HABITS IN CAPTIVITY. 103 



motive by which it was influenced. Not unfre- 

 quently, as all must have witnessed in our com- 

 mon fly-catcher, the Humming-bird would dart 

 from its perch, take a short sweep, and having 

 captured its prey, return again to its post of 

 observation. Mr. Gosse supposes that, on a low 

 estimate, three insects are taken per minute, and 

 that, with few intervals, incessantly from dawn 

 to dusk. He does not think that the bird in a 

 state of freedom takes so many in the air, inas- 

 much as the blossoms afford it an ample supply, 

 at the same time they are to be perpetually seen 

 hawking in the air. Three flies taken per minute, 

 granting a minute's rest after each pursuit, 

 would give us ninety flies per hour, or five hun- 

 dred and forty insects captured in six hours. 

 "Well might a distinguished ornithologist observe 

 to us, during a conversation as to the possibility 

 of bringing Humming-birds to England and 

 rearing them in captivity, " They eat their own 

 weight of insects daily." 



Mr. Grosse observed, that his captives would 

 occasionally fly to the walls, and pick from the 

 spiders' webs with which they were draped. 



"While resting on their perch, these birds 

 habitually sat in a nearly upright posture, the 

 head being thrown back, the crimson beak slightly, 

 elevated, the abdomen depressed, and the feet 

 almost concealed ; at the same time the tail was 

 deflected, the long feathers crossing each other 

 about the middle. On descending to drink from 



