THE RUBY-THUOATED HUMMINGBIRD. 197 



instance the nest is placed so that its contents are protected from above by the 

 leaves of the tree or a limb directly over it, and it is rare to find one in a per- 

 fectly open and unsheltered situation. The location of the beautiful little 

 structure certainly shows considerable intelligence on the part of the builder. 



The nests vary somewhat in size and bulk, according to the thickness of the 

 limb or twig on which they are saddled. An average-sized specimen measures 

 about 1 J inches in outer diameter by 1 ^ inches in depth. The inner cup is about 

 an inch in width by five-eighths of an inch in depth. I believe that the female 

 performs about all the labor required in the construction of the nest, the male 

 simply following her around while she is gathering the necessary materials and 

 protecting her, although he may occasionally assist to some extent. As nearly 

 as I can judge, it takes about ten days to complete the structure. 



Mr. H. W. Flint, of New Haven, Connecticut, sends me the following 

 interesting note on this subject: 



"On May 30, 1890, I noticed an interesting fact in connection with this 

 species. I was watching a Downy Woodpecker excavating a home in the top 

 of a lofty maple on the edge of heavy timber, when suddenly a male Hummer, 

 closely followed by his mate, darted toward the trunk of a large oak, at the 

 height of at least 35 feet from the ground, and were immediately attacked by 

 some kind of beetle, which attempted to drive them from the tree. The birds 

 would, after an apparent struggle with the beetle, cling to the trunk of the tree 

 a moment, pull off a bit of lichen, and then suddenly leave the spot like a flash. 

 I watched this pair over two hours before I succeeded in locating the nest, which 

 was at least 10 rods distant, and each time they returned to the tree the beetle 

 met them and fought them off, frequently driving them from the trunk after they 

 had succeeded in alighting. The male showed great anger, and his sharp, rapid 

 chirping was almost incessant while in the vicinity of the tree. The beetle did 

 not attempt to follow the birds, but tried to prevent their alighting upon or 

 approaching the tree. I was very much interested, and can not now understand 

 what was the cause of the antagonism existing between them. The nest, which 

 I afterwards secured, was beautifully decorated, and the eggs somewhat incu- 

 bated, usually the case where the nest is well covered, as much of the exterior 

 decoration is done after the eg'gs are laid, and even after the young are hatched." 



In the Southern States fresh eggs may be looked for during the first two 

 weeks in May, in the vicinity of Washington, District of Columbia, about June 10, 

 and in New England and our Northern States in the latter part of this month or 

 during the first half of July. Two eggs are laid to a set, one every other day, and 

 these are frequently deposited before the nest is more than half completed, the 

 female finishing it gradually after incubation has commenced, and sometimes 

 adding additional lichens on the outside, even after the young have been hatched. 

 Incubation lasts about fourteen days, and the female not only attends to this 

 duty alone, but also appears to care for the young exclusively, which are large 

 enough to leave the nest in about sixteen days. They are born blind, and do 

 not open their eyes until they are about a week old. As soon as incubation 

 commences the male appears to lose all interest in his spouse for the time being, 



