HUMMING-BIEDS. 575 



upon other limbs all round it, that the prospect of finding it 

 seemed a hopeless one; but 'I'll try, sir,' is my favorite motto. 

 I laid myself down as nearly as possible in the position which I 

 had originally occupied, but, after some twenty minutes' experi- 

 ment, came to the conclusion that my head had been too much 

 confused by the shock of my fall and ducking for me to hope to 

 make much out of this method. Then I went under the tree, and 

 commencing at the trunk with the lowest limb which leaned over 

 the water, I followed it slowly and carefully with my eye out to 

 the extremest twig, noting carefully every thing that seemed like 

 a knot. This produced no satisfactory result after half an hour's 

 trial, and with an aching neck I gave it up in despair, for I saw 

 half a dozen knots, either one of which seemed as likely to be the 

 right one as the other. 



" I now changed my tactics again, and, ascending the tree, I 

 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- 

 ward, 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 for me to gaze 

 on my long-lost treasure, its pure white breast — or throat rather, 

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

 nocent contrast with the splendor of its back, head, and wings." 

 The capture of the little birds which were afterward hatched in 

 that nest served to set at rest the question of the Humming-bird's 

 food. They lived mostly on sirup, 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 al- 

 ways a peculiar character which enables the experienced observer 

 to recognize it. According to Wilson, it is sometimes fixed on 



