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210 TROCHILUS COLUBRIS. 
that these insects formed no inconsiderable part of their 
food. Mr Charles Wilson Peale, proprietor of the 
museum, tells me, that he had two young 1 humming 
birds, which he raised from the nest. They used to 
fly about the room ; and would frequently perch on 
Mrs Peale’s shoulder to be fed. When the sun shone 
strongly into the chamber, he has observed them dart- 
ing after the motes that floated in the light, as fly- 
catchers would after flies. In the summer of 1803, a 
nest of young humming birds was brought me, that 
were nearly fit to fly. One of them actually flew out 
by the window the same evening, and, failing against a 
wall, was killed. The other refused food, and the next 
morning I could but just perceive that it had life. A 
lady in the house undertook to be its nurse, placed it 
in her bosom, and, as it began to revive, dissolved a 
little sugar in her mouth, into which she thrust its 
bill, and it sucked with great avidity. In this manner 
it was brought up until fit for the cage. I kept it 
upwards of three months, supplied it with loaf sugar 
dissolved in water, which it preferred to honey and 
water, gave it fresh flowers every morning sprinkled 
with the liquid, and surrounded the space in which I 
kept it with gauze, that it might not injure itself. It 
appeared gay, active, and full of spirit, hovering from 
flower to flower as if in its native wilds, and always 
expressed by its motions and chirping, great pleasure 
at seeing fresh flowers introduced to its cage. Num- 
bers of people visited it from motives of curiosity ; and 
I took every precaution to preserve it, if possible, 
through the winter. Unfortunately, however, by some 
means it got at large, and, flying about the room, so 
injured itself that it soon after died. 
. This little bird is extremely susceptible of cold, and, 
if long deprived of the animating influence of the sun- 
beams, droops and soon dies. A very beautiful male 
was brought me this season, [1809,] which I put into a 
wire cage, and placed in a retired shaded part of the 
room. After fluttering about for some time, the wea- 
ther being uncommonly cool, it clung by the wires. 
