388 On feeding humming birds during seven summers.


males, but without success ; moreover, had young males been present

they, too, would have been apt to return in later years. This

absence of the males led to noting their scarcity in general, and to

recording in notebook when and where a male at any time was

seen. The entire number seen in the past five years has been six

on our place and six elsewhere. It is impossible to do more than

estimate the number of females that have been seen ; but when it

is remembered that on several days in two summers seven have been

in sight at one time, it does not appear to be an overestimate to

place their number at twelve or fifteen for each year or six times

more of them than of the males.


The simple experiments herein described are such that they

may be tried by anyone having a yard frequented by the rubythroat.

If any one doubts that the female of this species will choose a sac¬

charine diet, when it is available, let him continue the tests until

convinced beyond cavil or a doubt. It is especially desirable that

the experiments be made in proximity to the nesting birds in order

to see if the mother will feed syrup to her nestlings. Sometimes our

catbirds and brown thrashers have come into the porch to the cat’s

plate and taken his bread and milk for their nestlings. Upon this

hint for needed aid I have put bread soaked in milk on the fence

railing for them, and they have taken it also. It is reasonable to

believe that in like manner sweet benefactions proffered to a hard¬

working humming bird mother might be acceptable to her and shared

by her with her nestlings.


Miss Sherman most kindly sent her original article as pub¬

lished in the Wilson Bulletin, No. 85, with permission to reprint

it. By mistake, the first portion was taken from the Smithsonian

Institution version, which w T as not altogether as Miss Sherman

originally wrote, and of which she did not approve.


The continued portion in this month’s magazine is from Miss

Sherman’s article in the Wilson Bulletin, and we are very indebted

to her for her kind permission to publish it, and also to Professor

Lynde Jones, of Oberlin College, Ohio.


Miss Sherman wrote to the Editor: “From ‘The Auk’ I

“ learned that you published in February an article, which related



