on feeding humming birds during seven summers. 383


humming bird would eat a teaspoonful of sugar in one day. Some

method of testing this estimate was sought, resulting in a plan for

putting the bottles beyond the reach of the ants that swarmed about

them. The stick that supported the artificial nasturtium and tiger

lily was nailed to a block of wood which was submerged in a flower

pot filled with water. For a short time this arrangement served

very well, until leaves and flower petals fell in, forming rafts upon

which the ants were able to cross. No myrmecolog'ist was at hand

to suggest a remedy, but at last the aversion of ants to kerosene was

recalled, and the water was covered with a film of kerosene, which

effectually debarred them. Nevertheless, one day the ants were

found taking the syrup as of old. An examination of existing con¬

ditions showed that a grass stem had lodged against the supporting

stick, forming a bridge over which these wise little creatures were

busily passing to and fro. Except when the bottles were isolated in

this manner ants of various sizes and different colors fed constantly

on the syrup, often crowding a bottle to its very mouth, but this did

not prevent the birds from drinking. I am not prepared to say that

they never took an ant as food, but I have stood as closely as is

possible to a bottle while a humming bird was drinking from it, and

none was taken at such times. When a new bottle was placed, or

the old ones were set out in the spring and filled, it took from one to

two days for the ants to find the syrup. A small red species generally,

if not always, was the ant to make the discovery, the fruits of which

it enjoved for a very brief season, a large black ant soon taking

possession and holding the spoils for the rest of the summer.


The bottles, having been removed from the encroachments of

the ants, were ready for the first test. One bird being the sole

boarder at that time, a level teaspoonful of sugar dissolved in water

was consumed by her daily. In time, two, three, four, and five

humming birds having joined her, the quantity of sugar was increased

accordingly, a spoonful or two being added to offset any possible

waste. In this way more than a pound of sugar was eaten in 20

days, or, to be more exact, three cupfuls, weighing 9,252 grains,

which made an average of 462 grains per day. This for the six birds

frequently counted as present confirmed the first rough estimate of a

teaspoonful of sugar daily for each bird.



