134 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



young can not catch sufficient food and still need the help of 

 the parents for several days after being on the wing, they return 

 to the paternal home sometimes during the day and surely in the 

 evening. After they have become entirely independent, the 

 whole family usually quits the nest chimney and betakes itself 

 to the common roost. There the attendance increases steadily 

 during August and, since it is also used by transients, reaches its 

 maximum in September, when great variations occur, showing 

 the coming and going of the guests. These have also been seen 

 using the chimney for resting in daytime, entering at six in the 

 morning and reappearing at three in the afternoon, thus ex- 

 plaining a remarkable scarcity of the species at certain times of 

 the day. The species remains with us in goodly numbers through 

 the first week of October, usually one of much sunshine and an 

 abundance of winged insects, but becomes very rare during the 

 second week, except sometimes at the common roost in the 

 evening. Dates of "last seen" vary during ten years observa- 

 tion by Mr. Currier at Keokuk from October 2 to 18, mostly 

 between 10 and 13, and at St. Louis from October 12 to 24, 

 mostly between 14 and 19. 



Suborder Trochili. Hummingbirds. 



Family Trochilidae. Hummingbirds. 



*428. Trochilus colubris Linn. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 



Mellisuga colubris. 



Geog. Dist. — Breeding from the Gulf coast to Labrador, west 

 to Alberta, North Dakota, eastern Nebraska, and Kansas. 

 Winters from southern Florida to Cuba, Mexico and Central 

 America. 



In Missouri a common summer resident in all parts, but most 

 numerous in the Ozarks and in the bluff region of the large rivers. 

 In Pemiscot Co. the first male Hummer of the season was seen as 

 early as April 11, 1893, the early-flowering Red Shrub Buckeye 

 being the main attraction in the southeast. In the neighborhood 

 of St. Louis the first Hummer should be looked for about the 

 early blossoms of the Tree Buckeye between April 22 and 28, 

 though in cool springs sometimes not before from May 1 to 5. 

 The first week of May is the time when the van of the species can 

 be expected in most parts of the state. At St. Louis males do 



