Begging for food. 
began to fly about me anxiously. We 
played a game of hot and cold, until it be- 
came evident that the nest must be in a cer- 
tain low apple tree which had many dead, 
lichen-covered branches. Some of these 
came down nearly to the ground, and for 
quite a while | stood by the tree, running 
my eyes along each branch in order, trying 
to make out the nest, while the female kept 
darting frantically at my head. It must 
have been nearly a quarter of an hour before 
I discovered that | was standing almost 
touching the nest with my hands, having 
been looking right over it all the time. It 
contained two fresh eggs, this being in the 
early part of June. The branch upon which 
it was built was completely overgrown with 
lichens, and the nest, being covered with 
them, too, was wonderfully disguised, 
though there were no leaves to hide it. 
334 
One day in July a little girl came run- 
ning in to tell us that she had found a 
hummer’s nest in the orchard. It was 
placed on a low branch, about breast high 
from the ground, and contained but one 
egg. The little mother darted about, 
alighting here and there on slender twigs 
as | examined the nest. When I withdrew 
a few yards, the little mother would 
quickly return to her duty. It was a 
beautiful sight to see her enter the nest. 
She did not perch upon the edge, but hoy- 
ered over it, and, with wings speeding like 
the wheel of a dynamo, she would then 
drop right into her little cup just as a 
piece of thistle-down might have settled 
upon it, lightly and airily, making one of 
the prettiest bird-sights that I have ever 
seen, 
Evidently it was a fine chance to photo- 
ob 
