148 HUMMINGBIRDS. 



Swifts naturally nest in hollow trees or caves, and it 

 Is only in the more densely populated parts of their 

 range that they resort to chimneys and outbuildings. 

 The nest of our Chimney Swift is a bracketlike basket 

 of small twigs. They are gathered by the bird while 

 on the wing, and are fastened together and to the wall 

 of the tree or chimney with a glutinous saliva. 



The Chinmey Swift arrives from the south about 

 April 20, and remains until 0('to1)er. Few birds are 

 better known, and under the name of " Clmnney Swal- 

 low" he is familiar to every one who distinguishes a 

 Crow from a Robin. But, Ijeyond similar feeding habits, 

 Swifts have little in common with Sw^allows ; in fact, are 

 more nearly related to Hunmiingbii-ds. 



HUMMINCiBIRDS. (FAMILY TrOCHILID.E.) 



Hummingbirds are peculiar to the Kew World. About 

 five hundred species are known, but only one of them is 



.„ ^ ,^ , , found east of the Mississip])i. This is 



Ruby-throated i- i • i 



Hummingbird, o^^i* liuby -throat, the sexes of which are 

 Trociuiux n.hihi'is. sometimes thought to represent dilfer- 



riate XXIX. g^^^ species. The Ruby-throat winters 

 as far south as Central America, but about May 1 m'C 

 may expect him to return to us, for he is as regular in 

 his migrations as though his wings measured a foot and 

 a half instead of an inch and a half in length. If you 

 would have him visit you, plant honeysuckle and trum- 

 pet flowers about your piazza, and while they are bloom- 

 ing there will be few days when you may not hear the 

 humming of this tiny bird's rapidly vibrating wings. 



The Ruby-throat feeds on insects as w^ell as on the 

 juices of flowers, and when you see him probing a corolla 

 he is quite as likely to be after the one as the other. The 

 young are fed by regurgitation, the parent bird insert- 



