Evening star., 1944-02-08
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,peH.

Dear Sir:
Since coming to Washington some
two years ago and finding your column
IN The Star, have been a constant and
interested reader. I frequently clip
and mail your articles to friends and
relatives who love birds-to my home
town OF Asheville, N. c.. and others I
nave sent to West Virginia, Pennsyl-
vania. and even to Florida and Texas
Several years ago while watching a
hummingbird nest in North Carolina I
saw the mother bird helping her baby
to come up from the nest between her
body and wing onto her back. 1t oc-
Cured to me at the time that she was
bringing 1t up out of a wet nest into
the sunshine and warmth, and that
possibly my presence was disturbing
her.
Thinking I would have opportuni-
ties to further observe them, I departed
When I went back the next day the
nest looked desolate. 1t had been va
Gated. 1t has since occurred to me
that by leaving the scene as did. I
missed witnessing an incident in nature
that probably but seldom If ever has
been seen by human eye. Was the
mother bird about to give wing to her
baby, by using her own back as the
runway?
May your inspiring column continue
its splendid work.
Sincerely, s. NH"
The mother hummingbird is one OF
the great mothers.
She not only builds the nest and laws
the eggs, but she does all the broodinp
OF them, and all of the feeding after
the little ones are Matched.
Her fine mate never lifts a claw to
help her at any time.
He spends his time perched on a wire
or tree branch some distance awav.
About the only help he gives is to chase
away other birds which come by.
Thus the mother hummer has the
entire care of nest and babies. When
she becomes hungry, she has to leave
the nest, and the eggs are cooled of.
Many other species do better by both
father and mother sitting on the eggs.
The more the eggs get chilled, the
longer it takes for them to hatch out.
Because OF this, the period may run
from ii to 16 days, according to expert
observation.
Cold and wet weather are great enc
mics to these small birds. The nest is
tiny, but we'll made, still the eggs are
exposed when the mother is of the
nest, as she must be, from time to time
II her mate would help her, things
would be different.
In wet weather the mother bird NAV
have to feed the babies-there are usual
- - SAvSN f<Nso
Usually the nest period after Matching
Is three weeks. If the weather Is con-
tinuously dry, the time may be Just two
weeks.
The babies are naked and helpless, but
the bills begin to lengthen Immediately,
until In a few days they are almost as
long as the bill of the mother.
This Is because the bill takes the food.
The way it is done is by the mother
inserting her long tongue down the bill
and pumping it full Of insects and
flower nectar.
To the fortunate observer it often
seems as If the mother were ramming
her bill down to their backbones, but this
happens only when the feathers grow
and they can stand being fed this way.
At this time feeding Is carried on by
, tne motner almost on schedule, every 20
minutes, according to careful obserya-
tions.
Hummingbird babies. when born, are
about the size of bumblebee.
1t is said that the young birds leave
the nest with no trouble at all, and cling
to their first outside perch like experts.
/ They seldom return to the nest, once
| out, though occasionally one will come
back for night or two.
IT our correspondent will grow petunias
IN flower boxes at his windows, and
plant some gladioli, preferably red, in
the yard, he will have no trouble In
Turing hummingbirds, since there are
many thousands Of them In and around
washington Ill summer.