^g 1- x l Lucas o?i the Food of Hummingbirds. 7 I 7 



Mr. William Palmer tells me that he has seen the Rubythroat 

 picking small spiders from their webs, and Professor Beal says 

 that he has seen a Hummingbird stealing flies from a spider's 

 web. 



It would seem to he safe to assume that the main food of Hum- 

 mingbirds is small insects, mainly diptera and hymenoptera. 

 Homopteraare usually present, and small spiders form an impor- 

 tant article of food, while hemiptera and coleoptera are now and 

 then found. The small size of the insects may be inferred from 

 the fact that one stomach contained remains of not less than fifty 

 individuals, probably more. 



Most of the insects found occur in or about flowers, and my 

 own views agree with those of Mr. Clute, that it is usually insects, 

 and not honey, that attract Hummingbirds to flowers, while in 

 support of this is Mr. Palmer's testimony, he having examined 

 blossoms of the trumpet vine and found that those visited by 

 Hummingbirds contained few or no small insects, while the 

 unvisited flowers contained many. 



In view, however, of the testimony cited at the beginning of this 

 paper, it would seem uncpiestionable that Hummingbirds do to 

 some extent feed on the nectar of flowers and the sap of trees. 

 That the Rubythroat in particular is addicted to this food is 

 apparently indicated by the facts that three out of the four totally 

 empty stomachs found were from this species, as well as a large 

 proportion of the partly full stomachs. On the other hand, the 

 three empty stomachs were from one locality, Matamoras, and 

 some local or incidental cause may account for their condition. 

 It is also to be noted that the only correspondent of 'Science' who 

 seems actually to have dissected a Hummingbird is Dr. Gibbs, 

 and the birds seen by other observers may have been in search of 

 the small insects that would be attracted by the sweet sap. And, 

 without wishing to reflect at all on Dr. Gibbs, I should like to have 

 examined some of his specimens myself. 



The fact that Hummingbirds in captivity greedily eat syrup is 

 not so convincing as it might be, for captive animals exhibit some 

 curious traits and refuse food to which they are accustomed in a 

 wild state. 



I am much inclined to believe with Dr. Shufeldt that Humming- 

 birds first visited flowers for insects and that the taste for sweets 

 has been incidentally acquired. 

 4 o 



