Ill M.MIN(,IU!, L M| 



tun- in flowers, Imt many spe, -ies catch insects on the wing or pick 

 llifiu from beneath leaves. They also feed on the juice.- of flown--. 

 All the specie* whose neMing habits an- known lay two white eggs. 



igh. these U'lmtiful little creatures arc [Misses-M-d of a 



.nfortnnate di-|Niii<ni which frequently leads them to attack 



any l>inl they fancy i- tie-pacing on their <loinain. They know no 



fear, anil with equal courage \-\\~\\ at one of their kind or a passing 



Hawk. 



428. Trochilus colubrls /.</</>. . Ki i;\ IIIK..ATKI. Hi JIMIM.IUKM. 

 (8e F l i !"T prt* hright, .-hilling >jrw-n; wing* and tail 



AWMXU, with purplish re licet i- >n.- ; throat heaiitiful inetullie rul.y red, Ix.r- 

 M tin- hr'ut l>y whitish; rot <>t' the und.-r piirt-* du>ky, wushe.1 with 

 - '.iliir, hut without rul>y-reil n the thn-ut. 

 - iiiiliir to the tVnitile, hut with the uj-jHT piirts iui.ru hp.ii/; . ! 

 W., 1-54; T., 11 



Kanyt.~ Ka.tern North Aimri.'ii; t-reeds from Florida to Liihnulor; \\in- 

 ten from Bouthern Florida to Central Ainericn. 



Washinifton, eoininoii S. K., Apl. > to Sept. Sin^ Sin L ', eotnmoii S. R., 

 A pi. SO to Oct. 3. Cund>rid^e, iiiicoiiiiiiou S. 1J.. Ma\ 1 -' t 



. of plant down vered ext.-rnally witli lielu-ns and firtnly <.mnl 



with almoett inviitihle plant ttl !>; u'eiierully fitt.-en to twenty-tive feet t'r'.iu 

 the ground, middled on a I'tinh. A';/j/, two, white, "50 x -35. 



The Kithy-thront n...!- n.. -on^. Its U-aiity ^ivos it diMinetion, 

 and it.s wings make music. Its only note, so far as 1 know, is a 

 squeak, expressive of distrust or excitement. It has no rival in eastern 

 North America, and is to be confounded with nothing hut >phinx ihnm- 

 minghird) moths. One hears of " Iluinniingbinls " -cen in the evening 

 aliout flower Ix-ds The mistake is not unnatural, and a correct ion is 

 sometimes received with incredulity. The birds s|K-nd but a com- 

 paratively small part of the time II|MUI the win:;. Whoever watches a 

 female busy about her nest will see her constantly parching here and 

 there in certain branches of the tree, preening her pl'imape and look- 

 ing about her. The male, at the same season, forgetful, to all appear- 

 f his conjugal and parental duties, may be found at home day 

 after day on a dead twig in some tall tree, where he sjts so constantly 

 as to make the observer wonder what he can be about, and when, if 

 3ver, he takes his food. Further investigation, however, will show 

 .hat he makes frequent and regular rounds of favorite feeding places. 

 A tall bluel>erry bush, for example, will IM- vi-itcd at short intervals 

 as long as the observer has patience to stand beside it. The Hum- 

 mingbird is curiously fearless. Smietimes one will probe a flower 

 held in the hand, and when they fly into IIOIIM-S, us j|,,. v |, r ,.tty often 

 do. they manifest but the smallest decree of suspicion, anil will feed 

 almost at once upon sugar held between the lips. The old bird feeds 

 IT 



