400 Life and Tmimortality. 
EVIDENCE OF CONJUGAL AFFECTION. 
Male Ilumming-Bird Feeding His Partner, and Ready to Act in Her Defence. 
resentment, flying into the very face of the audacious 
intruder, as though they would pluck his eyes out as a just 
punishment for his presumption and temerity. I have seen 
the nest of a catbird attacked by a black snake, and crushed 
within the folds of the hideous serpent the father-bird, but 
the disaster did not cause the mother-bird to desist from the 
attack, for, utterly oblivious of all else but her offspring 
and the snake, she fought on until the latter was forced to 
glide away into the bushes to escape her infuriated assaults. 
But no species of bird is more courageous in defence of 
its nest than the little ruby-throated humming-bird. It is 
really dangerous to visit the nest when with eggs or young. 
I would as soon attempt to assail the dome-shaped nest of 
our common hornet as that of this humming-bird. It is as 
