My Humming Birds and how I obtained them. 109


how long' a Humming Bird can fly in wild life without alighting, but I

do know that it is nothing for him to keep on the wing, under the

above conditions, for half-an-hour and more. However, these and

other difficulties counted as little against the joy of observing the

little hummers’ progress. After two days, all without exception

would eat from the feeder if the latter were just offered to them,—

for such was the next step to actual hand-feeding,—and after less

than a week all ate heartily and of their own accord. Of course,

there were the usual losses inseparable from the importation of

wild birds, the weaker ones dying in sad though speedy succession ;

but on the whole more than half soon settled down and could be

pronounced as saved. Meanwhile, we had reached and passed the

Azores: the weather became colder each day, necessitating the

constant use of the radiator in the room ; the wind and sea rose

higher and higher, until, when a day off Santander, we encountered

the worst storm of the journey, which went on steadily gaining' in

violence for the final three or four days. Days of helpless, silent

misery, during which the cages had to be lashed around the walls of

the cabin, whilst the vessel heaved in and out of the mountainous

seas, burying her nose among rollers that broke on our deck, over

the bridge, with an infernal and incessant roar. But the little

birds did not mind at all : in fact, they seemed not to notice the

motion or noise; they continued feeding', humming and buzzing

through the storm quite unconcernedly. At last, about the second

half of March, after a crossing of some ten days from Guadeloupe,

we reached our port of destination. A motor, which awaited us at

the docks, conveyed the cages, carefully wrapped up in thick

flannels and warmed by several hot-water bottles, to a heated and

reserved compartment in the train; our troubles were over, and

success achieved so far.



(To be continued ).



