104 HABITS IN CAPTIVITY. 



their reservoir, instead of flying in a direct line, 

 " which would have been far too dull for the 

 volatile genius of a Humming-bird," they made 

 a dozen or twenty distinct stages, in a series of 

 downward curves and risings, hovering at each 

 ascent, and then, often making several horizontal 

 traverses, before they would bring their feet to 

 the glass, and insert their suctorial tongue. It 

 was not till dusk that they desisted from hawk- 

 ing, and retired to roost ; and when settled for 

 the night, they were restless and easily disturbed, 

 taking to the wing on the entrance of a person 

 with a candle, and fluttering about in bewilder- 

 ment. In an evil hour, Mr. Gosse determined 

 to transpose his captives from the freedom of a 

 room into a large cage with a wired front. By 

 degrees, and by means of the syrup cup he coaxed 

 them in, and at length closed the grate. " After I 

 had shut them in," he says, " they beat and flut- 

 tered a good deal, but the next day I was grati- 

 fied to find that all had taken their places quietly 

 on the perches, and sipped at the syrup, though 

 rather less than usual. I had now hopes of 

 bringing them alive to England, thinking the 

 most difficult task was over, especially, as within 

 a day or two after, I added to them two more 

 males and a female." But these hopes were 

 blighted, the female by accident escaped, and 

 the rest, after they had been in the cage but a 

 week, began to die, sometimes two in a day, in 

 another week, only a solitary individual was left, 



