The Nome daily nugget., 1934-12-31

| dS TeHldFkdDIe dS LuOoS HI SiACs HI one species of hummer, the sword bearer, the bill is nearly five inches long, being longer than the rest of the bird. Another has bill less than a quarter of an inch long.
 Variations In Form.
 Most hummers have straight bills, but there is the sicklebill, in which the bill is curved so that its outline forms one-third of circle. Such adaptations allow feeding in spe- ciaI flowers, the sword-bearer ire quenting long, trumpet-shaped blos- soms, while the sicklebill Is partial to certain orchids. palms, and oth- CT peculiar blossoms. where the throat of the flower is curved.
 Variations in the form of the tail in this group are equally remark able. Most species have the feath-s CTS of ordinary length, forming a square or slightly notched tail, but in contrast to these there are the racket-tailed hummers, In which the lateral feathers are greatly elongated, with the tip narrowed and then expanded so that 1t re- sembles racket. The long-talled hummers have tails three or four times as long as the body, the long, est feathers being seven inches fin length.
 It Is usual for male humming birds to have spot of brilliant iri- descent color on the throat. With this there are often peculiar feath- CT developments In the form of crests, or gorgets, that provide in- creased surface for these areas of brilliant color, and often produce most remarkable and extraordinary appearances.
 The nests of humming birds are made of soft plant downs, formed into cup-shaped structure that in most instances Is placed firmly on some small twig or branch, some times near the ground and some times high above it. The outside of this structure usually Is covered with bits of bark and moss bound in place with spider web, so that the nest is inconSpicuous, resem- bling merely knot on a limb. Some species attach their nests to leaves or to the ends of branches, so that they are semlpendent.
 Two white eggs, resembling pearls against their background of plant down, are laid by most spe- cies whose nesting habits are known. Occasionally one egg con stitutes a set, and rarely three. Though large in comparison to the size of the parent, in the case of the smaller hummers, the eggs are very tiny. Those of the vervaih hummer of Haiti, species that Is barely larger than the smallest spe- cies known, measure less than half an inch long by one-third of an inch in diameter.
 Eat Nectar and Insects.
 That humming birds fed on the nectar of flowers Is universally known, but the part that nectar plays in their diet Is not so great as is popularly believed, since large numbers of tiny flies, bees, beetles, and other insects, as well as spiders, are captured in the flow CT coroilas.
 These tiny birds are hungry for meat as we'll as for sweets. The stomachs of the various species that have been examined to learn something of their food have been filled with fragments of insects and spiders. After the nutriment has been extracted from these, the in- digestible parts are formed into tiny pellets that are regurgltated to empty the stomach for another meal.
 Some kinds of hummers, particu- larly forest-inhabiting forms, pay little attention to blossoms, but spend much of their time in glean- ing over the moss-covered bark of the trees of their forest haunt searching for animal food. Others have been seen feeding on tiny gnats gathered in whirling clouds in the air. The hummers hang with rapidly vibrating wings, seizlng the minute insects one by one in flight and whirling about with the great est celerity in securing their prey.
 Flowers, however, are attractive to most humming birds. In the semiarid sections of western Argen- tina, a red-howered eplphyts iS highly attractive to them. The gen. eral tone of vegetation in these desert areas is gray-green. so that the red color of the flowers stands out prominently at distance. It is evident that they are sought by the hummers, as the birds fly di- rectly from clump to clump even when these are separated by con siderable distance.
 In their feeding, hummers, like bees, carry pollen from blossom t0 blossom and some species are im- portant agents in the fertilization of flowers.