HUMMING-BIRDS 363 



Proud of this success, the little champion returns to his partner, 

 and flaps triumphantly his tiny wings. But with all his activity 

 and courage, he is not always able to avert disaster from his 

 nest, for an enormous bush spider, covered all over with black 

 liair (Mygale), too often lurks in the vicinity, watching for the 

 moment when the little birds shall creep out of the shell. With 

 sudden attack it then invades the nest, and sucks their life- 

 blood. Against this enemy neither courage nor despair are of 

 any avail, and if the poor humming-bird endeavours to avenge 

 the slaughter of his young, he only shares their fate. When 

 the dark long-legged monster entwines his brilliant prey, one 

 might almost fancy an angel of light bleeding under the talons 

 of a demon. 



From the chivalrous character of the humming-birds it is not 

 surprising that the most violent passions agitate their little 

 breasts ; so that in their desperate contests, they will tilt against 

 each other with such fury, as if each meant to transfix his 

 antagonist with his long bill. It may indeed be truly said that 

 these little creatures are sadly prone to quarrel over their cups, 

 not of wine, but nectareous flowers. Frequently four or five of 

 them may be seen engaged in a flying fight when disputing the 

 possession of a blossoming tree in the forests of Brazil, and then 

 they dart so swiftly through the air that the eye can scarcely 

 follow them in their meteorlike evolutions. 



What a splendid addition, even to the magnificence of a regal 

 drawing-room, the humming-birds would be, if they allowed 

 themselves to be confined in a cage ; but perpetual movement in 

 the air is to them a necessity, and to deprive them of liberty is 

 to rob them of life. All attempts to transport them alive to 

 Europe have hitherto been fruitless. The celebrated ornitho- 

 logist Latham relates that a young man cut off the branch on 

 which a humming-bird was breeding, and took it on board the 

 ship which conveyed him to England. The mother soon grew 

 tame, and took the biscuit and honey, that was offered her ; she 

 also continued to breed during the passage, but died as soon as 

 the young crept out of the shell. These came alive to England, 

 and withstood during two months our uncongenial climate. 

 They grew so tame as to feed from the lips of Lady Howard, to 

 whom they had been presented : a lovely picture worthy of 

 Anacreon Moore, — 



