FOOD AND HABITS. 63 



They clasp their perch very firmly, even to the 

 wearing away of the bark on their accustomed 

 resting twig. 



Mr. Gosse thus describes the manners of his 

 VERVAIN HUMMING-BIKD, Mellisuga humilis 

 (Trochilus minimus?}, the application of vervain 

 being applied from its habit of buzzing over the 

 low herbaceous plants of pastures, amongst 

 which the vervain is most conspicuous. " The 

 West Indian Vervain (Stachytarphetd) is one of 

 the most common weeds in neglected pastures, 

 shooting up everywhere its slender columns set 

 around with blue flowers to the height of a foot. 

 About these our little Humming-bird is abun- 

 dant during the summer months, probing the 

 azure blossoms a few inches from the ground. 

 It visits the spikes in succession, flitting from 

 one to another exactly in the manner of the 

 honey-bee, and with the same business-like ap- 

 plication and industry. In the winter the abun- 

 dance of other flowers, and the paucity of ver- 

 vain-blossoms induce its attentions to the hedge- 

 rows and woods. 



" I have sometimes watched with much de- 

 light the evolutions of this little species at the 

 moringa tree. When only one is present he 

 pursues the round of the blossoms soberly 

 enough. But if two are about the tree, one will 

 fly off and suspend himself in the air a few yards 

 distant, the other presently shoots off to him ; 

 and then, without touching each other, they 



