lIUilMIXa BIEDS. 
9 
ling eye into their innermost recesses ; whilst the 
ethereal motions of its pinions, so rapid and so light, 
appear to fan and cool the flower ^dthout injuring its 
fragile texture, and produce a delightful murmuring 
sound, well adapted for lulling the insects to repose. 
Then is the moment for the Humming Bird to secure 
them. Its long delicate hill enters the cup of the 
flower, and the protruded double-tubed tongue, deli- 
cately sensible and imbued witli a glutinous saliva, 
touches each insect in succession, and draws it from 
its lurking-place to be instantly swallowed. 
“ The prairies, the fields, the orchards and gardens, 
nay, the deepest sliades of the forests, are all visited 
in their turn, and everywhere the little bird meets 
with pleasure and with food. Its gorgeous throat, in 
beauty and brilliancy, balfles all competition; now 
it glows with a fiery hue, and again it is changed to 
the deepest velvety black. The upper parts of its 
delicate body are of resplendent, changing gi’een; 
and it throws itself through the air with a swiftness 
and vivacity hardly conceivable. It moves from one 
flower to 'another like a gleam of light — upwards, 
downwards, to the right, and to the left. In this 
manner it searches the extreme northern portions of 
our country, following with great precaution the 
advances of the season, and retreating with equal care 
at the approach of autumn.”* 
This little bird is seen in great numbers in the 
Canadas, and is said to abound most in the islands 
of the West Indian Archipelago. They have been 
obtained from tlie plains of the Saskatchewan, near 
* Ornithclogical Biography. 
