MY HUMMING BIRDS. 
109 
were on our way, with many misgivings, to visit our treas- 
ures. 
I climbed tlie tree, and to my infinite astonishment, two 
birds entirely filled the nest, and in such full size and per- 
fect plumage that I thought I must have come too late, and 
that these were the old ones. They looked at me as boldly as I 
have seen young eagles look unflinchingly, on the intruder 
into their eyrie. I determined to attempt the capture, at 
any rate, and reached my hand towards them with a gradual 
and almost imperceptible movement. They watched its ap- 
proach with no sign of fear, and when I had approached it 
within an inch one of them boldly pecked at it, as it de- 
scended, gently covering them as they sat. I shouted for 
joy. 
" I have them ! I have them !" and then such dancing 
and clapping of hands as there was below. 
" Hurry ! hurry, brother ! I want to see them. I want 
to see ! I want to see !" 
For a wonder, I got down without breaking my neck. 
I had, with slight violence, taken the nest, with the birds, 
from the limb entire. They made not the slightest effort 
to escape, nor did they seem in the least frightened. We 
hurried away, lest we should witness the sufferings of the 
bereaved pair, whom we had thus ruthlessly robbed of home 
and young. 
The first thing on reaching the house, with our captives, 
was to try our nectar, of the home-made manufacture, upon 
the young strangers, who instantly paid us the compliment 
of recognizing its merits in a hearty draught, which seemed 
to set them perfectly at ease with the world and with them- 
selves. They now left the nest, and perched upon our fin- 
gers with the most lovely confidence, and we saw that they 
were actually fiill plumed — though I doubt if they had yet 
attempted to use their wings abroad. They seemed to take 
the sudden change in their surroundings with a most con- 
summate people-of-the- world sort of air — just as if they had 
