state of the utmost despair,—you could not fail to be impressed with the
deepest pangs which parental affection feels on the unexpected death of a
cherished child. Then how pleasing is it, on your leaving the spot, to
see the returning hope of the parents, when, after examining the nest,
they find their nurslings untouched ! You might then judge how pleasing
it is to a mother of another kind, to hear the physician who has attended
her sick child assure her that the crisis is over, and that her babe
is saved. These are the scenes best fitted to enable us to partake of sorrow
and joy, and to determine every one who views them to make it his
study to contribute to the happiness of others, and to refrain from wantonly
or maliciously giving them pain.
I have seen Humming Birds in Louisiana as early as the 10th of
March. Their appearance in that State varies, however, as much as in
any other, it being sometimes a fortnight later, or, although rarely, a few
days earlier. In the Middle Districts, they seldom arrive before the 15th
of April, more usually the beginning of May. I have not been able to
assure myself whether they migrate during the day or by night, but am
inclined to think the latter the case, as they seem to be busily feeding at all
times of the day, which would not be the case had they long flights to perform
at that period. They pass through the air in long undulations, raising
themselves for some distance at an angle of about 40 degrees, and then
falling in a curve; but the smallness of their size precludes the possibility
of following them farther then fifty or sixty yards without great difficulty,
even with a good glass. A person standing in a garden by the side of a
Common Althaea in bloom, will be as surprised to hear the humming of
their wings, and then see the birds themselves within a few feet of him,
as he will be astonished at the rapidity with which the little creatures rise
into the air, and are out of sight and hearing the next moment. They
do not alight on the ground, but easily settle on twigs and branches, where
they move sidewise in prettily measured steps, frequently opening and
closing their wings, pluming, shaking and arranging the whole of their
apparel with neatness and activity. They are particularly fond of spreading
one wing at a time, and passing each of the quill-feathers through
their bill in its whole length, when, if the sun is shining, the wing thus
plumed is rendered extremely transparent and light. They leave the
twig without the least difficulty in an instant, and appear to be possessed
of superior powers of vision, making directly towards a Martin or a Bluebird
when fifty or sixty yards from them, and reaching them before they
are aware of their approach. No bird seems to resist their attacks, but
they are sometimes chased by the larger kinds of humble-bees, of which
they seldom take the least notice, as their superiority of flight is sufficient
to enable them to leave these slow moving insects far behind in the short
space of a minute.
The nest of this Humming Bird is of the most delicate nature, the external
parts being formed of a light grey lichen found on the branches of
trees, or on decayed fence-rails, and so neatly arranged round the whole
nest, as well as to some distance from the spot where it is attached, as to
seem part of the branch or stem itself. These little pieces of lichen are
glued together with the saliva of the bird. The next coating consists of
cottony substance, and the innermost of silky fibres obtained from various
plants, all extremely delicate and soft. On this comfortable bed, as in
contradiction to the axiom that the smaller the species the greater the
number of eggs, the female lays only two, which are pure white and almost
oval. Ten days are required for their hatching, and the birds raise
two broods in a season. In one week the young are ready to fly, but are
fed by the parents for nearly another week. They receive their food directly
from the bill of their parents, which disgorge it in the manner of
Canaries or Pigeons. It is my belief that no sooner are the young able
to provide for themselves than they associate with other broods, and perform
their migration apart from the old birds, as I have observed twenty
or thirty young Humming Birds resort to a group of Trumpet-flowers,
when not a single old male was to be seen. They do not receive the full
brilliancy of their colours until the succeeding spring, although the throat
of the male bird is strongly imbued with the ruby tints before they leave
us in autumn.
The Ruby-throated Humming Bird has a particular liking for such
flowers as are greatly tubular in their form. The Common Jimpson-weed
or Thorn-apple {Datura Stramonium) and the Trumpet-flower (Bignonia
radicans) are among the most favoured by their visits, and after these,
Honeysuckle, the Balsam of the gardens, and the wild species which grows
on the borders of ponds, rivulets, and deep ravines; but every flower, down
to the wild violet, affords them a certain portion of sustenance. Their food
consists principally of insects, generally of the coleopterous order, these,
together with some equally diminutive flies, being commonly found in their
stomach. The first are procured within the flowers, but many of the latter
on wing. The Humming Bird might therefore be looked upon as an ex