MY HUMMING BIRDS. 115 



chirp as of old, and without an instant's hesitation it darts to 

 the cup, alights upon the rim and plunges its little thirsty 

 bill up to the very eyes in that delicious cup, and takes the 

 longest, deepest draught, I ever saw taken before by one of 

 them ; and this convinced me that it had just arrived, and 

 had come straight to its old home for food and love. My sis- 

 ter burst into tears and screams of joyous laughter, and as to 

 what ridiculous capers I might have been guilty of, I cannot 

 tell I only remember the self-contented and philosophical 

 manner in which the returned pilgrim continued to plume 

 its storm -ruffled feathers, uttering now and then the old 

 chirps on the side of that cup ; this position it continued 

 to retain until we bore him on it to his new house, of which 

 he assumed possession with a remarkably matter of fact, or 

 rather matter of course, air. 



About a week after this, while walking in the garden one 

 morning, I observed two humming birds engaged in chasing 

 each other in a very coy and loving manner. Something in 

 the tame and confident manner of one of them made me sus- 

 pect it was our bird engaged in making love. I went back 

 for the white cup, and this time, too, its magic proved itself 

 invincible for both birds came without hesitation and set- 

 tled upon the rim the one which took the long and eager 

 draught as if perishing of fatigue and hunger, proved to be 

 the female that had just arrived. It was a little larger than 

 the male, and seemed, at first, somewhat shyer than he, 

 though a few days were sufficient to make all right as ever 

 between us again. 



How wondrous strange and incomprehensible it seemed to 

 us the acuteness of senses the strength of memory and 

 affection the wizzard sagacity, in a word that could have 

 brought these tiny creatures back to us, from so many thou- 

 sand miles away, straight as the arrow from the bow. I have 

 never ceased wondering at that strange incident but there is 

 one yet quite as droll to come. The love season had now fully 

 commenced, and our birds began to be absent for several 



