NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Admirable contrivance of its nest. 



subsist. The rapid motion of their wings brings 

 out an humming sound, from whence they have 

 their name ; for whatever divides the air swiftly, 

 must thus produce a murmur. 



" The nests of these birds are not less curious 

 than the rest ; they are suspended in the air, at 

 the point of the twigs of an orange, a pomegra- 

 nate, or a citron-tree: sometimes even in houses, 

 if they find a small and convenient twig for the 

 purpose. The female is the architect, while the 

 male goes in quest of materials; such as cotton, 

 fine moss, and the fibres of vegetables. Of these 

 materials a nest is composed, of about the size of 

 an hen's egg cut in two, admirably contrived, 

 and warmly lined with cotton. They lay two 

 eggs at a time, and never more, about the size of 

 small peas, and as white as snow, with here and 

 there a yellow speck. The male and the female 

 sit upon the nest by turns; but the female takes 

 to herself the greatest share. She seldom quits 

 the nest, except a few minutes in the morning 

 and evening, when the dew is upon the flowers, 

 and their honey in perfection. During this short 

 interval, the male takes her place; for, as the 

 egg is so small, the exposing it ever so short 

 a time to the weather, would be apt to injure its 

 contents, the surface exposed being so great in 

 comparison to the bulk. The time of incubation 

 continues twelve days ; at the end of which the 

 young ones appear, much about the size of a 

 blue-bottle fly. They are at first bare; by de- 



