Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16
TWO RUNNING BIRDS.
A Tale Of Two Tiny Families and
Their Fate.

From the Cornhl Magazine.
I used to feel very envlous when some of
the older residents would speak of these
Trinidad botanical gardens as having
been the home of the humming bird.
Alas! the lovely little creatures are sell
dom to be seen there now. in spite of
the protective legislation of many years
past. But the ruthless tourist will always
buy a humming birds nest, especially with
it's two sugarplum-like eggs in 1t. so the
enterprsing black boy keeps a sharp look
out for these articles of commerce. Soon
after we first went there | found a wee
nest on a low branch of a tree close to
Government House. with a darling little
bird sitting In it. 1 peeped cautiously very
often during the next few days, and the
young mother grew so accustomed TO m!
visits that she would let me stand within
a yard of the Dough At last some Micro
scopic fragments of eggshell appeared on
the moss beneath, and en- my next visit,
when the little hen was away getting food,
beheld thing very like a bee with beak.
This object seemed to grow amazingly
every few hours. that in a week 1t
looked quite like a respectable bird Imag-
Inc my rage and despair when | found one
morning the branch broken off and the
baby bird dead on the ground. My sweet
little nest had been taken for the sake OF
the sxpence it would fetch next time a
tourist-laden yacht came in
A much happier fate attended a hum
ming bird which built its nest in small
palm growing in friends drawing room.
! paid many visits to that drawing room
during the birds occupancy. and anything
SO Interesting as its manners and customs
cannot be imagined Instead of bringing
material from outside for the nest the tiny
builder requisitioned the floss silk from an
embroidered cushion and the wool from a
ball-fringe. The nest. unusually gay In
color. hung down a couple of inches from
one of the serrated points of the palm leaf:
but when | was first invited to come and
look on 1t was not quite completed to the
feathered lady's satisfaction. for she still
darted in and out Of the open windows and
about the room.
The master of the house. at my request.
seated himself in his usual armchair and
opened his newspaper, and l made myself
small as | could in a distant corner. Our
patience was soon rewarded. for there was
the little bird balancing itself with its vi
brating wings Just above the newspaper
However. as no building material was
forthcoming from that source. she flashed
over to my corner, and quicker than the
eye could follow had snatched a thread of
silk from workable, and was off to her
work again. The little creature got quite
tame. and her confidence was We'll placed
for nothing could exceed the charming
kindness of her host and hostess. The eggs
We're aid and Matched in due time and the
master of the house told me he used to get
up at the day-dawn and open his drawing
room window to let the little mother out to
get food for her babies This necessitated
his remaining the rest of the morning in
the drawing room, as he said it would not
have been safe to have left it. | naturally
thought he feared for the safety of his
wlfes pretty things, but oh, no-what he
guarded was the nest, lest it should meet
the tate of mine and be stolen.