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Bird - Lore 



was said to range only as far west as 

 Michigan. The illustration in the 'War- 

 blers of North America' is identical with 

 my observation of this bird. — Hugo H. 

 Schroder, Bettendorf, Iowa. 



Hummingbird Photography 



The accompanying photographs of a 

 Ruby-throat feeding at a wild bergamot 

 give an approximately accurate idea of the 

 speed of the bird's wing-beat. The first 

 picture was taken with an exposure of 

 1/750 of a second. In it the beat was 

 faster than the shutter and the outline of 

 the wing is blurred. In the other photo- 



■~^ 



HUMMINGBIRD PHOTOGRAPHED IN 



1-750 OF A SECOND 



Photographed by H. H. Beck and V. E. Dippell 



graph the shutter, at i/iooo of a second, 

 is obviously quicker than the beat, for 

 the wing is perfectly clear in outline. 



The photographs were taken at Mt. 

 Gretna, Pa. — Herbert H. Beck and 

 Victor E. Dippell, Lancaster, Pa. 



Interlopers 



There is a porch on the front of my house, 

 which, in warm spring and summer 

 weather, I always enjoyed. There I took 

 my work, sewing or writing as the case 

 might be, and spent many profitable and 



healthful hours. This year all is changed. 

 My place has been usurped and I am afraid 

 to go near my favorite seat for fear of 

 being insulted or scolded. These usurpers 

 are a pair of Phoebes which have built their 

 nest directly over the front door, and 

 they fully believe that the surrounding 

 property belongs to them and to them 

 alone. Each time that I come to the 

 door, they perch on a beam and use 

 the strongest kind of language. If that 

 does not succeed in driving me away, 

 they make short flights at me and snap 

 their beaks, hoping that in some miracu- 





HUMMINGBIRD PHOTOGRAPHED IN 



1-1000 OF A SECOND 



Photographed by H. H. Beck and V. E. Dippell 



lous manner they may catch me as they 

 do a moth. 



When we first came to the farm, in 

 the early spring, I did not realize that our 

 porch had tenants. I went gaily in and 

 out until an uneasy feeling of being watched 

 made me turn, and I saw, sitting on a 

 branch only a few feet away, two gray- 

 breasted birds gazing reproachfully at me. 

 That was before the scolding period. At 

 once I saw the nest and knew that the 

 little eggs must be getting cold. I could 

 not be responsible for murder, so I left 

 the porch to my tenants and only on rare 



