C 242 ) 



has as yet ever heard to fing ; but I myfelf have 

 heard a female one whittle notes exceeding fhrill and 

 difagreeable. This bird has an extremely ftrong 

 and an amazingly rapid flight ; you behold him on 

 fome flower, and in a moment he will dart upwards 

 into the air almoft perpendicularly j it is an enemy 

 to the raven, and a dangerous one too. I have 

 heard a man worthy of credit affirm, that he has 

 feen one boldly quit a flower he was fucking, lance 

 himfelf upwards into the air like lightning, get un- 

 der the wing of a raven that lay motionlefs on his 

 extended wings at a vaft height, pierce it with his 

 his fting, and make him tumble down dead, either 

 of his fall or the wound he had received. 



The oifeau mouche felects fuch flowers as are of 

 the ftrongeft fcent, and fucks them, always hop- 

 ping about at the fame time ; he, however, alights 

 now and then to reft himfelf when we have an op- 

 portunity of beholding him at our leifure. Some 

 of them have been kept for fome time, by feeding 

 them with fugar- water and flowers ; i formerly 

 kept one of them for twenty- four hours ; he fuffer- 

 ed himfelf to be taken and handled, and counter- 

 feited himfelf dead ; the moment I let him go, he 

 flew away, and continued fluttering about my win- 

 dow. I made a prefent of him to a friend, who 

 found him dead the next morning, and that 

 very night there was a little froft. Thus thefe di- 

 minutive animals are extremely watchful to prevent 

 the firft advent of cold weather. 



/ There is great reafon to think, that they retire 

 to Carolina, where we are aflured they are never 

 feen but in winter ; they make their nefts in Cana- 

 da, where they fufpend them on the branch of fome 

 7 tree 



