THE HUMMING BIRDS 



1787 



note of Costa' s humming bird, says that the female, when feeding, keeps up a 

 pretty constant vocal noise, which somewhat resembles the buzz of the wings, and 

 that the feeding note of the male is finer and not so frequent. " I think," he adds, 

 "that the males are the only ones who sing. The song is sweet and very low, but 

 if it is perfectly quiet around it can be distinctly heard for a distance of ten yards. 

 As might be expected from the size of the bird, it is in a very high key, something 

 like the sound produced by whistling between the teeth, very low, yet at a higk 

 pitch. It might be called a warble, and I have heard it kept up for several minutes 

 at a time. On such occasions I have never been able to find a female in the vicin- 

 ity, and have come to the 

 conclusion that it was sung 

 for the individual's own 

 amusement. There is still 

 another hummer note, 

 that of the chase. They are 

 very fond of chasing one 

 another, sometimes for sport, 

 often for spite. This note 

 also resembles the feeding 

 note, but is louder and pos- 

 sesses a chippering character, 

 sometimes almost like the 

 sound produced by lightly 

 and rapidly smacking the lips 

 together. I can detect but 

 little difference between the 

 sexes, and it appears much 

 the same whether the chase is 

 in sport or anger. Further- 

 more, it is often made by the 

 pursued as well as by the 

 pursuer. At such times I am 

 always reminded of a lot of 

 schoolboys playing ' tag. ' If 

 a hummer is perched and a 

 person passes near, it starts 

 off, uttering a note similar to 

 that made while feeding; but 

 should it be a female which 

 you have frightened from her 

 nest, she will go off silently." 

 Mr. Ridgway mentions only HUMMING BIRD AND NEST. 



two other records of the song 



of the humming birds, quoting Gosse, to the effect that the tiny mellisirga of 

 Jamaica sings, for ten minutes at a time, a sweet but monotonous little song, while 



