44 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



eagerly. Several times during the afternoon it fed but with no 

 movement of the wings. 



Charles Hopkins, a twelve year old boy, took the bird home 

 that night and I was unexpectedly called out of town for four 

 days. Charles tells what treatment was given to the humming 

 bird for the next six days. 



"The first day of captivity the little bird had a second fright 

 in the journey home in the fish bowl. Soon he gathered 

 strength and flew out of the uncovered bowl to a height of two 

 feet from the table on which it was placed, then fell heavily to 

 the floor his strength being spent. 



"For two days after this little incident, the bird was fed 

 regularly about seven times a day with the sugar and water 

 mixture, sticking out his long tongue but never perceptibly 

 opening his bill. He seemed to enjoy feeding from the depths 

 of a petunia, or gently sucking the end of a cloth-covered tooth- 

 pick dipped in home-made nectar. Soon another article of food 

 was added to his diet, some of the little aphids often found on 

 the stems of asters. 



"From the first he improved rapidly, particularly in the 

 regaining of his equilibrium. Before many days had passed he 

 was able to perch on a toothpick with perfect ease. His wings 

 also increased in strength. The interior of the bowl was a 

 splendid place for him to try wing practice. Often our entire 

 family was startled by a hollow humming noise, better heard 

 than described. Upon inspection he proved to be but moving 

 his wings so rapidly through the air that a humming sound was 

 produced, and made much greater by the shape of the bowl in 

 which he was confined. 



"One afternoon he opened his sharp beak for the first time 

 to a width of half an inch. He seemed to want something to 

 eat which we were unable to give him. His strength increased 

 daily and he made repeated short flights about the room. 

 Perching on a tiny twig after its bath, it hummed continually 

 in its efforts to dry its silky green wings. I took him out among 

 the salvia plants where he was very fond of sipping honey from 

 them with his long beak. The tiny twig which was tightly held 

 by his feet suddenly became very buoyant as his wing move- 

 ments continued. Suddenly I let go of the stick intending to 

 let the humming bird fly to the ground. The twig alone reached 

 the ground for the little bird rose slowly and steadily through 

 the air, looking precisely like a giant green and white bumble 

 bee, with its tail turned straight down to the ground. Present- 

 ly he rested on a twig about twenty feet high where the pleasant 

 humming of his wings could plainly be heard. Here he rested 

 for about five minutes, then suddenly flew like a streak, so fast 

 I lost sight of him. I lingered about the spot for nearly half an 



