The Arizona sentinel., 1886-10-09
J. W. DORRINGTON, Proprietor.
NUMBER f5.

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 carpenter. When the rain was over the mother came back and unlocked the leaf.
 The rubythroat is very easily tanned, and is most loving and trustful little creature. A friend of mine told me an interesting story of a humming- 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. It was afterward taken into the house and kept as pet.
 Our friend MT. Weber discovered curious habit connected with their nesting. He had frequently observed, while watching for their nests, that the rubythroats, after leaving their station, shot suddenly and perpendicu- larly in the air until they became in- visible. At last he had the great satis- faction of seeing the female bird fall, like fiery aerolite 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- tion of the nest.
 He also tells us that one of his capt. ured rubythroats played possum" when taken, stimulating death in a very perfect manner 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, '1 succeeded in securing an uninjured captive. It immediately suggested itself to me that mixture of two parts refined loaf sugar with one of honey ID ten parts of water would make about the nearest approach to the nectar oi flowers. While my sister ran to pre- pare it gradually opened my hand tc 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. It lay on my open palm motionless for some minutes, during which I watched it in breathless curi- osity. I saw it gradually open it's bright little eyes to peep whether the way was clear, and then close them slowly as It caught my eyes upon it. But when the manufactured nectar came and drop was touched 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 sated 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. 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 youP" ChriStiGn Weekly.