ETA een Tee ty Cay ete Ee fp See ee Ee, Ce ee eee jad Aa? ~ he Ls Tali er 
oe RE oe, ee Rea inne ET PORT Ie as PITT TE 3 ei 
q , M en ~ a « 
neighborhood, and parents were > brought from many homes | 
to see the treasures. _ 
The courageous soul of the small mother nee have 
been much exercised at the sounds of joy behind the wooden — 
- shutter during the time, (nearly three weeks), that she sat 
brooding her treasures, usually, with dark brown eyes and 
long slender bill facing the window. Her trips away from 
the nest for food or exercise lasted generally but a few 
minutes. Her direct, yet undulating flight, and the way 
' she poised above the eggs as she looked them over, or turned 
them around, on her return, Du apnes that she had been 
filled with anxious thoughts. 
The hour when it was found that one egg had disappear- 
ed and a tiny thing like a soft, black bug had taken its place 
was as good as a holiday, and when the next buggish-looking 
creature lay naked beside its egg, there was but one subject 
_ for lessons and conversation that seemed to be worth while. 
Scarcely a trace of eyes could be found in these infants, and 
not much more than yellow streaks on the mites of heads to 
show where the bills were to grow, but the tiny mother 
knew how to care for them. 
Only a few children were fortunate enough to see the 
feeding process, which is a peculiar and not very attractive 
sight. The baby stomach of a hummer is so made that it 
requires food which has been partly digested; and the 
mother bird not only has to collect insects and sweets for 
herself and young, but she also has to have it soft and warm 
before it is swallowed by her darling. You can make your 
own picture of the narrow needle of a bill of the parent 
placed in the wide mouth of the youngster. It would need 
to be a moving picture if you showed the shrugging of 
- shoulders and body as the infant appetite was satisfied. 
How it escapes being killed each feeding time is one of 
Nature’s puzzles. She is indeed queer and strange, and has 
so many odd ways working out her problems that one who 
pies to understand them has — a new ‘secret to solve. 
171 
