30 THE HILL-STAR HUMMING-BIRD. 



then comes the wax-pahn, its leaves 

 coated with a substance like wax. 



Lower still is the grotesque orchis, the 

 pine -apple, the fern, the laurel, and the 

 fragrant myrtle. 



As you descend, the colours deepen in 

 richness, and the climate becomes more 

 and more tropical, until, at length, you 

 find yourself among the rich foliage and 

 gorgeous flowers of the Torrid Zone. 

 Thus a succession of pictures are pre- 

 sented by the hand of Nature. 



The Humming-Bird feeds on the Al- 

 pine plants, and makes his nest of moss 

 and lichen, and fastens it under the ledge 

 of a rock. Here the mother bird lays two 

 tiny eggs, from which the young Hum- 

 ming-Birds will issue. 



