204 THE HILL-STAR HUMMING-BIRD. 



This star-like creature haunts the grand moun- 

 tain of Chimborazo, and ascends nearly to the line 

 where snow commences. 



Here grows the gray lichen, the last of the 

 plants, lingering on the verge of eternal snow. 

 Lower down are stunted bushes and meadows of 

 saxifrage; and then comes the wax-palm, its leaves 

 coated with a substance like wax. 



Lower still is the grotesque orchis, the pine- 

 apple, the fern, the laurel, and the fragrant myrtle. 



As you descend, the colours deepen in richness, 

 and the climate becomes more and more tropical, 

 until, at length, you find yourself among the rich 

 foliage and gorgeous flowers of the Torrid Zone. 

 Thus a succession of pictures are presented by the 

 hand of Nature. 



The Humming-Bird feeds on the Alpine plants, 

 and makes his nest of moss and lichen, and fastens 

 it under the ledge of a rock. Here the mother- 

 bird lays two tiny eggs, from which the young 

 Humming-Birds will issue. 



