THE MANGO HUMMING-BIRD. 43 



the brilliant blue which so often makes 

 part of the costume of the Humming- 

 Bird. 



The upper part of the body is the 

 usual golden-green. The tail-feathers are 

 rounded at the tip, and are violet or purple, 

 according to the light in which you see 

 them. 



A female Humming-Bird was once sit- 

 ting in her nest, when a young man who 

 was passing saw her. He contrived to 

 cut off the branch with the nest and the 

 bird together, and to bring them away. 

 A few days after, he sailed for England, 

 and during the passage he fed the bird 

 with honey and w^ater. She grew very 

 tame, and continued to hatch her eggs, 

 out of which came, in course of time, two 

 tiny creatures no bigger than blue-bottle 

 flies. 



These little Humming- Birds began to 



