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Life and Immortality. 



EVIDENCE OF CONJUGAL AFFECTION. 

 Male Humming-Bird Feeding His Partner, and Ready to Act in Her Defence. 



resentment, flying into the very face of the audacious 

 intruder, as though they would pluck his eyes out as a just 

 punishment for his presumption and temerity. I have seen 

 the nest of a catbird attacked by a black snake, and crushed 

 within the folds of the hideous serpent the father-bird, but 

 the disaster did not cause the mother-bird to desist from the 

 attack, for, utterly oblivious of all else but her offspring 

 and the snake, she fought on until the latter was forced to 

 glide away into the bushes to escape her infuriated assaults. 

 But no species of bird is more courageous in defence of 

 its nest than the little ruby-throated humming-bird. It is 

 really dangerous to visit the nest when with eggs or young. 

 I would as soon attempt to assail the dome-shaped nest of 

 our common hornet as that of this humming-bird. It is as 



