THE MALE RUBY-THROAT. 141 



testimony covers not less than fifty nests. 

 Some of them were watched assiduously, 

 nearly all were examined, and the greater 

 part were actually taken ; yet of the fifty or 

 more male proprietors, only two were seen ; 

 and concerning these exceptions, it is to be 

 noticed that in one case the eggs were just 

 laid, and in the other, while the hungry 

 nestlings must have kept the mother bird 

 extremely busy, her mate was not observed 

 to do anything in the way of lightening her 

 labors. 



As against this preponderance of negative 

 testimony, and in corroboration of Mr. 

 Lowell's and Mrs. Treat's circumstantial 

 narratives, there remain to be mentioned the 

 fact communicated to me by Mr. Hoar, that 

 a townsman of his had at different times had 

 two hummers' nests in his grounds, the male 

 owners of which were constant in their at- 

 tentions, and the following very interesting 

 and surprising story received from Mr. C. 

 C. Darwin, of Washington, through the 

 kindness of Mr. Henshaw. Some years 

 ago, as it appears, a pair of ruby-throats 

 built a nest within a few feet of Mr. 

 Darwin's window and a little below it, so 



