HUMMING BIRD. ^3 



have opened, from time to time, great numbers of these birds ; 

 have examined the contents of the stomach with suitable 

 glasses, and, in three cases out of four, have found these to 

 consist of broken fragments of insects. In many subjects, 

 entire insects of the coleopterous class, but very small, were 

 found unbroken. The observations of Mr Coffer, as detailed 

 above, and the remarks of my worthy friend Mr Peale, are 

 corroborative of these facts. It is well known that the 

 humming bird is particularly fond of tubular flowers, where 

 numerous small insects of this kind resort to feed on the 

 farina, &c. ; and there is every reason for believing that he is 

 as often in search of these insects as of honey ; and that the 

 former compose at least as great a portion of his usual 

 sustenance as the latter. If this food be so necessary for the 

 parents, there is no doubt but the young also occasionally 

 partake of it. 



To enumerate all the flowers of which this little bird is fond, 

 would be to repeat the names of half our American flora. 

 From the blossoms of the towering poplar or tulip tree, 

 through a thousand intermediate flowers, to those of the 

 humble larkspur, he ranges at will, and almost incessantly. 

 Every period of the season produces a fresh multitude of new 

 favourites. Towards the month of September, there is a 

 yellow flower which grows in great luxuriance along the sides 

 of creeks and rivers, and in low moist situations ; it grows to 

 the height of two or three feet, and the flower, which is about 

 the size of a thimble, hangs in the shape of a cap of liberty 

 above a luxuriant growth of green leaves. It is the Balsamina 

 noli me tangere of botanists, and is the greatest favourite with 

 the humming bird of all our other flowers. In some places, 

 where these plants abound, you may see, at one time, ten or 

 twelve humming birds darting about, and fighting with and 

 pursuing each other. About the 20th of September they 

 generally retire to the south. I have, indeed, sometimes seen 

 a solitary individual on the 28th and 30th of that month, and 

 sometimes even in October ; but these cases are rare. About 



