HABITS AND MIGRATION. 109 



be adduced as illustrative examples. It does 

 not, however, appear that the Nightingale, the 

 Blackcap, the Redstart, and a few others, per- 

 form their migrations in associated numbers; 

 at all events, nocks of these birds on their route 

 have never been seen, nor can we learn that 

 flocks of any migratory species of Humming- 

 bird have ever been met with. Wilson, who 

 gives an admirable account of the RUBY- 

 THROAT, merely records the dates of its appear- 

 ance at Savannah, in Georgia (23rd of March) ; 

 in the county of Burke, in Pennsylvania (25th 

 of April) ; and the interior of Canada, where he 

 says it is seen in great numbers. He expresses 

 his wonder at the extent of migration performed 

 by so minute a species ; but he says nothing 

 which leads us to infer that it congregates for 

 the purpose of migration. At the same time it 

 is not unlikely that it may do so in small flocks, 

 consisting of ten or twenty individuals. This 

 seems to be the opinion of Audubon, who be- 

 lieves that the young broods associate together, 

 and perform their migration apart from the 

 adults ; but he only founds this opinion on the 

 fact, that he had seen twenty or thirty young 

 birds resort to a group of trumpet flowers, when 

 not a single old male was to be seen. He does 

 not say that he ever observed any flocks in the 

 course of their migratory movements ; and he 

 was never able to assure himself whether they 

 migrate during the day or night ; but he ob- 



