Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-03-21

before one could leel the leabt nollOn III bHem
Finally, to our great joy, we felt brisk little
kick, and then autter OF wings, and then
determined peck Of the beak, which showed that
there was sone bird left in him yet and that he
meant ut any rate to ind out where he was.
Enclosing our hands Il small space, out popped
the little head with pair oil round brilliant
eyes. Then we bethought ourselves of feeding
him, and forthwith prepared him stiff 6 lass
Of sugar and water drop of which we held to
his bill Aitor turning bis head attentivey,
ike bird who knew what he was about and
did D t mean 70 be chatfed he briskly put out
long flexible tongue slightly iorked az the end,
and licked of the comfortable beverage with
great relish. Immediately he was pronounced
out OF danger by the small humane society which
had undertaken the charge OF hls restoration,
and we Legan TO cast about for getting him
settled establishment in our apartment.
gave up my work box to him for a sleeping
room, and It was medically ordered that he
should take nap So We filled the box with
cotton, and he was formally put to bed with
folded cambrlc handkerchief round his neck to
keep him from beating his wings. Out of the
white wrappings he looked forth green and
grave as any judge, with bis briget round eyes.
Like a bird ol discretion, he seemed TO under
stand what was being done to him, and resigned
himself senslbly to 70 TO sleep.
The box was covered with sheet OF paper
perforated with holes for the sake OF ventilation
lor even hummng-birds have little p ir OF
lungs, and need their own little portion OF air
TO FL them, 80 that they NAV make briget scar
let little drops Of blood to keep life's fire burn
Ing 10 their tiny bodies Our birds lungs man-
uiactured brilliant blood, us we found out by
experience for IN his first nap he conIriyed to
nestle himself into the cotton OF which his bed
was made, and 10 get more Of It than was needed
into bis long bill. Wepulled 1t outas carefully
as We could, but there came out oil his bill two
round, bright, scarlet little drops OF blood
Our chief medical authority looked grave, pro-
n0uneed probable hemorrage from the lungs,
and gave him over at once We, less scientific,
declared that we had only cut his little tongue
by drawing out the hlamenH of cotton, and
that he would be well enough in tme,-as it
afterwards appeared be did for from that day
there wa no more bleeding. la the curse Of
the second day be began to take short flights
about the room, though be seemed to prefer TO
return 70 US -perchlng on our fingers or hca
or shoulders, and sometimes choosing to sitting
this way for half an hour at time. These
great giants he seemed TO say TO himself, srs
not so bad people after all they have com
Portable way with them now nicely they have
dried and warmed me Truly bird might DO
worse than to live with them. -
So be made up his mind to form iourth in
the little company Of three that usually sat and
read, worked and sketched, in that apartment.
and we chris,ened him Hum, the son Of Bus.
lie became an individuality, 3 character, whose
dongs formed part Of every letter, and some
extracts from these vii show what some of his
little ways were
Hum has learned to cit upon my finger, and
eat bis sugar and water out Of 8 teaspoon with
most Christian-like decorum. lie has but one
weakness,-he will occasionally Jump into the
Gpoon aud cit in his sugar and wafer, and then
appear to wonder where i goes to. His plum
age is in rather a drabbled state owing to these
performances | have sketohed him as be sat
to-day perched on q bit OF SpiTsl which |
brought in for him. When absorbed in reaec-
sion, he sits with his bill straight up in the air,
as have drawn him. Mr.. A reads Macauey
to US, aud you should soe the wlse air with
which, perched on Jennys thumb, he cooked
his head FIRST on one side and then on the other,
apparently listening with most critical attention.
HIS confidence in US seems unbounded he lets
US stroke his head, smooth his feathers, without
Hutter, and is never better pleased than sitting
Us he has been doing all this while, on my hand,
turning up his bill, and watching my face with
great edihcatl0n.
have just been having sort Of maternal
struggle to make him 20 to bed in his box /; bat
he evidently considers himself sufficiently con-
yaescent to make a stand for his rights as
av,A kaA tnd 10 nf b.,
wrappings, and set himself up to roost on the
edge Of hs box, with an air worthy of a turkey,
at the very least. Having brought in lamp,
he has opened his eyes round and wide, and sits
cooking his little head at me relectively."
When the weather cleared away and the sun
came out bright, Hum became entirely well,
and seemed resolved to take the measure OF his
new life with US. Our windows were closed in
the lower part Of the sash by frames with mos
quito gauEe, so that the sun aud air found free
admission, and yet our little rover could not
pass out Ga the first sunny day he took an
exact survey Of our apartment from ceiling to
floor, hummjng about, examining every point
with his bill, ,-ail the oreyces, mouldings, each
little indentatiOn in the bed-poSts each window
pane, each chair and sand and, as it was
very simply furnished seaside apartment, his
scrutiny was soon flushed. We wondered, ct
first, what this was all about but, on watching
him more closely, we found that he was actively
engaged getting his living by darting out his
long tongue hither and thither, and drawing in
all the tiny flies aud insects which in summer
time are to be foand in an apartment. In short
We found that, though the nectar Of the flowers
was his dessert, yet he ha6 his roast beef and
mutton chops to look alter, and that his bright,
brilliant blood was not made out of simple
vegetarian diet Very shrewd and keen he was
TOO, in measuring the size ot insects before he
attempted to swallow them. The smallest class
was whisked off with lightning speed but about
larger ones he would sometimes whirl and hum
for some minutes dartng hither and thther,
and suHeylng them warlly and If satisfied
shat they could be carried he would come down
With quick, central dart that would finish the
unfortunate with snap The larger dies seemed
to irritate him, especially when they lnIlmated
to him that his plumage was sugery, by ssttlng
ON his wings and tail when he would Law
about him spitefully, welding his bill like
sword A grasshopper that strsyed ia, and
seated himself ON the window seat, gave him
great discomposure. Hum evidently considered
him as an intruder, and seemed to long to make
a dive at him but, with Characteristic prudence
confined himself to threatening movements which
did not exactly hit. lie saw evidently that he
could not swallow him whole. and what might
ensue from trying him peecomeal he wisely for
bore 10 essay.
Hum had his own iavorite places and parches.
From the fret day he chose for bis nightly roost
a towel line which had been drawn across the
corner over the vash.stand where be every night
established himself with one claw ia the edge Of
the towel and the other olaspirg the line, and,
pf l.. A. al AL H. IL.