Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-10

VI ilDDO0s II tneV can md SUCH
..e ne weaver birds form a most interesting
s., se.les, Their name being derived from the in
senious snt manner in which they construct their
sIsas, ntera!ly weaving together the coarse
A. VI VI Wnicn they are composed; sometimes
~, are spiralshaped, sometimes round
ne ~ most wonderful of all are the Sociable
.I III nePuDica1 weavers, of South Africa, who
pace hundreds of their nests together in col
ONES, ne round the trunk of a tree.
,r- me appearance of this avary is something
thra tlne 'nae q q great umbrella. As many as
oeen found in one of these bird settlements,
representing at least six hundred grown birds.
Inc tailor birds nest is a great leaf the
form a bag.
a remarkable creature is the umbrella bird,
with its wide crest spread over the top Of
its head; while another, on account of the
beauty and lntricacy of it's tail, is the superb
menura, or Tyre bird. Two great and well
9enned sl tail feathers rise upwards exactly in
ehe form OF Tyre, these being interiaced by
number OF finer feathers, springing from
nearly the same point but crossing each other
and spreading out in fan-like form. It is a
native of New South Wales.
NO birds are, however, more likely to in
teress young people than those feathered gems
the humming birds. Nature seems TO have
endowed them with her rarest gifts. In ere
ating them she surpassed herself, and exhaust
ed all the charms at her disposal, for she
lmbued them with grace, elegance, rapidity of
motion, magnihcence of plumage and indom-
table courage.
What can be more delightful than the sight
OF these little feathered beauties, flashing with
the united tires of the ruby the topaz the
sapphire and the emerald, flying from flower
60 iiower amid the richest tropical vegetation? ?
Their coloring defies analysis, and often the
slightest movement reveals a new and unsus-
pected tint. When flying the vibration Of
tnelr wings (the humming sound of which
gives them their. name) is hardly to be seen,
ana wnen they hover they appear as though
suspended IN the air by some invisible means.
The true humming birds are entirely con-
fined to the New World, and by far the larg-
est number OF species are found Just north
ward Of the equator in Central America. Ecu
ador, colombia, Venezuela and Guiana abound
with them, more than two hundred distinct
species being known there
Inc egg is pure white and about the size
OF pea; they are always two in number
Ihe nest is delicate structure, about the
| slze q a half-apricot, and is compactly built
OF ncnens or dead leaves felted together and
lined with the soft fibres of various plants.
AS a rule, the male is the more brilliantly
colored Their bills, though always slender,
vary greatly In shape and size, some being
seralent !, a ana extremely long, as in the Sword
=, ;, others greatly arched. as in the "siekle
bils, iall and others again extremely short, as
III tue thorn bills
:, The popular titles by which a number of
| tneIn are known generally refer to some pe-
"round tailedo and E1ong tailed" hermits (the
term hermit applying to the solitary habits
OF these species), "velvet breasts green
backs, "iac throats," "brilliants," "rain-
bow, golden tails,' and variety of other
Titles too numerous to mention.
., The smallest known humming birds are
the wood stars''-these are scarcely bigger
than largesbees. The tongue, which is fork
ed at the end, and capable of opening and
shutting like pair of pliers, is marvelously
deleate organ; it is capable of being pro-
truded for some. distance, and is constantly
molstened by glutinous saliva.
Woe to the unfortunate insect on whom
the hqmming bird has cast eye, for these
it both to seize and hold it's victim. Their
food, however, is principally derived from the
calyx of flowers.