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RURAL HOURS. 
rubytliroat. We liave been repeatedly asked if we bad seen these 
“ small humming-birds.” Their size, the bird-like form of their 
body and tail, the rapid, quivering motion of their wings, their 
habit of feeding on the wing instead of alighting on the flowem, 
are indeed strangely like the humming-bird. Nevertheless, these 
are true moths, and there are, I believe, several species of them 
flitting about our meadows and gardens. The common green po- 
tato, or tobacco- worm, is said to become a moth of this kind ; and 
the whole tribe of hawk-moths are now sometimes called hum- 
ming-bird moths, from these same insects. They are not peculiar 
to this country, but are well known also in Europe, though 
not very common there. Altogether, they are singular little crea- 
tures ; their tongues, Avith which they extract the honey from the 
flowers, just as the humming-bird does, are in some cases remark- 
ably long, even longer than their bodies. One of the tribe is said 
to have a tongue six inches in length, and it coils it up like a 
watch-spring when not using it. 
Saturday, 28</i. — Passed the afternoon in the woods. 
What a noble gift to man are the forests ! What a debt of grati- 
tude and admiration we owe for their utility and their beauty ! 
How pleasantly the shadows of the wood fall upon our heads, 
when we turn from the glitter and turmoil of the world of man ! 
The winds of heaven seem to linger amid these balmy branches, 
and the sunshine falls like a blessing upon the green leaves ; the 
wild breath of the forest, fragrant with bark and berry, fans the 
brow with grateful freshness ; and the beautiful wood-light, neither 
garish nor gloomy, full of calm and peacefid influences, sheds re- 
pose over the spirit. The view is limited, and the objects about 
us are uniform in character ; yet within the bosom of the woods 
