16 
THE HUMMING-BIRD. 
plants, mixed with a few dead leaves ; and the 
outside wall is all of moss. It looks, when it 
is finished, like a little ball, rather pointed at 
the bottom, and the bird makes a cover for it 
like a hood, that hides the hole where she 
enters, and prevents it being seen. Some- 
times she will build her nest in the hollow of 
a tree, or else suspend it to a twig, and let it 
hang in the air, as the tailor-bird does. And 
what you will think very strange, she has 
even been known to fix it to a spider's web ! 
The spiders that live in those hot countries 
are very large and strong, and their webs are 
more like gauze than cobwebs. So the tiny 
nest of the sun-bird, as light as a feather, 
may very well be fixed to one of them without 
breaking the threads. 
Nothing can be more gaudy than these 
brilliant little creatures, that sport about in 
company with the gaily-dressed birds of the 
tropics. And, like most other birds, they put 
on their best attire at that season of the year 
when they choose their partners, and begin to 
think of building their nests. Then, their 
brightest tints are worn ; and they are orna- 
mented with tufts and crests, that afterwards 
