388 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE, 
usually at some little distance from the trunk of the tree, commonly saddling 
the nest on a branch an inch in diameter or less. Occasionally it is 
placed in a small fork, and more rarely still in one of the main forks of 
alarge tree. It is built of various soft fibers, mainly or entirely vegetable, 
among others the down from various kinds of ferns, the milkweed down, 
and the silky filaments from different kinds of willows and poplars. These 
are held together largely by spider’s silk, and the whole structure averages 
about one and one-half inches in diameter outside and a little less in depth. 
Internally the cup is about an inch across and a little more than half an inch 
deep. The eggs are invariably two, pure white, with a polish, nearly 
elliptical in shape, and average .50 by .31linches. They are laid, in this lat- 
itude, in June, the date varying somewhat with the season and locality. 
There issome reason to believe that a second brood is reared in August, but 
we have no positive evidence in support of this, except that Mr. B. H. Swales 
found two fresh eggs in the vicinity of Detroit, July 15, 1896, and the late 
R. B. Westnedge found two eggs far advanced in incubation, July 26, 1891, 
at Kalamazoo. The earliest record, furnished by the same collector, is of 
two fresh eggs taken June 3, 1892 in Kalamazoo county, and his notes refer 
to other nests as follows: Fresh eggs June 16 and June 23, 1888, June 10, 
13 and 15, 1891. At Plymouth, Wayne county, J. B. Purdy found nests 
on June 11 and June 18, 1904. 
The parent often betrays the location of the nest by diving at the passerby, 
swooping back and forth past his head like an angry bumblebee. While 
this action does not invariably indicate the proximity of a nest this is usually 
the case. 
Probably the Hummingbird is not particularly valuable on account 
of any service rendered the agriculturist, but it is known to aid in the 
cross-pollination of flowers, and it probably at the same time distributes 
some plant diseases, as has been shown to be the case with pear-blight. 
When visiting flowers with deep tubular corollas, like those of the trumpet 
creeper (Bignonia), it frequently pierces the corolla near the base, thus 
reaching the nectar without being compelled to enter the corolla bodily. 
Its ordinary note is a high-pitched, insect-like chirp repeated many times 
in succession, especially when two birds are chasing each other and when 
two males give battle, as they frequently do. 
Although commonly supposed to be very sensitive to cold, and individuals 
are sometimes found apparently benumbed and unable to fly on very cool 
mornings, yet the bird seems to be in no hurry to move southward in the 
fall, remaining always until after the first of September, and not infrequently 
until the very end of the month. In fact, October records are not particu- 
larly rare; Major Boies records seeing one in October on Neebish Island, 
Y eae Mary’s River, and Swales found several near Detroit on October 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 
Adult male: Upper parts uniform metallic brassy green, as are also the sides and flanks; 
entire chin and throat rich metallic ruby-red ending sharply against the grayish white breast, 
which darkens to dull gray on belly and under tail-coverts; wings purplish brown above; 
tail similar but blacker, forked; bill black; iris dark brown. 
Adult female: Similar above to male, but duller green on head; throat grayish, without 
trace of metallic coloring; rest of under parts dull whitish; tail double-rounded, not forked, 
the middle pair of feathers entirely green, the rest green at base with a broad sub-terminal 
black bar, the three outer pairs tipped with white. Immature birds resemble the adult 
female, but sex is indicated by shape of tail. ‘ 
Length 3.25 to 3.85 inches; wing 1.60 to 1.80; tail 1.20 to 1.25. 
