Evening star., 1948-07-10
This and That
Bu Charles E. TrdcelUeH
BETHESDA, Md.

Dear Sir:
Please tell me how to get hummingbirds?
II have lived out here for two years, now,
and have never seen hummingbird.
Down Carolina way where came from we
always had hummingbirds, and and my family
miss them very much.
"If there Is any way can act to attract them
or anything can do, put food out, or what, I
would like to know, because think the hum
mingbrd is my favorite.
Yours truly, D. s. H."
X
The best way to attract hummers Is to plant
the flowers they ike.
Generally speaking, these are all flowers with
bell-shaped blossoms.
This means that some of our finest garden
subjects are also liked by the tiny birds, al
though not for esthetic reasons
With them, naturally, 1t Is mainly matter
OF food.
People think hummers drink nectar" rs
they say.
Actually, what they are after are the minute
insects eating the sweet stuff in the bells
The hummers taste that, too, but the main
thing for them is the insect life.
Baby hummers must BE fed on insects, as all
young birds must.
SO when you see the ruby throated humming-
bird sticking its long bill into 3 flower you will
know what it is after.
* X
Flowers hummingbirds like include the glad
iolus, petunia, trumpet vine, to name but three,
Since scores OF plants have bell-shaped BIOS
SONS, that is, with fiaring mouths, and bodies
of various varying lengths and colors, many
other flowers likely to grow in summer garden
will do.
Some people think hummers like best the
various pink flowers. Others say they prefer red.
No doubt the determining factor Is simply the
shape of the blossom. The open mouth gives
the tiny birds chance to dip in that long bill.
And the longer the bloom, from top to bottom,
the more chance there is for small insects to
infest it.
The thrips of gladioluses, for instance, while
a tragedy for the gladiolus grower, are source
Of fine food for the hummers.
u X
ANY one who will plant just two flowers. the
gladiolus and petunia, will have hummingbirds,
in and around Washington.
II pink varieties are selected, so much the
better. Certainly in both flowers, some OF the
finest varieties are pink.
Some years ago we could have given the
names Of several dozen pink glads and petunias,
but not having done much planting in recent
years, the names have slipped U.s.
It is curious thing, how when one becomes
interested in subject, the scientific names
easily are learned one may think for life, and
how, when time passes, those names vanish, too.
At one time, we knew the common and
scientific names-although not always the cor
rect pronunciation-of about 200 aquarium
fishes.
Recently, when having occasion to recall a
few Of them we found both to our smazement
and amusement, that we had forgotten them
completely
Hummingbirds will come to window box OF
pink petunias.
If this happens at dining room or alcove
window, the feast goes on both inside and out
side at the same time offering fine community
OF interest, man and bird.
For this reason, to any one who wishes to
draw hummers, we recommend the planting of
a window box Of some pink variety Of petunia,
such as Rosy Morn, If we have the name right.
Few prettier sights in nature are to be seen,
in small way, than hummingbird hovering
over flower.
The beat of the wings, some 1000 Of them a
minute, makes them practically invisible. AL
that is left to the human eye Is slight simmer
in the air.
This dainty creature is not sissy. He pro-
tects his young with yigor; despite his small
ness, he is not afraid even Of a hawk.
He sometimes rams that long bill so deep into
an enemy that he cannot get loose, SO dies in
mid-air, q most, appropriate place.