Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-04
Of Sturs, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

Something close to perfection in flight
has been achieved by the humming bird,
whose tiny, but relatively powerful,
wings make possible speeds of close to
so miles an hour and an ability to
maneuver in the air probably superior
to that of any other flying creature.
This is explained In q bulletin by DR..
Winsor M. Tyler just issued by the
Smithsonian Institution, in which are
described the habits of the familiar ruby
throated humming bird of American
gardens, the only species ever encoun-
tered in the Eastern United States.
The little creatures wing beats some
times are at a rate of rs second, he
explains. 1t can take off from a perch
in about seven hundredths of second.
1t can stand almost still in the air with
about IS wing strokes a second.
Perhaps the humming birds greatest
achievement in aviation, however, is its
ability to fly backward. This often has
been reported and as often questioned
as impossible, but recent Photographic
techniques have shown that the reverse
flight is an actually. This is explained
as follows:
an backing away from a flower or
feeding tube the humming bird stands
almost vertically in the air with its tail
pointing downward and a little forward.
In this pose its wings beat horizontally,
and what would be the downward half
OF each complete wing stroke If the
birds axis were parallel to the ground
forces the air forward, away from the
birds breast in its upright position, and
drives the bird backward. Then, on the
return half stroke, the whole wing is
rotated at the shoulder joint so that its
upper surface strikes the air, and, driv.
ing it downward, balances the pull Of
gravity"
Other sidelights on the handsome lit
tie creatures ways Of life are explained
by DR.. Tyler:
The humming birds spring migration
northward keeps pace with the opening
OF Its favorite flowers. Sometimes this
seems SO closely regulated that the mi
grants arrive in locality the very day
the Arst blossoms appear.
Males and females usually migrate in
separate groups. For that matter, they
remain apart most of the time, except
for brief mating periods. The humming
bird is q confirmed bachelor.
The nest is q model of bird artistry
lined with soft plant down and covered
on the outside with bits of lichen. It
is usually entirely the work of the fe-
male. The male, unlike many birds
disdains domestic duties.
The newly Matched bird is no bigger
than pea and entirely naked The
young probably are born blind. Growth
is very rapid and in less than two weeks
they are almost as big as their parents
and able to leave the nest to shift for
themselves.
Like the bee, the humming bird is
a slipper of nectar from blossoms, but
good part Of its food consists of in.
sects. Presumably 1t was originally ex-
ciusively an insect eater. specializing on
those types likely to be found around
blossoms. In this environment the bird
mas acquired an unappeasable taste for
sweets. single individual has been
observed to devour two teaspoonfuls of
sugar daily. A human being with q
similar capacity would devour close to
50 pounds.
Iney snow strong preference for red
mowers. This, DR.. Tyler believes, is not
due to the attractiveness of the color
per Sc, but because 1t is always the most
striking against green BACKGROUND.
Humming birds are far from peaceful
neighbors and often seem to be nervous
and irritable. They are intolerant both
to each other and to other birds. In
spite of their tiny size they will attack
much larger birds who invade their
neighborhood, relying on their marvellous
dexterity of flight to win the conflicts
The special form of attack against a
larger bird is form of dive bombing. /"
Toward man these birds usually are
friendly. They can be attracted in large
numbers to gardens where sugar and
water are provided for them.
The song is high pitched and has a
petulant quality, rejecting the birds
irritable nature. Sometimes the notes
are angry sounding. mouselike squeals.
A lone bird usually is silent, except for
the buzzing of its wings.
Because of its tiny size the humming
bird meets perils unknown to other
birds. There are instances recorded
where it has been caught in spider webs.
1t may become in1paled on thorns or
stuck to thistles or milkweeds. One
instance is cited in which a bird was
attacked and bested by q dragonfy.