THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 



able than that of the eagle. We can understand 

 the flapping of the eagle's immense wings 

 supporting a comparatively light body. But 

 our little bird has a plump body ; his wings 

 are not wide, but long, so he must move them 

 rapidly to sustain his weight ; and this he can 

 do to perfection. The vibrations of his wings 

 are so rapid as to make them almost invisible. 

 He can use them to sustain himself in mid-air, 

 with his body as motionless as if perched on a 

 twig. In this way he can sip the nectar of the 

 delicate, fine-stemmed flowers without alighting 

 for a moment. He never alights while so 

 engaged. He moves from flower to flower with 

 a graceful and rapid movement, sometimes 

 chasing away a bee or humming-bird moth, of 

 which he is very jealous ; nor is he much more 

 favorably impressed with any small birds that 

 seem in his way. He knows his power of 

 flight, and he has no fear of any other bird. 



The humming-bird builds on the upper side 

 of a branch, a branch generally about the size 

 of the nest. The nest is beautifully felted with 

 fine white vegetable down and studded on the 

 outside with fine lichens and minute specks of 

 bark like the branch itself. 



They do not seem to retire to secluded 

 places to build ; they are as eccentric in their 

 choice of a nesting-place as in their nature 

 and habits. Some suppose their nests are 

 near the gardens or vines they visit ; but that is 

 not often the case. A few magic vibrations of 

 the wings, and they are far away in a few 

 seconds. 



The last nest I found was on the outer end 

 if a branch of silver poplar that hung over a 

 public road ; every carriage-top that passed 

 inder it was within a few feet of the nest 

 he last place in the world where I should have 

 xpected to find such a nest. I should not 

 tave seen it except that I was accidentally 

 ooking up into the tree, and I saw, protruding 

 r the side of the nest, the long, fine bill 

 hat happened just then to stir. The nest might 

 lave been passed hundreds of times and been 

 aken for a small knot unless thus betrayed. 



These birds lay but two eggs tiny white 

 norsels. The young birds when first hatched 

 re curious little things, and feed by inserting 



their bills in the mouths and throats of their 

 parents. As the food of the parents is com- 

 posed of nectar and fine insects, it is easily 

 made ready for the little ones' tiny stomachs. 



Every year one or more pairs live near my 

 house, there being many flowers, especially 

 honeysuckles and the trumpet-flower variety, 

 of which they are extremely fond. After the 

 young ones fly, I see no more of the flashing 

 ruby breast of the male, but I see a bird having 

 a brownish-red breast. I take him to be the 

 male with his brilliancy laid aside till another 

 spring ; but his metallic green back is just as 

 bright as before. 



The young ones came every few minutes 

 during the day to a honeysuckle trellis to sip 

 and rest ; for the first two weeks after leaving 

 their nest they came often, frequently hanging 

 on a vertical piece of dead stem with as much 

 apparent ease as on a horizontal one, but never 

 two birds at one time. The one resting was 

 ever on the alert for another coming, and before 

 it got very close the resting bird would perceive 

 it, fly to meet it as if attacking it, uttering a few 

 light chirps, and the two would disappear like a 

 flash, so quickly, indeed, that the eye could 

 hardly follow them ; yet, with a quick eye, one 

 could see that they threaded their way through 

 the foliage, even at such marvelous speed with 

 unerring precision. They would be gone but 

 a few seconds when one would return to rest, 

 only to wait for another game of tag. Some- 

 times one of the birds left its perch to catch 

 a small insect and return, like a fly-catcher. 

 As they got stronger they came less frequently 

 to rest. 



The flight of the humming-bird requires great 

 muscular exertion to sustain the rapid vibrations 

 of its wings, and keeping so much on the wing 

 with such rapid flight, perhaps no bird is more 

 exercised. Not the least remarkable fact about 

 the structure of the humming-bird is its long, 

 double-pointed tongue, as long as its bill ; it 

 can be put out very far, enabling it to reach 

 the fine insects and nectar inside the flowers. 

 It is while so engaged that the humming sound 

 of its wings is best heard ; but the eye must 

 quickly turn toward the sound, sometimes only 

 to get the last glimpse of our little hummer. 



