THE HUMMING BIRD. 25?' 



Ridiculous suppositions. 



food, for some time before the latter begins to 

 lay : and that they dry it by the heat of their 

 bodies; as they are frequently known to continue 

 in the hole for hours, long before the period of 

 laying. On this disgorged matter the female de- 

 posits and hatches her eggs. When the young 

 are nearly full-feathered, they are extremely vo- 

 racious; and the old birds not supplying them, 

 with all the food they can devour, may be disco- 

 vered by their noise, as they are continually 

 chirping. 



It has been ridiculously supposed, that these 

 birds will preserve woollen cloths from the de- 

 predations of moths; also, that when the body 

 of one was suspended by a thread, some magnetic 

 influence always turned its breast to the north. 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



THIS species consists of several varieties, the 

 largest not being above half the size of a common 

 wren, and from which they gradually decrease to 

 that of a humming bee. They are natives of the 

 warmer parts of America, and of some of the 

 West-India islands; and bear a great resemblance 

 to each other in manners. Their principal food 

 is the nectar at the bottom of the tubular flow- 

 ers; which they extract, like bees, while on the 

 wing, by means of their long and slender bill. 

 Their name is derived from the humming noise 



VOL. JH, NO. xxi. S K 



