51 



resemble a knot. It was about the 

 size of a large hickory nut, an inch 

 high, and constructed of cotton 

 and hair. It contained two white 

 eggs about the size of a common 

 snap bean." 



The Hummingbird is very passion- 

 ate and courageous, and will attempt 

 to drive off other species many times 

 its own size; it also quarrels with 

 members of its own species — fierce 

 contests between the males are of fre- 

 quent occurence. Nor does it hesitate 

 to attack even mankind when its nest 

 is approached. When excited it 

 makes a peculiar sound and some- 

 times utters squeaking notes like a 

 mouse. 



The following item from an 

 American paper illustrates the 

 pugilistic disposition of this species 

 and the fatal end to which it some- 

 times leads. "A mortal combat 

 between a humming bird and a 

 bumble bee in a flower garden, was 

 witnessed Sunday morning.. The 

 bird was gathering its breakfast of 

 honey from a bunch of lilies, when 

 it dipped its long bill into a blossom 

 occupied by a bumble-bee, and the 

 enraged insect immediatly flew out 

 to battle. Two or three slight col- 

 lissions, hardly occupying as many 

 seconds followed, and then the 

 hummingbird with the tiniest note 

 of pain darted off and dropped dead 

 in the grass not five yards away. 

 It had evidently been stung to 

 death." 



When not disurbed in its recrea- 

 tions about the garden the humming 

 bird becomes quite fearless and will 

 even enter houses to feed on flowers 

 placed in the windows. 



Towards the latter part of August 

 it again departs from this country 

 for the w r armer regions of the trop- 

 ics, where with many others of its 

 race it passes that season when drift- 

 ing snow and piercing frost hold 

 domain in northern climes, and to 

 these it returns when winters reign 



is. over. Thus the short life of the 

 Humming bird is passed in an un- 

 broken summer "where verdant 

 spring unceasing reigns, and flowers 

 forever bloom." 



Listowel, Ontario, Ca. 



A Queer Necklace. 



Mr. W. E. Curtis of the South 

 American commission has given 

 Tiffany & Co., of New York, an ex- 

 tremely queer order. It is nothing 

 more or less than a necklace of 

 Mummy Eyes. Mr. Curtis sent, 

 with the order, a few dozen little 

 objects which looked like brown 

 amber, and very much resembling 

 a new shade of opal. 



Mummies are very plenty in Peru, 

 and in place of the human eye, the 

 native embalmers used the eye of a 

 fish, with a long latin name. The 

 human eye decayes very rapidly and 

 the eye of this fish, after being 

 hardened, takes its place and gives 

 a very natural look to the face, 

 which was the great object of em- 

 balming. 



These eyes look like very fine 

 brown amber and shine with a dull 

 lustre like an opal without fire. 



Tiffany & Co. were obliged to 

 polish the eyes, and strange to say, 

 several of the men who were at 

 work on them became suddenly ill. 

 Some person went so far as to ac- 

 cuse the innocent mummy eyes of 

 being the cause of it. 



It is stated that the necklace is 

 very pretty and will last a long- 

 time if kept dry. 



Timothy Hayseed. 



