HUMMING lilllDS. 559 



stopped with my feet upon each, one of those limbs and looked 

 down along it. It was a very tedious proceeding, but I perse- 

 vered. Knot after knot deceived me, but, at last, when just 

 above the middle of the tree, I caught a sharp gleam of gold and 

 purple among the leaves, and, looking down upon the last limb 

 to which I had climbed, almost lost my footing for joy, as I saw, 

 about three feet out from where I stood, the glistening back and 

 wings of the little bird just covering the top of one of these 

 mysterious knots that was about half the size of a hen's egg. 



" The glancing head, long bill, and keen eyes were turned up- 

 wards, and perfectly still, except the latter, which surveyed me 

 from head to foot with the most dauntless expression. It seemed 

 not to have the slightest intention of moving, and I would not 

 have disturbed it for the world. It was sufficient to me to gaze 

 on my long lost treasure. Its pure white breast — or throat rather, 

 for the breast was sunk in the nest — formed such a sweet and 

 innocent contrast with the splendour of its back, head, and 

 wings." The capture of the little birds which were afterwards 

 hatched in that nest served to set at rest the question of the 

 Humming Bird's food. They lived mostly on sjoTip, but were 

 obliged to fly off and eat the tiny garden spiders as they lay in 

 the middle of their radiating webs. 



The nest of the Euby-throated Humming Bird seems to be 

 rather variable in form and material and situation, but has 

 always a peculiar character which enables the experienced 

 observer to recognise it. According to Wilson, it is sometimes 

 fixed on the upper part of a horizontal branch, as was the case 

 with the nest so graphically described by Mr. Webber. Some- 

 times it is seen actually upon the trunk of a tree, attached to 

 the bark by its side ; and in a few rare instances it has been 

 found in a garden, attached to some strong-staHied herb. Gene- 

 rally, however, the bird selects a white oak sapling if it builds in 

 the woods, and a pear-tree if it prefers the garden. 



The tiny nest is scarcely more than one inch in width and the 

 same in depth, so that its size is very small when compared with 

 that of its occupants, which, when full grown, are more than three 

 inches in total length. The materials of which the nest is made 

 are principally the delicate cotton-like fibres which form the 

 " wings " of certain seeds, such as those of the thistle, and which 

 are so carefully woven together that they form a tolerably stout 



