, and emitting along the lower segment of his 

 great semicircle a low, musical, murmuring sound of considerable Ijeauty. 

 This note, inasmuch as we stood near one end of the fairy lover's course, was 

 raised in pitch a nuisical third upon each return journey. Back and forth the 

 ardent hero passed, until he tired at length and darted off to tap a Canada 

 lilv for nourishment, or the pretense of it. Then he perched on a twig at 

 ten feet and submitted to a most admiring inspection. 



The Hummer's back, well uj) on the neck, was of a dull green shade, the 

 wings were dusky, and the head <lusky, shading into the deep velvety brownish 

 black of the throat. There was no lu.strous sheen of the gorget in the dull 

 light, but on each side of the mc<lian line of the throat lay an irregular patch 

 of metallic orange. The underparts were tinged with dusky and dull rufous: 

 and these modest vestments comjileted the attire of a plain-colored but very 

 dainty bird. 



l'|)on the |)assionate resumption of his courting dance we ordered an 

 investigation, and succeede<l in finding "the woman in the case." She rose 

 timidly from the thicket at the very lowest point of the male's song circuit, 

 but at sight of us quickly took to the brush again. 



The fairv's nest is commonly saddled to an obliquely descending branch of 

 willow, aWler, cottonwood, or young orchard tree. It is a tiny tuft of vcge- 



