186 THE HUMMING-BIRD. 



The Humming-Bird is as fond of insects as he 

 is of honey, and besides catching them on the 

 wing, he has been seen to steal them out of the 

 spiders' webs. This is rather dangerous work, for 

 if his wings were to be entangled he would be 

 taken prisoner, and then woe betide him ! He 

 has a wholesome dread of the great spider I have 

 told you about, and if he only shows himself, off 

 the Humming-Bird darts like a sun-beam ; for 

 the spider is as large as he is, and a great deal 

 fiercer. But he can rob the smaller spiders with 

 less danger ; and he picks out the insects from 

 their webs, snatching them away in a hurry, and 

 then darting off, to come back again the next 

 minute ; and so on, until the spider is left with 

 an empty larder. 



All the strength of the Humming-Bird lies in 

 his wings, that are large in proportion to his tiny 

 body. They are a little like those of the Swift in 

 shape, and everybody knows how rapidly the 

 Swift can dart about, and cleave the air with his 

 pinions. The feathers, on the quills of the Hum- 

 ming-Bird's wing, are so firmly united that they 



