VHE OOLO'.HSl 



71 



Mi's. Iadi;^n, jilthough of not so 

 "loud" a color has none tlic less sweet- 

 er voice. Uuassnuuuff, iu a plain grey 

 gown she sits in conteut oa her tieas- 

 iires while her bright husband sings her 

 praise from the top of some twig oi- 

 from the telegraph wire, and right well 

 does he champion her. 



The iiltle uest below him is a marvel 

 of comfort and beautv. Some call it a 

 rough structure but surely that neatly 

 rounded interior covered with selected 

 leaves, little bits of corn husks, vege- 

 table tibre and the like i-au not be called 

 unhandsome. 



If you like call it rustic, but not. 

 rough for rustic it is and that very rus- 

 ticity is an added grace to its lovely 

 builders. For hovv well it suits their 

 taste and mode of living. Does it not 

 show to the greate.-t advantage those 

 delicately pale blue eggs which it shel- 

 ters? Does it not form the warmest of 

 cosy places for the little children soon 

 to emanate from those delicnite shells. 



Truly are we blessed with these 

 creatures and surroundings which man 

 calls ''Xature;" the abiding place of life, 

 that which no man can or will under- 

 stand until guided by the Hand in a 

 world more fair and lovely to behold. 

 Otto GiiAOY, 

 Ludlovv, Ky. 



A Nest of tlie Ruby-throated Hum- 

 mingbird. 



It may be of some interest to readers 

 of the OoLOOiST to listen to a little 

 pleasant experience of mine in regard 

 to the Hummingbird. To some it may 

 recall similar experiences, of which I 

 should be greatly pleased to hear, for I 

 think that the Hummingbird is one of 

 the most interesting types of North 

 American inrds. This which I am 

 about to relate happened years ago, 

 but it has remained as fresh in my 

 memory as though it had happened but 

 yesterday, while my experience with 



other liirds can only be recalled by re- 

 curring to the collection then made. 

 It was in this wise: 



One mild day, as was my custom, I 

 was strolling absencmindedly through 

 a small wood not far from my home, 

 meditating on its varied beauties; I 

 aroused myself and my latent imagina- 

 tion and listened with delight to the 

 many leathered songsters overhead 

 while a casual glance to the ground re- 

 vealed the magnificent varieties of the 

 glorious pla.at kingdom to my enrap- 

 tured gaze. 



Suddenly a whirr and buzz above my 

 head caused me to look aloft, when, lo, 

 Itiss than four feet overhead I beheld a 

 wee little nest, the outside of which 

 was completely covered with lichens so 

 MS to be barely distinguishable from the 

 bough of oak to which it was attached 

 and a pretty Hummingbird sitting 

 thereon contentedly, while its mate, 

 whose flight had attracted my atten- 

 tion, described various circles and 

 elipses, with sundry darts and reces- 

 sions, seeming!}^ in perfect enjoyment 

 of the fact of its existence. 



I stood spell-bound, for this was the 

 first glimpse I had had of this feathered 

 "insect," as it was called oy the old. 

 conquerers of Mexico, in its home. I 

 may also mention incidentally that the 

 bird is not so very common in this part 

 of the state, therefore my interest was 

 two-fold: first the nest and second the 

 bird itself, which I had neyer before 

 seen at so close a distance. 



One of my first thoughts was that I 

 determined to possess myself of their 

 eggs, provided they were not in a too 

 advanced state of incubation. The 

 nest was not A^ery far above the ground 

 but still too high to be reached without 

 the aid of a ladder, so I was compelled 

 to go home and procure one. This oc- 

 cupied but very little time and when I 

 returned I beheld the unusual spectacle 

 of both birds resting, one on the nest 

 and the other on a neighboring twig. 

 I raised my ladder and ascended to the 



