OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 49 



twenty were counted in the air over the valley, and on the 23d 

 day forty-two were observed. They were departing, for thej^ 

 were the last seen that season. While in half of the years the 

 last record for the season has been in late August, in the other 

 half the records have extended to the 4th, loth, nth, and 13th 

 of September respectively, the latest occurring in 1906. These 

 latest records have also consisted of three individuals. 



82. Archilochus colubris. Ruby-throated Humming- 

 bird. 



A not uncommon summer resident. Birds are seen through- 

 out the region. One or two pairs visit the flower gardens of the 

 Highland constantly, and individuals come to the w^oodbine on 

 the home porch. Certain points by the wayside, w^here we have 

 repeatedly seen a bird perching, have become interesting as show- 

 ing the fixedness of choice of perch. For several seasons one 

 was seen on a certain section of the telephone wire in Randolph 

 almost as frequently as we drove that way. Another has been 

 regularly seen for tw^o or three seasons past on the tip of a small, 

 dead, deciduous tree beside the Jefferson Notch road two miles 

 or more within the forest, where clearings have been made. 

 This tip has held the bird time and time again, when we have 

 passed over the road. I have sometimes seen a hummingbird 

 resting, indeed asleep, for some minutes in the middle of the 

 day on a bush by an open spring on our place. On one occasion, 

 when I had gathered a bunch of sweet peas in the garden, a 

 hummingbird came in his usual hurried visit to the row and 

 lit upon the bunch in my hand, repeating this several times and 

 making no discrimination between the plucked and the growing 

 flowers. 



While according to six years' records the latest bird has 

 been seen between September 15 and 19, in five other years the 

 records have extended later, namely, three times to the 21st 

 daj^, once to the 27th, in 1905, and once to the 28th day, 1907. 



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