468 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1913. 



since last she had drunk from the bottles, yet she had not forgotten 

 them, nor the one that fed her. She was quite prone to remind either 

 of us when the bottles were empty by flying about our heads, wherever 

 she chanced to find us, whether in the yard or in the street. Once 

 having been long neglected she nearly flew into my face as I opened 

 the barn door to step out. 



The last experiment made was that of flavoring one of the bottles 

 of sirup with vanilla, and later with extract of lemon, to see if the 

 birds showed preference for the plain sirup or for the flavored. Both 

 kinds were served at the same time, and of both the birds drank, 

 showing no choice that could be detected. 



It may already have been surmised from the gender of the pro- 

 noun used that it is the female only of this species that has the 

 " sweet tooth." Never once in the seven summers has a male ruby- 

 throat been seen near a bottle. The drinking birds have been ex- 

 amined long and critically, with binocular and without^ in order to 

 detect on some of the birds the identification marks of the young 

 males, but without success; moreover, ha'd young males been present 

 they, too, would have been apt to return in later years. This absence 

 of the males led to noting their scarcity in general, and to recording 

 in notebook when and where a male at any time was seen. The entire 

 number seen in the past five years has been six on our place and six 

 elsewhere. It is impossible to do more than estimate the number of 

 females that have been seen ; but when it is remembered that on sev- 

 eral days in two summers seven have been in sight at one time, it 

 does not appear to be an overestimate to place their number at 

 twelve or fifteen for each vear or six times more of them than of 

 the males. 



The simple experiments herein described are such that they may be 

 tried by any one having a yard frequented by the rubythroat. If 

 any one doubts that the female of this species will choose a sac- 

 charine diet, when it is available, let him continue the tests until 

 convinced beyond cavil or a doubt. It is especially desirable that the 

 experiments be made in proximity to the nesting birds in order to 

 see if the mother will feed sirup to her nestlings. Sometimes our 

 catbirds and brown thrashers have come into the porch to the cat's 

 plate and taken his bread and milk for their nestlings. Upon this 

 hint for needed aid I have put bread soaked in milk on the fence 

 railing for them, and they have taken it also. It is reasonable to be- 

 lieve that in like manner sweet benefactions proffered to a hard- 

 worlring humming bird mother might be acceptable to her and 

 shared by her with her nestlings. 



