108 
WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIEDS. 
It was sufficient delight to me to gaze on my long songhi; 
treasure. Its pure, white breast — or throat, rather — for the 
breast was sunk in the nest — formed such a sweet and inno- 
cent contrast with the splendor of its back, head and wings 1 
This is the most common variety with us, and is about a 
size larger than the scarlet throat. I shall venture to call 
this variety the Emerald Hummer. I could see that this 
wonderful little creature, had not only formed the outside 
of its nest to correspond in shape and size exactly with the 
natural knots on other limbs — ^but had so skilfully covered 
the outside with the same kind of moss which grew upon 
them, that no eye, however practiced, could have discovered 
the deception from beneath. Having gratified my curiosity 
as far as prudent, without running the risk of driving her 
from the nest, I descended cautiously and ran home with the 
news ; and great was the joy thereat between my little play- 
mates and myself. 
Now came the anxious time for us ; we were dying to get 
a sight of the eggs, and yet afraid to disturb the birds. I 
conquered this difficulty at last by patience. I found, after 
watching for several mornings, that they both left the nest on 
warm days about noon, and were gone sometimes near an 
hour. We took this opportunity, and having climbed up 
first, so as to show her, my sister followed — ^the girls used to 
climb like squirrels in Kentucky, in mj young days ! — and 
many were the expressions of childish delight as she peeped 
over and saw those three little eggs — about the size of black- 
eyed peas — lying like snowy pearls,(if not diamonds, as I used 
to expect,) embedded in a fairy case, all lined with cygnet- 
down, or the delicate floss of elfin-hair. We did not touch, 
or even breathe on it, and descended quickty, lest the old 
birds should find us there. 
I was unexpectedly compelled to leave home about this 
time, and my sister promised that she would not disturb the 
nest till my return. After an unexpected detention of two 
weeks, I got back, and the first thing the next morning we 
