164 



THE CATSIADIAN NATURALIST. 



repeatedly alarmed away. Last year, in the month of Sep- 

 tember, I was in the garden one morning, when a female 

 humming-bird came, and began sucking the flowers. I im- 

 mediately ran into the house for my insect net, but found 

 that the bird was gone when I returned : I stationed myself, 

 however, close by the balm flowers, holding the net up in a 

 position for striking, that there might be no occasion for any 

 previous motion if it should re-appear. I remained perfectly 

 still, and presently the bird came again, hovering over the 

 flowers, and probing them with its tongue within tw^o feet of 

 me, without any sign of fear. I dashed at it, and succeeded 

 in capturing it. I carried it into the house, and held it in 

 my hand, admiring its delicacy and beauty. It would lie 

 motionless in my hand, feigning death, then suddenly dart 

 off like an arrow tow^ards the window, strike against the 

 glass, and fall, and lie motionless as before. I at length 

 killed it, not without regret ; and having taken out the eyes 

 and viscera, stuffed it with cotton, imbued with a solution of 

 corrosive sublimate, w^hich preserved it pretty well. 



C — I have read of humming-birds having been tamed, 

 but I do not know whether they were of this species. 



F. — The most interesting anecdotes of the ruby- throat 

 which I have read, were published in a Quaker publication 

 of Philadelphia, called " The Friend." The correspondent 

 says, " Sometime in the seventh month of the present year 

 [1834], one of my family caught a small humming-bird, 

 which appeared quite debilitated for want of food. We pre- 

 sented it with some sugar and cream mixed together, which 

 it sucked up with avidity ; after which it was restored to 

 liberty. In the course of a short interval, it again made its 

 appearance, was taken in the hand, and a mixture of sugar 

 made into the consistence of a syrup, was poured into the 

 corolla of a trumpet honeysuckle, from which it eagerly ex- 

 tracted it. From that time forward it became quite familiar. 



