MY HUMMING BIEDS. 



63 



of which they appeared to notice. We moved closer to watch, 

 them to better advantage, and in doing so, changed our relative 

 position to the sun. At once the thing was revealed to me. I 

 caught friend Ruby in the very act of abstracting a small spicier, 

 with the point of his long beak, from the centre of one of those 

 beautiful circular webs of the garden spider, that so abounds 

 throughout the South. The thing was done so daintily that he 

 did not stir the dew-drops which, now glittering in the golden 

 sun, revealed the gossamer tracery all diamond-strung. 



"Hah! we've got your secret, my friends! — Hah! ha, hah!" 



And we clapped and danced in triumph. Our presence did not 

 disturb them in the least, and we watched them catching spiders 

 for half an hour. They frequently came within two feet of our 

 faces, and we could distinctly see them pluck the little spider from 

 the centre of its wheel, where it lies, and swallow it entire. After 

 this we let them out daily, and, although we watched them closely, 

 and with the most patient care, we never could see them touch 

 the spiders again, until the usual interval of about a fortnight 

 had elapsed, when they attacked them again as vigorously as ever 

 — but the foray of one morning seemed to suffice. We also ob- 

 served them carefully, to ascertain whether they ate any other 

 insects than these spiders; but, although we brought them every 

 variety of the smallest and most tender that we could find, they 

 did not notice them at all; but if we shut them up past the 

 time, until they began to look drooping, and then bring one of 

 those little spielers along with other small insects, tbey would 

 snap up the spider soon enough, but pay no attention to the others. 

 We were thoroughly convinced, after careful experiment upon two 

 families of them, that they neither live entirely upon the nectar 

 of flowers— as all the old naturalists supposed— nor upon various 

 small insects in addition to the nectar, as Mr. Audubon asserts. 

 The fact is, they can no more live beyond a certain time— about 

 a fortnight— upon nectar alone, than they can upon air alone, nor 

 do_ I believe that life could be preserved beyond a few days upon 

 spiders alone. 



There is another rather curious observation we made, that so 

 long as the white cup was not dry, for so long they did not con- 

 descend to notice the thousands of flowers by which they were 

 surrounded. We used to starve them a little sometimes for fun, 

 and we then would have to hide, for they would make such a noise 

 if we appeared!— flying close to our faces, pecking gently at our 

 teeth and eyes, lighting on our hair and pecking at it, or on our 

 shoulders pulling at it— until, sometimes, it was almost difficult to 

 tell whether it was more amusing or annoying. At last they would 

 go away with evident reluctance to the garden, and tear up about 



