Penjyhania, Philadelphia. 213 



flutter continually like bees, bend tbeir 

 feet backwards, and move their wings fo 

 quick, that they are hardly vifible. During 

 this fluttering they make a humming like 

 bees, or like that which is occalioned by 

 the turning of a little wheel. After they 

 have thus, without refl:ing, fluttered for a 

 while, they fly to a neighbouring tree or 

 pofl:, and refume their vigour again. They 

 then return to their humming and fucking. 

 They are not very fhy, and I in company 

 with feveral other people, have not been 

 full two yards from the place where they 

 fluttered about and fucked the flowers j and 

 though we fpoke and moved, yet they were 

 no ways difl:urbed -, but on going towards 

 them, they would fly ofl* with the fwiftnefs 

 of an arrow. When feveral of them were 

 on the fame bed, there was always a vio- 

 lent combat between them, in meeting 

 each other at the fame flower (for envy was 

 likewife predominant amongft thefe little 

 creatures) and they attacked with fuch im- 

 petuofity, that it would feem as if the 

 ftrongeft would pierce its antagonifl: through 

 «ind through, with its long bill. During 

 the fight, they feem to fl:and in the air, 

 keeping themfelves up, by the incredibly 

 fwift motion of their wings. When the 

 windows towards the garden are open, they 

 O 3 purfue 



