Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-24
TAME HUM MING BIRDS
PLEASING TALE OF TWO BEAUTIFUL
PETS.
Professor Charles Frederick Holder
Tells of One of the Charms of
Winter in California.
From the New York Tribune.

One of the charms Of the southern Cali
fornia winter lies in the fact that it is an
open season for birds and flowers. AS this
is written the air is filed with the squealng
chatterng of humming birds They are all
about me. now darting by within foot of
my face. and one poises in air within reach
of my hand. cycling me curiously. perhaps
wondering what I am saying. Others dash
madly along. chasing each other and fight
ing fiercely for the possession of two abu-
tlon bushes in corner of the garden,
where a chair and lapboard constitute an
outdoor study. The flowers are white. yell
low and deep red, hanging like so many
bells. and are never-ending source of at
traction to the humming birds which poise
beneath them, never searching the inner
portion of the blossom, but thruSting their
long. slender bills up between the petals
which constitute its base, where they find
innumerable small flies to their taste.
To attract the flies l have dropped sugar
and water on the flower bells, which the
humming birds seem to understand, as l
often see them sitting on a twis near me
and thrustfng out the long. hairlike tongue.
l have no doubt the sweetened water is
also to their taste. as it is acceptable to the
young. OF these humming birds-some a
vivid green and others with patch of bril-
liant iridescent red beneath the bill-that
throng the garden several live here. and
one. named Bob has for successive years
perched on the same twig of an orange
tree, and is naturally the one l know best.
He never allows me to catch him, but
have had my hand within six inches of his
little body. l have fancied that perhaps
he Is the hummer l once possessed and re-
leased. l found him one mOrning-if, in
deed. he is the same one-in a nest in an
orange tree about thirty feet from the tree
which he now occupies; a strange object
looking more like a fuzzy spider than a
bird, and tucked away in a nest made Of
moss and the fine parts of seeds. and so
perfect in its imitation Of the orange branch
upon which it rested that it was almost
impossible to distinguish it; in point of
fact, it was found by accident.
AS stood looking into 1T the little birds
heard me. and thrust up their open mouths
In a comical fashion,, and. thinking them
fed them with it. using a small twig for
the purpose While l was doing this the
mother bird returned. and buzzed around
my face in a threatening manner, and
when withdrew she alighted and covered
them, sinking down gently upon them. In
this way she was photographed, and when
on the nest would permit me almost to
touch her without moving. Every day 1
fed the young birds with sugar and water
and finally they would hop to the rim of
the nest when l approached, never display
ing the slightest evidence of fear.
They now began to take lessons in flying
Inc parent bird would sit on the nest or on
tWig near by and use her wings making
the humming sound, but not rising and
TINS the little birds initiated, clinging to the
nest with their delicate feet. On the seq
ond day 1 noticed that they rose into the
air five or six inches during this exercise
ana believing that they would soon leave
ire nest cut off the twig which held it
from the branch and carried it with its
two occupants into the house. fastening
1t in the window. The following day the
birds left the nest and began to follow me
a a. ana at once became the most beau
tiful of pets. They were absolutely with
out fear. which added to their charm, and
constantly darted about the room search
ing for tiny flies on the windows or in the
flowers. soon when called they responded,
and when a finger was extended aighted
upon 1t with charming naivete, sitting and
eye1ng the person with their tiny bead-like
eyes IN perfect confidence. Their favorite
upstairs a call would bring them down.
Bob frequently came to the table at
meals and would perch upon the sugar
bowl. clinging to the handle. down which
he would slowly slide to f1utter up again.
Whether he recognized In the bowl the
source of supply Of all his food it would he
difficult to say, but certainly he was faith
full to 1t, and perched on the slippery han
die as long as he came to the table.
To describe all the actions and tricks of
these beautiful creatures would REQUIRE
much space, as nothing could exceed their
grace and vivacity. and visitors to the
house at this time We're sometimes amazed
at the swish and rush of the hummers as
they darted through the air. One woman
"iioSS Spiii6 DolIltl was d true likeness of
flower garden was SO attractive to one of
the birds that 1t wished to alight upon r.
and the Wearers blows with a fan at the
innocent mite came near ending its career,
as when some of the household came TO the
rescue it was found that she thought If was
bee of some new and gigantic variety.
AT night the humming birds retired to a
dark closet, roosting on the edge Of n hos
ket. never attempting to thrust their hi.,
heads and long bills beneath the diminu.
i've wings Tor obvious reasons. Here they
sept an night. and in early morning would
ny out into the room and awake me by how
erlng in the air just over my face tanning
1t with their wonderful wings. Sometimes I
would pretend to sleep on but the birds
h KEEP, nummlns with an occasional twtter
until opened my eyes. when their activity
was redoubled, and nothing could have been
palmer than their actions; they wanted
their breakfast and at once, without deIay
The reason for this imperous and insist
ent demand was that ! kept on a stand a
g!ass of sugar and water; broom splint
was the means to the end, and while the
hummers poised in the air | fed them with
drops of nectar they licking it up with
tfeir long. thread-like tongues in evident
delight. Then they would alight on my fin
ger as l held it out and eye me with APP
proval and allow me to go to sleep again
II l wished, later perhaps, following me
down stairs to sit on the sugar bowl and
be RECALLED with more nectar.
Delightful as were these pets, it was man.
ffestly hard fate to be imprisoned so near
came about that the hummers obtained
their liberty. Soon after humming bird
pre-empted a twig on an orange tree near
the door, and he is eying me now not four
feet distant, his neck blaze of golden red.
When not on the twig he is buZZing about
the bushes or driving away visiting hum
mers. Of which there are dozens; hence Bob
is kept busy AT this moment as though he
knows what 1 am writing, and wishes to
emphasize it, he has dashed-a blaze Of
light-so near my head that / can feel his
wings. Now he alights and eyes me Curl
ously; now darts upward to chase a big
futtering butterfly. coming back again with
a plunge, and sitting upon twig with the
leaf of an Abyssinian banana as a back
ground-so effective a bit of color that 1
fancy he is posing. the fiery CLEAN of his
breastplate -as he turns this way and that
showing to the greatest advantage.
Bob is musical. and in January. when
sitting in my study with the door open, he
began what was his courtshp. His singing
was constant, "seee-seet-seeee-s-e-e-e
when sitting. and this became so insistent.
loud and endless that it became monotonous
and l decided to break ii up. The only
weapon at hand was the hose. and turned
the fine spray upon him one morning in the
midst of particularly noisy serenade. But
Bob interpreted my attack as an invitation
and dived down from his perch in the
orange tree and repeatedly darted through
the spray, delighted at the opportunity to