May ISIKIJ 



AND OOLOGI8T. 



78 



Nesting of Anna s Hummingbird. 



Of all birds the Iliiinniers never fail to 

 excite onr admiration and interest, the more 

 so when wo remember that the New World alone 

 is favored with their presence. Anna's Iluni- 

 minji'bird {TrorliiluH nana), our hir<i,est species, 

 is as interestin<r as any bird I knovi\ What a 

 picture it nnkes poised in the air like a fairy, 

 while it gently sijis now from this flower, now 

 from that, the nectar it so loves. 



Its flight is the very poetry of motion; and 

 when it rests on a little twig or swinfjs to a 

 tiny, swayin*;" vine like some Trofjon of the 

 trojiics, and casts its little pleading eyes 

 toward you, you almost lose the collector's 

 instinct and worder if you are not a hardened 

 wretch for once thinking of taking its pretty 

 nest. But if you have a " weakness " for beauti- 

 ful tilings, like most of us, you will probably 

 api)ropiiate the lovely nest and eggs if it is your 

 good fortune to find it, and satisfy your con- 

 science with the thought that Madiime Hum- 

 nun' will soon build another. She must do it 

 all alone for her lazy husband never offers the 

 least bit of assistance. 



It is an interesting sight to watch the build- 

 ing of a Hummer's nest. Often [ have seen 

 tliem ollecting the soft cotton-down from 

 willow catkins or from the cottonwood, and 

 watched the bird make trip after trip to get 

 tlie spiiler's web which they use with such 

 marvellous skill. 



Trachiliis (innn is not very particular as to 

 locution when it begins to thinks of a home 

 for its young. I have found their nests in 

 orchards, in cactus and in fine cypress, eucalyp- 

 tus and many other trees. I have seen them 

 forty feet from the gr(umd, and again so low 

 that the cozy structiu'c was discovered by the 

 angry buzzing of the female as she flew from 

 her eggs close by my head. I once saw a nest 

 in <a rather odd situation; it was in a locust 

 tree where there were only bare limbs and 

 twigs. Another example of a bird's idiosyn- 

 crasy was a nest built about fifteen feet up in 

 a eucalyptus. A dry twig had fallen among 

 some green leaves and shoots next the trunk 

 of the big tree, and on this precarious foun- 

 dation the Hummingbird had built its nest. 



Anna's lluinmlngbird doubtless raises sev- 

 eral broods yciirly, for nests are found early 

 and late in the season. My earliest date is 

 February i:lth, incubation far advanced. Mr. 

 A. M. Ingersoll found a nest with eggs nearly 

 hatched on .lanunry 14th. 



The IIummingl)ird is a cunning as well as 



skilful workman, and seldom makes its char- 

 acteristic buzzing noi.se when building unless 

 <listurbed. It greatly objects to interruptions 

 in its work, and is very pugnacious in enforc- 

 ing its rights. I have seen one make a Gold- 

 finch retreat most ignominionsly when it 

 persisted in alighting close to the Hummer's 

 nest. Instances showing the Hummingbird's 

 extraordinary courage are numerous. They 

 do not hesitate to attack the Western Ked-tail 

 {Uutcohoredlis calunts) on occasions. 



The nest is usually completed in about nine 

 days. The period of incubation varies. A nest 

 observed by Mr. .lames Hyde contained young 

 birds in sixteen days. It is a curious circum- 

 stance that the eggs are sometimes laid and 

 incubation commenced before the bird has 

 finished building the nest. 



It is not the easiest thing to find a Humming- 

 bird's nest, the birds are such deceivers. Often I 

 have twisted my head about in a surprising 

 manner to follow a swift-speeding Plummer 

 which stopped a moment about some tree to 

 buzz and then suddenly darted down to settle 

 on the nest. 



Sometimes they appear to fly directly past 

 the tree containing the nest but turn in the air 

 with wonderful rapidity and go like a flash to 

 cover their eggs. 



In size and construction the nest of Anna's 



Hummingbird varies greatly. Very often they 



ai e quite large for the size of the bird and 



decked with beautiful lichens and moss, and I 



remember one which was exceedingly shallow 



and built of nothing but willow cotton. 



H. B. Taylor. 

 Alameda, California. 



Failures. 



Thei-e are failures that at the last bring 

 greater pleasures than unlimited succes.s. The 

 beginnings of my oological career sprang 

 from the ill luck of a parent Meadow Lark. 

 Her six pretty speckled eggs by mishap were 

 thrown out of the nest, and there I found 

 them safe and sound, but cold, and there was 

 born the desire which started me collecting. 



As I peruse the journals of years past, ill 

 luck seems burned on many a p.age. One 

 entire winter had been spent in prepar- 

 ations for a brilliant season among the lakes 

 of Northwestern Iowa. The outfit was all 

 ready, and so were two eager youths. Rains 

 incessant, and cold winds set in early and 

 lasted late. We succeeded in " mudding it " 



