MY HUMMING BIEDS. 107 



but it only exasperated mine : I shook off the water and 

 vowed I'd find that nest if it took me a week ; but how to be- 

 gin was the question. I had lost the limb, and how was I to 

 find it among an hundred others just like it. 



The knot I had seen was so exactly like other knots, upon 

 other limbs all around it, that the prospect of finding it, 

 seemed a hopeless one. But "I'll try sir!" is my favorite 

 motto. I laid myself down as nearly as possible in the po- 

 sition I originally occupied but, after some twenty minutes 

 experiment, came to the conclusion that my head had been 

 too much confused by the shock of my fall and ducking, for 

 me to hope to make much out of this method. Then I went 

 under the tree, and commencing at the trunk with the lowest 

 limb, which leaned over the water, I followed it slowly and 

 carefully with my eye out to the extremest twig, noting care- 

 fully everything that seemed like a knot. This produced no 

 satisfactory result after half an hour's trial, and with an 

 aching neck I gave it up in despair, for I saw half a dozen 

 knots, either one of which seemed as likely to be the right 

 one as the other. 



I now changed my tactics again, and, ascending the tree, 

 I stopped with my feet upon each one of these limbs and 

 looked down along it length. It was a very tedious pro- 

 ceeding, but I persevered. Knot after knot deceived me, 

 but, at last, when just above the middle of the tree, I 

 caught a sharp gleam among the leaves, of gold and purple, 

 and looking down upon the last limb to which I had 

 climbed almost lost my footing for the joy when I saw 

 about three feet out from where I stood, the glistening back 

 and wings of the little bird just covering the top of one of 

 those mysterious knots -that was about the size of half a 

 hen's egg. Its glancing head, long bill and keen eyes, were 

 turned upwards and perfectly still, except the latter, which 

 surveyed me from head to foot with the most dauntless ex- 

 pression. It seemed to have not the slightest intention of 

 moving, and I would not have disturbed it for the world. 



