164 
THE CA^NADIAN NATURALIST. 
repeatedly alarmed away. Last year^ in the month of Sep- 
tember, I was in the garden one morning, when a female 
humming-bird came, and began sucking the flowers. I im- 
mediately ran into the house for my insect net, but found 
that the bird was gone when I returned : I stationed myself^ 
however, close by the balm flowers, holding the net up in a 
position for striking, that there might be no occasion for any 
previous motion if it should re-appear. I remained perfectly 
still, and presently the bird came again, hovering over the 
flow^ers, and jorobing them with its tongue within tw^o feet of 
me, wdthout any sign of fear. I dashed at it, and succeeded 
in capturing it. I carried it into the house, and held it in 
my hand, admiring its delicacy and beauty. It would lie 
motionless in my hand, feigning death, then suddenly dart 
off like an arrow tow^ards the window, strike against the 
glass, and fall, and lie motionless as before. I at length 
killed it, not without regret ; and having taken out the eyes 
and viscera, stuffed it with cotton, imbued with a solution of 
corrosive sublimate, which preserved it pretty well. 
C. — I have read of humming-birds having been tamed, 
but I do not know whether they were of this species. 
F, — The most interesting anecdotes of the ruby-throat 
which I have read, were published in a Quaker publication 
of Philadelphia, called The Friend." The correspondent 
says, Sometime in the seventh month of the present year 
[1834], one of my family caught a small humming-bird, 
which appeared quite debilitated for want of food. We pre- 
sented it with some sugar and cream mixed together, which 
it sucked up with avidity ; after which it was restored to 
liberty. In the course of a short interval, it again made its 
appearance, was taken in the hand, and a mixture of sugar 
made into the consistence of a syrup, was poured into the 
corolla of a trumpet honeysuckle, from which it eagerly ex- 
tracted it. From that time forward it became quite familiar. 
