JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 25 



west side of our dwelling, and also the nasturtions, hollyhocks and 

 sunflower tribe. Less than or about two weeks ago one of the 

 feathered gems, perhaps attracted by some potted flowers that were 

 blooming on our window sill, flew through the partly open window 

 into a front room and fluttered violently close to the ceiling, and at 

 length fell exhausted to the floor and was soon afterwards picked up 

 quite dead by my granddaughter, who is trying to preserve the 

 feathered mite in a parcel of ground pepper. It was the hen bird, 

 as mdicated by the lack of the ruby brilliancy of the throat peculiar 

 to that species that comes to Canada every summer. Many crea- 

 tures besides birds seem unable to draw inferences. The ruby 

 throat's instinct was to rise and soar aloft, the window of entrance 

 being still open. Perhaps fright and' nervous agitation paralizes in 

 part the ornithic intellect ; yet bats and swallows, and even the 

 wrens and phcebee fly catcher in similar quandaries, after a chance 

 for second thought, descend to a broken pane or partly open door 

 and so save their lives by regaining liberty in time. An intelligent 

 acquaintance, whose opinion deserves consideration, is of opinion 

 that humming birds rarely, if ever, succeed in raising a brood of 

 their young so far north as Canada. 



The man says that he has met with — he was born near here and 

 is about forty years of age — many or quite a number of humming 

 birds' nests, some of which contained eggs, but he never yet found 

 a nest containing young ruby throats ( Trochilidce ) or ever even saw 

 the old ones feeding their young or piloting or guarding or caring 

 for the same. Hence his doubts, which are only jotted down for 

 what they may be considered to be worth. It may be mentioned, 

 however, that the man is an all round enthusiast on the subject of 

 birds, and says he could give Mr. Mcllwraith many pointers re the 

 birds of Ontario. I may here mention that I, a short time ago, 

 loaned Mr. John Scott, of Hatchley, Mr. Mcllwraith's work on that 

 theme. 



October 2nd. — Robins were singing blithely to-day and feasting 

 on the ripe grapes ; song sparrows, too, are yet tuneful (two species) ; 

 meadow larks and shore larks are about us, the former frequently 

 piping their pensive refrain. Higholders, so called, and other 

 pickadee, as well as numerous blue jays, find a feast on the abund- 

 ant fruit of the elderberry bushes in the neglected fence comers. 



