THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING BIRD. 89 



brier buslies or orange tree of some garden for a 

 place in which to prepare a nest. Frequently 

 the mocking bird may be seen bearing food in 

 his mouth for his companion, when he flies to 

 the nest to secure her caresses and thanks. Dew- 

 berries, garden fruits, and sometimes insects, 

 form their food. These birds are especially care- 

 ful of their young, and should they perceive that 

 some intruder has visited their nest, they may be 

 heard with low mournful notes condoling to- 

 gether. Different kinds of snakes ascend to their 

 retreats, and frequently destroy the brood, when 

 not only the pair to which the nest belongs, but 

 many other birds of the tribe league together 

 for revenge, fly to the spot, attack the reptile, 

 and either force him to retreat, or else deprive 

 him of life. So much veneration is felt for the 

 mocking bird throughout Louisiana, that one 

 is seldom permitted to be shot. 



Keturning with the promise of Spring, and 

 the very first genial rays of the sun, as early as 

 the ninth or tenth of March, the ruby-throated 

 humming bird appears in the Louisiana woods ; 

 visiting in tiu-n prairies, fields, orchards, and se- 

 cluded shades of the forest, may be seen this 

 bright aerial wanderer in its gorgeous chameleon 

 hues, sparkling in the air like a fragment of the 

 rainbow. Naturalists unite in describing rap- 

 turously tliis most exquisitely apparelled winged 

 8* 



