hummingbirds which are more than 

 (ordinarily brilliant and glittering." 



Major Charles Bendire in his "Life 

 Histories of North American Birds," 

 records an interesting observation of Mr. 

 A. W. Anthony regarding the hatching 

 of an Anna's Hummingbird. These 

 words probably well describe the process 

 followed by all the species. 



Writing in regard to a set of eggs 

 which he had collected, he says : "I was 

 somewhat disgusted to find one of the 

 eggs pipped and, realizing the difficulty 

 of making a presentable specimen of it, 

 was on the ~point of throwing it away 

 when a movement on the part of the 

 tiny creature within the shell suggested 

 to my mind that I hatch the egg and find 

 out for myself how baby hummingbirds 

 come into the world. So far there was 

 but a pin point broken, the rest of the 

 shell being intact ; and it was several 

 minutes before the warmth of my hand, 

 aided by my breath, produced another 

 movement upon the part of the prospect- 

 ive hummer ; first a feeble struggle, fol- 

 lowed by an interval of rest ; another 

 squirm and the point of the bill came in 

 view and was withdrawn ; after a mo- 

 ment's rest a new system was adopted, 

 which consisted of turning around in the 

 shell from right to left and cutting a 

 clean, smooth opening with the sharp, 

 horny tip on the upper mandible ; this 



operation was evidently hard work and 

 required all the strength of the little 

 mite, and frequent rests were necessary to 

 recruit. Sometimes an interval of twist- 

 ing seemed to accomplish nothing, and 

 it would look as if all its struggles would 

 be in vain. I wondered whether the 

 parent would not render a little much- 

 'needed assistance at this stage ; but after 

 an interval of rest the work would be 

 continued with renewed vigor and an- 

 other millimetre cut toward the outer 

 world. The cutting was all done in the 

 same direction. When the shell had been 

 [cut four-fifths around, the chick succeed- 

 ed in getting one claw hooked over the 

 edge of the break, and by one or two 

 vigorous pushes broke the remaining 

 ,shell, leaving in my hand two nearly 

 equal parts of what had been a hum- 

 mingbird's egg and a squirming some- 

 thing that bore no semblance whatever 

 'to one of the peerless members of the 

 genus Calypte." The entire operation, 

 which added another individual to Amer- 

 ica's beautiful family of birds, required 

 but fifteen minutes of time. The energy 

 and perseverance of the little mass of 

 flesh was a hint of that pugnacious dis- 

 position that would be so striking a char- 

 acteristic when it became fully grown 

 and clothed with its resplendent metallic 

 plumage. 



LONGING. 



O, for the woods and fields and streams, 



For flowers wild and squirrels shy — 

 For birds whose sunlit plumage gleams, 



For sight of clear, unhidden sky! 



For grasses green, for springs and marsh, 



For mountain paths and tramps o'er hills 

 Where nothing sinful — nothing harsh — 



The sweetening song of Nature stills! 



Lloyd Thompson. 



54 



