Bird Notes from Far and Near. 
141 
Bil-b Motes from jfau anb Meau. 
Humming Birds as House Pets (Mrs. Emerson-Crowell, 
California). One of the most wonderful of nature's works is the 
"hummer." Its breast covered with iridescent plumage; its 
wings of gauze hovering hither and thither over the bright 
blossoms in search of sweets, hidden in the depths of each 
corolla. When the cup is drained, with a quick dart he is away 
to other fields of luxur}'. 
I had often wished to conipanionize them, and in the 
spring of 1882 my son and I found a nest of Allen's Humming 
^'\v<\^{Selasphorusalle7ii), with the young just about ready to fly. 
I carried them home and fed with moistened sugar they 
were soon taught to thrust in their bills into a glass filled with 
syrup .... soon they learned to go to their cage and feed them- 
selves, tliey were allowed to fly about the rooms through the day, 
as screens at the doors and windows prevented their escaping . . . 
very soon they would come to my call and feed from my lips. . . . 
I have often seen both making short turns, and not stop until 
one or other made captive a fly. . . . When their food was gone 
they would poi.se themselves in the air close to my mouth and 
thrust their bills between my lips, then fly back to their empty 
cup, then back to my mouth, repeating it until I answered their 
demands .... they were taught to gather honey from flowers, by 
putting some scarlet geraniums in a vase on the table, I called 
my pets, holding out my brush on which they alighted, then 
placed a drop of syrup in the centre of each blossom, then putting 
their bills in the drops of sweets, which they sipped greedily, 
trying each flower hovering in the air as we see them out of doors 
.... there was no need to repeat the lesson, for whenever flowers 
were brought into the room there was a gleaning without delay 
.... They were very apt in learning and fond of caresses, allow- 
ing me to stroke them and turning their heads to one side as if 
listening to my words .... There is a sad ending to this charm- 
ing little story .... when about three months old, the smaller 
and brighter of the two alighted on the head of a friend and 
remained there till I called it, and as it flew to my lips for sugar, 
finding none, hastening to its cage; as it was alighting, its 
