396 CLASS AVES. 



what M. Badier has said, that this may be replaced by syrup or 

 melted sugar. M. Mondidier has preserved some of these birds 

 from five to six months, by feeding them on a very fine mixture 

 made with biscuit, Spanish wine, and sugar, the substance 

 of which they took by passing their tongue over it. Honey 

 would seem preferable to this aliment. Dr. Latham cites 

 a fact, which, though very singular, rests on the best authority, 

 that humming-birds have not only been brought alive to this 

 country, but a female taken on the nest has hatched her eggs 

 in captivity. — " A yovmg man, a few days before his depar- 

 ture from Jamaica, surprised a female humming-bird, which 

 was hatching ; having caught it, and desiring to procure the 

 nest without injuring it, he cut the branch on which it was, 

 and carried the whole on board ship. The bird became suf- 

 ficiently tame to suffer herself to be fed with honey and water 

 during the passage, and hatched two young ones. The 

 mother, however, did not long survive, but the young ones 

 were brought to England, and continued for some time in 

 possession of Lady Hamond. The late Sir H. Englefield 

 and Hans Sloane Stanley, Esq. both witnesses of the fact, 

 informed the doctor, that these little creatures readily took 

 honey from the lips of Lady H. with their bills ; one of them 

 did not live long, but the other survived at least two months 

 after their arrival.*" 



The doctor also informs us, that General Davies preserved 

 several ruby humming-birds alive, for several months, by feed- 

 ing them on honey, or syrups, or a mixture of raw sugar and 

 water, which he put in the bottom of the calix of artificial 

 flowers, made in the form of a pipe, and whose colours and 

 arrangement approximated to nature as nearly as possible. 



In fine, according to M. d'Azara, Don Pedro de Melo, 

 governor of Paraguay? preserved one of these birds, taken 

 adult, for four months. This bird was so familiar that it 

 knew its master exceedingly well, would bestow caresses upon 

 him, and hovei about him to demand food. Then Don 



