FEATHERED ARTISTS 5 



Once having selected a place for his home, he sets 

 to work to collect the material. And when the task 

 is completed, everything — from Mr. and Mrs. Ori- 

 ole to the swinging, aerial nest — ^harmonises per- 

 fectly. How picturesque to see this little palace 

 swinging in the air filled with four tiny babies ! 



No class of artists excels the himiming-birds. 

 Their nests are wonders of beauty, delicacy, and 

 architecture. A friend of mine. Miss Warner, has 

 one of these treasures which she values very highly. 

 It is a nest of the ruby-throated humming-bird, and 

 is snugly built upon a tiny grey apple bough. The 

 material used is the most delicate plant down and 

 dried flower petals held together with silvery spi- 

 der's web. The outside is exquisitely decorated 

 with greyish- white lichens, whUe the inside is Hke a 

 silver-lined baby's thimble. It resembles nothing 

 so much as a small thimble-like knot on an apple 

 bough. What an art palace for the little birds I 



Humming-birds are artists not only in the mak- 

 ing of their homes, but in their care of dress as 

 well. The pufF-legs wear the daintiest muffs of 

 cottony down, of white, black, buff, or brown, ac- 

 cording to the species. The glowing puff-leg is 

 the most beautiful. Its tail feathers are so daz- 

 zling in their beauty and wonder, that it has never 

 been excelled, if ever equalled, by bird, flower, or 



