24 
HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
the late Mr. Abraham Dee Bartlett, in connec- 
tion with the rearing of the baby hippopotamus 
in 1812: This event created as much public 
sensation almost as the career of the immortal 
" Sally," which also flourished during - the regime 
of Mr. Bartlett at the Gardens. After a long 
life the hippo died a few years ago. 
HUMMING BIRDS AS HOUSE PETS. 
By Mrs. Emerson-Crowell, 
Hayward, California. 
One of the most wonderful of nature's works 
is the "hummers." Its breast covered with iri- 
descent plumage; its wings of gauze hovering 
hither and thither over the bright blossoms in 
search of sweets, hidden in the depths of each 
corolla. When the cup is drained, with a quick 
dart he is away to other fields of luxury. 
I had often wished to companionize them, 
and was so favoured the spring of 1882. While 
my son and myself were in a small grove of 
cypress and gum trees watching birds, we found 
a nest of the Allen's humming-bird (Selasphorous 
alleni) — the young just about ready to fly. I car- 
ried them home in their nest and fed them with 
moistened sugar. After three or four days I 
taught them to thrust their long wiry bills into a 
glass vase filled with syrup made from white 
sugar; which they ate by a rapid thrusting of their 
long thread-like, white tongue, similar to the 
method of a cat drinking milk. Very soon they 
learned to go to their cage and feed themselves, 
and they were allowed to fly about the rooms 
through the day, as screens at the doors and win- 
dows secured them from escaping; they did not 
attempt to get out or fly against the windows, as 
wild birds generally do. 
I soon taught them to come to my call, and 
feed from my lips, or rest on my brush, while 
painting. That recalls an amusing incident that 
happened to one of my pets, being "furiously" 
hungry, he made a dash at a mass of chrome yel- 
low on my palette, which stuck to his bill, and as 
I was hurrying to finish, I did not notice the mis- 
hap until his plaintive peep and fluttering before 
my face attracted my attention. Upon relieving 
the poor little " OMOLINE ORESE" of his super- 
abundance of yellow, he returned his thanks and 
made a hurried dart after a fly. 
I have often seen both making short turns, 
and not stopping until one or the other had made 
captive a fly. Often they would perch upon the 
rounds of my chair, chirping with a squeaky un- 
musical note, as if to let me know of their pres- 
ence. 
When their food was gone they would poise 
themselves in the air close to my mouth and thrust 
their bills between my lips, then fly to their empty 
cup, then back to my mouth, repeating it until I 
answered their demands. Dr. J. G. Cooper, while 
watching their flight one day, remarked that he 
never had known of hummers having been taught 
to gather honey from flowers, and I decided to 
make the experiment. I took some scarlet gera- 
niums and placing them in a vase on the table, 
I called the pets, holding out my brush on which 
they alighted, then placed a drop' of syrup in the 
centre of each blossom, then putting their bills 
in the drops of sweets, which they sipped greedily 
trying each flower hovering in the air as we see 
them out of doors; they did not need a second 
lesson, nor did they forget their instruction. 
When fresh flowers were brought in, there 
was a gleaning without delay. I noticed that the 
scarlet geraniums received first attention, and 
they would perch upon my arm and hover about 
me with evidently more delight when I wore a 
scarlet jacket, showing a preference for the bright 
colours. 
After a few weeks, I noticed one of them on 
a rug where the sun shone, fluttering its wings as 
if wishing for a bath. I gave it a dish of water; 
its feet being so small and the dish so slippery it 
could not stand, I placed a bit of moss in the 
water and putting the wee one on it, it began to 
flutter its wings, sending the water in tiny showers 
and calling its mate to join in the glee. After 
washing, they perched themselves on the centre 
bar of the window in the sunshine, dressing their 
feathers, stretching themselves on their sides 
and acting as though quite well taught, and all 
from bird intuition, as they had never known a 
mother since leaving the parent nest. They were 
very apt in learning and fond of caresses allowing 
me to stroke them and turning their heads to one 
side as if listening to my words. 
My pets were three months old, when a friend 
came to see me, as we sat chatting, the smaller 
one, and brighter of the two, alighted on her 
head, and remained until I called it, and as it flew 
to my lips for sugar, finding none, hastened to its 
cage, as it was alighting, its companion who was 
at the cup, gave it a sharp pick on the head which 
stunned the little fellow, and it dropped to the 
floor. I picked it up and placed it on the perch 
by the food, it would not eat, and seemed dazed 
like, dying on the following day. The remaining 
one went from room to room, calling most pitifully 
for its mate, and refused to eat, and after the 
second day it died. Indeed, I can not tell how 
much we missed our pets, for every day we had 
learned something new and strange in their habits 
and hitherto unknown ways, their happy, chirpy 
notes, quick flights, sporting with each other, 
their morning baths and winsome manner were 
as a golden ray of sunshine to brighten our every 
day life of cares, and I am just human enough to 
say I missed my little friends and mourned for 
them, many and many a summer day. 
Printed by W. J. Hasted & Son (T.U.), 306, Mile End Road, E 1., and Published by J. D. Hamlyn, 221, St. George's 
Street, London Docks, E 1. 
