The Osceola times., 1880-10-02
HUMMING BIRDS.
A Pretty Cshapter About the Dainty Littis
Creatures.
sation.

Joel Benton in the Christian Union.
A glowing circle of balm now in flower
IS at this time a grea'ercenter Of ofaNraction
for the humming birds which come here
from early morning, and go westward
and return again at frevqent in.ervils,
until after nightiall. ! hardly get seated
at my open window before l hear
buzzing, amost thudding sound as If a
boy were at hand with tin wheel on a
string, which he pulls so as to make the
wheel swiftly revolye. But close look
reveals much more animated mechan-
ism than that. There is nothing dainter
or prettier TO be seen than the color,
motions and enthusiasm of the humming
bird when he is taking his repast. A
little glossy, throbbing piece of vlvacity
sitting on the air with his feet curled
tightly III, and bouyant as a feather,
moving at his sweet, fleet will from one
tubular flower to another, and ms
LIQUID eve shining afar. Waves of shit
ing blue sweep over the glossy green
black, in each angle Of .he sunlight, CIV
ing the effect Of Il suddenly transformed
drapcry, and when he turns to you in
front, his red gorget, or throat-piece,
glistens with redness of the flame like
flower he salutes. His molten is so sur
passingly swift | can think Of no winged
motion like it. The bees would be put
out Of breath to keep up with him.
The female bird of this specie (trochi-
Ius colubris the ruby-throatcd dis
pcnscs with the red neckerchief. and it is
said the young birds do not have 1t. In
the autumn the males in the young brood
get touch of red color, but it is not un-
til the following spring that the throat
has its utmost DriIiancy. Yesterday
both heads Of the family dropped down
upon the little balm patch, and | saw
that the female was much more demure
and less aggressive character than her
gay lord. In size she is a tritle smaller
The wings Of both, when used to buoy
them up, seem more like IA fine mist or
vapor than like some fabric; gauze is not
and woven spider would not, be half so
aerial.
If you watch these birds long you will
occasionally see them alight. when they
almost always choose a dry twig, or one
not thick with leaves, for their tenn
porary pedestal. When one sits thus
for momcnt-iti is never long-you will
see him wipe his bill on both sides
against the twig branch two or three
times, as if he wished to be relieved of
the protruding honey, after which
ceremony he will strike in as direct Il
line as possible for his nest. Both took
a seat yesterday on little bush which
pushes nearly into my window distance
of not over three or four feet, respectively
from my disengaged hand; but directed
no motion toward them more violent
than the glance Of my eye, watch they
bore for the usual space without finch
ing, and then took fight. The diet Of
the humming bird is composed of insect
and honey incidentally and they do the
flowers a service In removing them.
Audubon says their delightfully."- Hur.
muring sound, as they are poised above
the flowers, sis well adapted for lulling
the insect to ropose." The hummlng
bird has a long delicate bill, and its
protruding, double-tubed tongue is gov
erned with a "gutunous saliva" by
which il overwhelms each insect il
touches and draws it out 'to be instantly
swallowed" 1t Is a bird Of the Western
hemisphere and 800 species have been
discovered (some say 400, which latter
number is only 100 less than all other
species of birds put together.