124 



THE OOLOGIST. 



scene was changed— the living jewels 

 were gone. 



The rapidity of the Hummer's flight 

 is one of its most wonderful achieve- 

 ments. It possesses a miraculous force 

 of energy in its tiny wings, so great a 

 velocity that the eye finds extreme dif- 

 ficulty in following its flight. Only a 

 slight buzz with no perceptible change 

 or exertion in its motion, is sufficient to 

 carry it instantly from one flower to 

 another. Indeed it is the only bird of 

 my observation, that has seemed to have 

 mastered the art of flying equally well, 

 either forward, sidewiseor backward. 



Not the least of its accomplishments, 

 is the art of nest-building. Who has 

 looked upon a nest of the Humming- 

 bird and not marveled at the skill shown 

 in fashioning so dainty, yet so substan- 

 tial a structure — a structure not within 

 the possibilities of human hands. 



The Ruby-throated Hummingbird 

 while not abundant, may be called a 

 fairly common summer resident of this 

 part of Illinois. It does not often ar- 

 rive before May, but its departure in the 

 fall is delayed until the frosts have 

 claimed many victims. It is not of un- 

 usual occurrance to find a Hummer 

 hanging quite dead, to the vines about 

 the residences, after a sharp October' 

 night's frost. 



While it is from the flower-beds of 

 the village yards that we form our ac- 

 quaintance with little "colubris,^^ we 

 must hie to the woods, if we would 

 wish to pry into his family secrets. 



A limited number build their little 

 homes in the vines and shrubs of the 

 towns and in the orchards of the farm 

 yards, but the great majority prefer the 

 deep, dark, silent woods, where they 

 are practically undisturbed. 



The rising sun of June 6, 1900, saw 

 me "to the woods away'' and an hour 

 later I was counting warblers in a fine, 

 old bit of timber in the Salt Fork bot- 

 toms. I noticed a Redstart dart out in- 

 to the open with a Hummingbird in hot 



pursuit "charging bayonets." I thought 

 this action rather suspicious on the 

 whole and particularly so when 1 saw 

 the little charger return to the same 

 vicinity. It was my intention to keep 

 an eye on her,but "there's many a slip" 

 and I lost sight of her suddenly and 

 completely. 



With the hopeless air of one "looking 

 in a strawstack for a needle," I remain- 

 ed quite still. Scanning tne tree tops 

 for that one wee spot where the nest 

 was probably resting and particularly 

 observing the innumerable, good loca- 

 tions where the nest was'nt, I recalled 

 the philosophy of a ten year old Ger- 

 man boy who was wading a swamp with 

 me earlier in the season. I had just ex- 

 amined a likely-looking clump of weeds 

 and remarked that it was a fine place 

 for a yellow-throat's nest. "Oh! lots of 

 good places they is, Mr. Hess," the 

 younster added, "but its not places 

 we're after — its nests." 



Another commotion in the tree-tops 

 gained my attention. This time, a 

 Wood Pewee had ventured too near the 

 Hummer's residence, and he too with 

 surprised and painful cries, beat an ig- 

 nominious retreat. 



For once, 1 was more fortunate and 

 succeeded in locating the tree when 

 little "co^Mftris" returned and disapear- 

 ed. 



Advancing to the tall slender sapling, 

 I struck it lightly with my hatchet and 

 immediately she was in the air, buzzing 

 excitedly. I was now certain I had 

 found the right tree, but was still un- 

 able to locate the nest, until the Hum- 

 mer settled upon it. 



The nest was saddled to a horizontal 

 limb fully twenty-five feet from the 

 ground but while almost invisible from 

 below, the bill and tail of the setting 

 bird could be plainly seen. 



To climb so slender a tree was out of 

 the question, but from a near-standing 

 hickory, I gently bent the sapling by 

 means of a forked pole and safely secur- 



