FOOD OF THE HUMMING-BIRD. 373 



in restoring the losses of organism ? Doubtless the insects must 

 contain those elements as a supply for the bird. The juice of 

 flowers would then be a purely respiratory aliment ; and there is 

 no ground for wonder at the large consumption of this aliment 

 by the humming-bird ; for it spends in some measure the greatest 

 portion of its existence in the open atmosphere. Almost ever on 

 the wing, and moving with that quick motion which renders it 

 almost invisible, it repairs from flower to flower ; and whilst 

 apparently most stationary during the suction of its food, the 

 motion is in reality the most excessively rapid. Such short 

 incessant strokes of the wing on the air must necessarily cause 

 a more rapid circulation of the blood, a more active respiration, 

 and, as a consequence, must require a larger amount of materials 

 suited to combustion. 



It has been pretended that these birds hover about spiders' 

 webs with a view to despoil them of the insects entangled 

 therein. I have often witnessed humming-birds thus manoeuvr- 

 ing, but never observed them seizing insects; they were only 

 purloining a few threads wherewith to aid in the weaving of their 

 nests. 



On reflecting on the circumstances which thus regulate the 

 alimentation of our birds, we are led to a first inference, viz., 

 that this colony being still new, and subject therefore to the 

 changes which time may produce, our ornithology will hereafter 

 lose its present characteristics. Not only will the number of 

 species diminish in proportion to the reduction of alimentary 

 resources, but new species will perhaps be naturalised, as new 

 cultures are introduced. A species of grosbeak seems already to 

 have become one of our guests, since the cultivation of rice has 

 been introduced. 



A second consequence, arising from the preceding, is that 

 many genera cannot of necessity observe any permanency as 

 regards their habitat. Frugivorous and baccivorous are met with 

 wherever fruits and berries may answer their requirements. 

 Hence, one of the means employed by the sportsman for pro- 

 curing certain species : knowing that, at such periods, and at 

 such spots, certain trees will attract certain species, he resorts 

 thither for the purpose of shooting them ; of these trees are the 

 Gommier, the haunt of ramiers, and the Pois-doux {Inga), of 

 paroquets, &c. 



