Vol. XVII 
Igoo 
Kossk, The Rufous Hummingbird. 15 
and then, being certain that her nest was gone, she suddenly 
darted away, not to return as long as I remained there. During 
all this time the male bird did not appear on the scene and I 
only recall one instance in my experience with this species when 
the male has taken any interest in the taking of its nest. They 
seem to-disappear after the nest is completed and not to return 
until the eggs are hatched. Nor have I ever seen the male feed 
the female as she sat upon her eggs, which is a common habit 
with other birds. The females, however, take the utmost interest 
in their little homes and very soon return after being flushed 
from their nests, alighting on them with the greatest beauty even 
when flying swiftly. 
After a nest has been taken, a second one is speedily built if it 
be early in the season; this second nest, however, is generally 
less exposed than the first one, and is sometimes placed at a 
greater height. It is a peculiar fact that nine nests out of ten, 
almost, are placed over paths or gullies, and Mr. A. W. Anthony 
states that he found six nests in Washington County, Oregon, all 
of which were found in an old railroad cut. 
Soon after the eggs are both laid, the female begins to sit and 
after a few weeks the young are hatched, naked and helpless 
little creatures, about the size of a large pea. The parents are 
now kept busy bringing food, which consists of minute insects 
contained in the honey and sweets of flowers, to their young. 
To accomplish this, the parent bird alights upon the rim of the 
nest and places its bill some distance into the mouths of the 
young and in this way feeds them. As the young birds develop 
under the assiduous care of the parents, the tiny nest becomes 
almost too small for them and they are finally forced to face in 
opposite directions just as two shoes are put ina box. The nest 
also becomes somewhat flattened, and by the time the young 
leave, it is a sorry looking object, unfit to keep. 
By the latter part of August all the young had left their nests 
and the parents were beginning to prepare for their southward 
migration. A month later all the Hummers have left and the 
cape is given over to the incessant rains of a long winter. 
