190 THE HUMMING-BIRD. 



so much honey in it as he expected ; and then he 

 tears it to pieces, and scatters it with his bill and 

 claws. 



Perhaps the best part of his character comes 

 out when he is helping his little partner to build 

 their nest. He brings her all the materials, and 

 flies about collecting them with the greatest in- 

 dustry. The tiny nest is generally hung to the 

 end of a twig of the orange or pomegranate tree, 

 and is completely hidden by one of the large 

 leaves, that overhangs it, and forms a canopy. 

 The nest is sometimes made entirely of thistle- 

 down ; and the prickly burs of the thistle are 

 stuck outside to protect it. But moss and cotton 

 are used quite as often, and dead leaves woven in 

 among them. 



The cotton grows upon a tree called the silk- 

 cotton tree, that is a native of these tropical 

 countries. It is a very large tree indeed, and 

 is looked upon by the black people with great 

 veneration. They never venture to throw a stone 

 at it; and when they are obliged to cut it down 

 they pour some wine at its root, in order to pre- 



