The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-10-02

mouth, and carefully covered the
nest over, fastening the ends OF the
leaf to a couple Of twigs that grew
close to the nest In this way the
young ones were kept as dry under the
green roof as If their house had been
built by a carpenter. When the rain
was over the mother came back and
unlocked the leaf.
The rubythroat is very easily tanned,
and is q most loving and trustful little
creature. A friend of mine told me
an interesting story of a humming-blrd
that used to fly around their porch
where one Of the trumpet-fower vines
grew. At one time one Of these little
creatures coming to drink juice from
the flowers, seemed tired. A little
girl approached it very gently. The
bird was not frightened away, but as
the girl came near the vine she stretched
forth her hand, and the humming-bird
rested on one of her fingers. 1t wal
afterward taken into the house and
kept as a pet.
Our friend Mr.. Weber discovered a
curious habit connected with their
nesting. He had frequently observed,
while watching for their nesta, that
the rubythroats, after leaving their
station, shot suddenly and p~erpendicu.
larry in the air until they became in
visible. At last he had the great salts
faction of seeing the female bird fall,
like a fiery a~erolite from the sky, upon
the spot where she had built her nest;
so that this curious habit of ascending
and descending must have been in"
stinctively taught to the birds for the
purpose of concealing the precise posi-
ton of the nest.
He also tells us that n of his capt
ured rubythroats played possum"
when taken, Stimulating death in a
very perfect n On several oc-
casions he had enticed the living
meteors into the room by placing vases
of tempting flowers on the table and
adroitly closing the sash as soon as
they were engaged with the flowers, but
he had always lost them through their
dashing at the window and striking
themselves against the glass. AT last,
however, his attempts were crowned
with success. "This time" he says, 81
succeeded in securing an uninjured
captive. 1t Immediately suggested
itself to me that q mixture of two parts
refined loaf sugar with one of honey in
ten parts of water would make about
the nearest approach to the nectar of
flowers. While my sister ran to pre-
pare it I gradually opened my hand to
look at my prisoner, and saw, to my
no little amusement as well as sus-
picion, that it was actually playing
possum'-feigning to be dead most
skillfully. 1t lay on my open palm
motionless for some minutes, during
which | watched it in breathless curl
osity. l saw it gradually open its
bright little eyes to peep whether the
way was clear, and then close them
slowly as 1t caught my eyes upon it.
But when the manufactured nectar
came and n drop was tonched on the
point of its bill, it revived very sud
denly, and in a moment was on its
legs, drinking with eager gusto OF the
refreshing draught from a silver tea
spoon. When stated it refused to take
any more, and sat perched with the
coolest self-composure on my finger
and plumed itself quite as artistically
as if on its own favorite spray. l was
enchanted with the bold, innocent
confidence with which it turned up its
keen black eyes to survey us as much
as to say: ''Well, good folks, who are
Christian Weekly.