The Response of Plants 



153 



is too speedy by far for that, and yet he was by no means 

 playing; every simple flower yielded up its sweet, not 

 much of course, but a little, and the sum of it all feeds 

 the tiny hummer. To understand this you must see 

 your specimen at close quarters, then you find a long 

 slender bill, the two parts applied to form an almost 

 capillary tube in which a hair-like tongue can play ; this 

 is the suction apparatus by which the nectar rises to that 

 throbbing throat. But here he is again to-night! How 

 'like a flash he does come, to be sure. Did you ever see 

 such swiftness? You cannot see him fly, you only note 

 that he has changed position. What a breast is that, 

 and what whirring wings, just a haze ; sure no saint ever 

 wore halo such as that! What little wings! How can 

 they go so fast and not break all to pieces? There he is 

 before that great swinging bluebell, stands right in its 

 flaring portal. Stands? no, he does not stand, his 

 little feet touch nothing, he is balanced there in perfect 

 equilibrium, marvel of marvels! Gravitation pulls one 

 way, wind blows another, little wings beat another, re- 

 sisting both, and there he hangs spinning like a tiny 

 planet suspended upon nothing. When saw you equi- 

 poise like that? There, he's gone again. He heard per- 

 chance the squeaking whistle of his mate, or possibly 

 saw you; but think of it; vision, hearing, taste, desire, 

 perception, life, energy exhaustless, all made out of a 

 little honey "the perfume and suppliance of a min- 

 ute ; " no more. Oh, what a miracle is there, that moves 

 from year to year through tireless generations! The 

 gleaming perfection of exquisite beauty, and ALIVE ! 

 Now then: need we here sound-waves sixteen feet in 



