The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-10-26
Cumming Birds.

a glowing circle of balm in flower ls q
great center OF attraction for tho bummipp
birds, which come here from early morning,
ana go westward aud return again, at fire.
quent intervals. until after nightfall. !
hardly get seated at my open window be-
fore hear a buzzing, almost thuddlnp
sound, as it boy were at hand with a
tln wheel on string which he pulls so as
to make the wheel swiftly revolve. But a
close look reveals much more animated
mechanism than that There is nothing
tiaintier or prettier to be seen than the
color, motions and enthusiasm of the hum
ming bird when he Is taking his rcpast. A
little glossy, throbbing piece of yiyacity.
sitting on the air with his feet curieti
tightly up, and buoyant as feather, NOV
Ing at his sweet, fleet will from ono tubu-
lar flower to another, and his l,duid eve
shining afar. Waves of shifting blue
sweep over the glossy green black, in each
angle Of the sunlight, giving the effect of
a suddenly transformed drapery, and when
he turns to you In front, his red gorgct or
throat-piece, glistens with the redness of the
flamc-like flower lie salutes. His motion
is 80 SURPRISING swlft can think OF no
winged motion like 1t. The bees would be
put out of breath to keep up with him.
The female bird of this specie (trochilus
eolubris)-the ruby throated dispenses
with the red neckerchlef, and it is said the
young birds DO not have it. In the autumn
the males in the young brood get touch of
OF red color, but it not until the follow
Ing spring that the throat has it's utmost
brilliancy. Recently both heads of the
family dropped down upon the little balm
patch, and l saw that the female was a
much more demurc and less aggressive
character than her gay lord. In size she
is trifle smaller. The wlngs Of both,
when used to buoy them up, seem more
like fine mist or vapor than like any
fabric; gauzc is not, and woven spider
web would not, be half 80 aerial.
If you watch these birds long you will
occasionally see them alight, when they
almost always choose dry twig, or one
not thick with leaves, for their temporary
PEDESTAL. Whom one sits thus for mo-
ment-it Is never long-you will ace him
wipe hls bill on both sides against the twig
branch two or three times, US if he wished
to be relieved Of the protruding honey, af-
ter which ceremony he will strike as di-
rect line as possible for his nest. Both
took Il seat recently Oh a little bush which
pushes nearly into my window distance
VI NV o'cI tHlce oT lOur 1cct, respectively
from my disengaged hand; but l directed
no motion toward them more violent than
the glance of my oyc, which they bore for
the usual space without tlinching, and then
took flight. The diet of the humming bird
is composed of insects and honey inCiden-
tally, and they do the flowers service in
removing them. Audubon says their de-
lightfully murmuring sound, as they are
poised above the flowers, ''is we'll adapted
for lnlling the insect to rcpose." The
humming bird has long, delicate bill, and
It's protrudlng, doublo-tubed tongue Is COW
erned with 'glutnous saliva" by which
1t overwhclms each insect 1t touches and
draws it out ''to be instantly swallowed"
1t is bird of the Western hemisphere and
800 species have been discovered (some
say 4OO), which latter number is only 100
less than nll other species of birds put to-
gcther.