166 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



dence in human nature, would dart at the little fellow and 

 drive him away., as if anxious for him to escape from so 

 perilous a situation. But it only had a momentary effect on 

 our little friend, as he would return with as confiding an as- 

 surance of safety as before. His little twittering noise and 

 averted eye, as he momentarily withdrew his bill from the 

 flower, appeared to say, f surely thou wilt not hurt me.' 

 After he had visited us every day so frequently for about 

 three weeks, and been admired by numerous persons, he 

 disappeared on the llth of last month [August], being fed 

 about the middle of the day, which was the last time that 

 he was seen. As the wild humming-birds,, which were quite 

 numerous before, disappeared about the same time, it is 

 probable he accompanied them to more southern regions. 

 As we were on terms of the most friendly kind, it is hoped 

 our little traveller will again revisit us, after he has finished 

 his peregrinations among the flowers of the south, as it is 

 very doubtful whether he will find them as sweet as he did 

 the honeysuckles of Delaware." 



C. It is a very amusing account, and appears to have 

 an air of strict veracity. I observe the darting flight spoken 

 of; it resembles the motion of the dragon-flies more than 

 that of birds. 



F. The flight of the humming-bird is like that of no 

 other bird; it has a character peculiarly its own. When 

 most birds fly, we perceive that there is an evident effort ; 

 that constant exertion, more or less, is necessary to support 

 them in the air : their tendency appears to be to sink, which 

 has to be continually resisted by muscular effort. The swal- 

 lows, and some other tribes of swift and powerful flight, ap- 

 pear to skim at will through any stratum of the atmosphere 

 without any tendency to rise or sink ; but our little hum- 

 ming-bird seems just like a cork drawn under water ; he seems 

 all buoyancy, as if his natural place were above the clouds, 



