27 



NAME- 



Ruby Throated Hummingbird 

 (Archilochus colubris) 



A.O.U»ftO». - kZS 



DATE - July 6, 1935 



SIZE - 0.4-9 x 0.34- 



INCUBATION- 



Fresh 



SITUATION- 



a very warm afternoon in 



midsummer, just over a hundred yards from our 

 house, I spotted the nest of this gorgeous 

 little bird on a horizontal limb of a Beech 

 tree about 15 feet from the trunk of the tree 

 which was about 18" in diameter at the level 

 of that supporting limb. The exquisite little 

 nest - which looked from the ground like a 

 natural knot on that particular limb- was 

 also about 15 feet from the ground. 



I was about to give up on the 

 possibility of securing the nest and eggs 

 when I went home and came back with 50* of 

 i inch Manila rope and a fine hand saw. I was 

 able to stand on a larger and lower lim so 

 that the rope could be snugly tied to support 

 most of the weight of the limb by tying the 

 rope well above the nest limb. By holding the 

 butt of the limb so it would not roll, cutting 

 it free at the tree, and then carefully inch- 

 ing the limb toward me, I was able to collect 

 the nest and eggs intact. However, in blowing 

 the second egg later, I dropped it and so 

 have only one egg of this species. 



As expected, the nest was a 



true masterpiece of camouflage and beauty. It 



was firmly held to the limb with spider silk 



which also seemed to hold the soft down and 



fibers of the wall of the nest together. The 



outside was covered with large and small, gray 



and bluish-green lichens; while the inside cup 



was lined with soft plant down. The two pure 



white eggs were fresh and almost translucent. 



The nest, measured , about 2" high, and in total 

 diam., w|Ig e ||}side aiam. was & aboux t ana 



