The morning news., 1898-08-07

'old-gold hummer rested from the conflict
on spray just before me, and was con-
s.derate enough to show me his back. I
examined him at my leisure and saw dis
tnctly the CLINT of green on his head and
across what would be his shoulders were
he a man"
This settles the question as to a green
ish tint, but ii does not change the gen
eral effect, which is that of a hummer
quite different in color from all those with
which we are familiar in the West or
East. 1t is extremely unlikely, however,
that we are visited in great numbers by
a hummer that is not well known to or
astrological observers and correctly de-
scribed by the authorities But to the
great majority, who see birds as they see
their friends or the flowers or the stars,
our "old-gold hummer" is welcomed as a
beautiful stranger. I saw it in March on
the mountain about ten miles from Santa
Barbara During April it was so abun-
dant in Santa Barbara and vicinity that
the blossoming trees were thronged with
it in swarms of hundreds. No one can see
it for the first time without surprised de-
light, living flame of glowing gold. Com
paratvely few of them found their way
up into the mountains where I am So
journing, and I do not know how long
they have fingered in the valleys.
In the East, our only hummer is the
well known ruby throat. 1t is not found
here but its place is more than supplied
by three or four others. 1t is impossible
to give their popular names accurately,
for they are differently named in differ
ent published lists. Barton w. Ever
mann's List of Ventura County Birds
printed in the AUX, 1856, probably con-
tains all the hummers we are likely to
see here, for Ventura county is in sight
from my porch. He mentions as the most
abundant the rufous humming bird, resi-
o11 t1,a Four
midwinter. The black-chinned hummin5
bird and the Anna humming bird he mem
tOnS as common summer residents Cos
ia 5 humming bird, he says, is rare sum-
mer resident. Aliens humming bird he
considers still rarer.
DR.. Cones Key, 1872, mentioned ten
hummers. In his Key, 1884, he says:
within a few years the discoveries have
been so many that, after eliminating two
errors, I am able to describe no fewer
than fifteen perfectly distinct species OF
United States humming birds, and have
no doubt that several others will in due
time be found over our Mexican border.
Our new "old gold hummer" no longer
a stranger, is doubtless one of these "sey-
eral others" predicted by DIR. Coues, and
more than likely it is described in the
latest edition of his Key. Probably one
could see it mounted in the Central PARK
museum.
gine the writer of the article "Arcadlan
Bee-Ranchng" mentions the musical
names of several California ranches,
Among them Las Chuna Rosas, the Span
ish-Amercan for "The rose suckers" or
the humming birds. In California, these
least of our birds are closely associated
with the bees in their industry and music,
and sometimes threaten to rival them IN
numbers. Some months ago, a San Fran
cisco journal published the following,
which has been reprinted in ornithological
magazines;
Capt Wallace of the steamer Walla
Walla, that arrived yesterday from We
toria. has a bird story 20 tell the truth OK
which is vouched for by every passenger
and officer on the vessel. Between and
o'clock Friday afternoon when off Cape
Mendocino, hundreds of humimng birds
settled down upon the ship. The tiny VISIT
Ors were ravenously hungry and attacked
officers and passengers, boring their nee
dle-like bills into the flesh. One of the Ia
dies on deck carried a bouquet, which ths
birds attacked. Another lady, who had
some bright artificial flowers in her nat
was driven into her state room by lHe
birds. Moistened sugar was brought out
and this the hungry visitors reveled IN,
eating it out of the HANDS
of the passengers. Yesterday
morning, when the Waa Walia was
a short distance off Point Reyes those OIL
the birds that had recovered suthclenuy
flew ashore, but a number remained auu
were carried off by the passengers. Capt
Wallace has three flying about his stale
room. The Walla Waia was fifteen or SIX,
teen miles off shore when the birds settleu
on the ship. The weather was very foSsy,
and the wind blowing off shore. The bros
probably lost their bearings and were car
ried seaward"
Fixing the Date-Little Elmer-Fa'