coloring acts as a charm on them, and attracts them to the spot. Whether this be true or not, the lake must be transparent and not muddy, the river must be so clear that you can see the pebbly bed over which it ripples, else it is no place for the kingfisher. 6. Hence has arisen the popular belief that the appearance of the kingfisher, or halcyon, always brings fine weather, a belief which just reverses cause and effect. It can catch no prey on stormy days, and so it remains secluded till it can get a chance again. To meet this state of things, it is provided with a large appetite, and the power of stowing away a vast quantity of food, which it digests afterwards at its leisure; so that it feasts and fasts alternately without any injury to its internal economy. 7. The kingfisher is sometimes given to hoarding; and having caught more fish than he can eat, will take them to his secret store-house, and there hide them until he is able to eat them. In one such case the bird seemed to employ its hiding-place for the reception of fish which it had caught, and which were too large for it to swallow. The treasury chosen by this individual was a crevice formed by the roots of a willow tree that grew close to the water's edge, and it usually contained one or two fish. Sometimes there have been five or six fishes lying in the hole, and some of them so large that they have been removed and cooked. The bird must sometimes have found great difficulty in getting its prey fairly ashore, as the tracks were evident on the soft mud of the bank where the fish had been dragged, and the bird's feet had trodden. 8. Sometimes the bird has been known to meet with a deadly retribution on the part of his prey, and to fall a victim to his voracity. The most complete instance of poetical justice befalling a kingfisher is one related to me by an eyewitness. The narrator was sitting on the bank of a river when some strange blue object was seen floating down the stream, splashing the water with great vehemence. On a nearer approach it was seen to be a kingfisher, from whose mouth protruded the tail and part of the body of a fish. The struggles of the choking bird became more and more faint and had well-nigh ceased when a pike protruded his broad nose from the water, seized both kingfisher and fish, and disappeared with them into the regions below. 76. — THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. feign'ing, [făn'ing], pretending. frag'ile [fraj'il], delicate, frail. gus'to, relish. li'chen [li'ken], mossy, flowerless plants. un-du-la'tion, wavy motion. forearm. zeph'yrs, mild, gentle breezes. 1. THE most common, as well as the most beautiful, species of humming-birds, is the ruby-throat, a name given to it on account of the delicate metallic feathers which glow with ruby luster on its throat, gleaming in the sunshine like gems of living fire. From the tip of the bill to that of the tail it measures about three and a half inches. The upper part of the neck, back, and wing-coverts, are of a resplendent and varied green and gold. The breast and lower parts are white, the wings purplish brown, and the tail partly of the same color, with the two middle tailfeathers of vivid green. 2. In the warm climate of the Southern States, the beautiful little ruby-throat is found throughout the winter; and as the summer draws on, the heat in the Northern States suiting its delicate constitution, it migrates in large numbers, appearing in the Middle States towards the end of April. These tiny creatures pass through the air at a rapid rate, and may be seen moving in long undulations, now rising for some distance at an angle of about forty degrees, then falling in a curve. Their long flights are performed at night, it is supposed, as they are found feeding leisurely at all times of the day. 3. Small as they are, from their rapid flight and meteorlike movements they do not fear the largest birds of prey; for even should the lordly eagle venture into their domains, the tiny creatures will attack him without fear; and one has been seen perched on the head of an eagle, at which it was pecking furiously away, scattering the feathers of the huge bird, who flew screaming through the air with alarm, to rid himself of his tiny assailant. 4. Brave and high-spirited as is the little bird, it is easily tamed; and Mr. Webber, the naturalist, succeeded in securing several specimens. The first he caught did not flutter, or make the least attempt to escape, but remained quietly in his hand; and he saw, when he opened it, the minute creature lying on his palm, perfectly motionless, feigning most skilfully to be dead. He watched it with breathless curiosity, when he saw it slowly open its bright little eyes to see whether the way was clear, and then close them slowly as it caught his glance upon it. When a mixture of sugar, water, and honey was brought, and a drop placed on the point of its bill, it came very suddenly to life, and in a moment was on its legs, drinking with eager gusto of the refreshing draught from a silver tea-spoon. 5. The nest of the ruby-throat is of a most delicate nature; the external parts being formed of a little gray lichen found on the branches of the trees, glued together by the saliva of the bird and neatly arranged round the whole of the nest, as well as to some distance from the spot where it is attached to the branch or stem itself. The interior is lined with a cottony substance; and the innermost, with the silky fibers obtained from various plants. 6. The difficulty of finding these little nests is increased. by a curious habit possessed by some of the humming-birds. When they leave or approach their home, they do so as if conscious that by the bright gleam of their plumage they might give an indication of the direction of their nest. Rising perpendicularly until they are out of sight, and having arrived over the spot on which their nest is placed, they drop down upon it as perpendicularly as they ascended. 7. The eggs are only two in number, and although somewhat larger than might be imagined from the size of the bird, are very small indeed. They are of a delicate, slightly pink, semi-transparent white color, and have been well compared to pearls. 8. No sooner has the returning sun again introduced the vernal season, and caused millions of plants to expand their leaves and blossoms to his genial beams, than the little humming-bird is seen advancing on fairy wings, carefully visiting every opening flower-cup, and, like a curious florist, removing from each the injurious insects that would. otherwise, ere long, cause their beauteous petals to droop and decay. Poised in the air, it peeps cautiously and with sparkling eye into their innermost recesses; whilst the ethereal motions of its pinions, so rapid and so light, seem to fan and cool the flower, without injuring its fragile texture, and produce a delightful murmuring sound, well adapted for lulling the insects to repose. Then is the moment for the humming-bird to secure them. 9. The prairies, the fields, the orchards and the gardens nay, the deepest shades of the forest, are all visited in their turn; and everywhere the little bird meets with pleasure and with food. Its throat in beauty and brilliancy baffles all competition. Now it glows with a fiery hue, and again it is changed into a velvety black. The upper parts of its delicate body are of resplendent changing green; and it darts through the air with a swiftness and vivacity hardly conceivable. It moves from one flower to another like a gleam of light. Humming-birds follow the course of the sun advancing and retiring with him; and, flying on the wings of the zephyrs, rejoice in eternal spring. 10. Could you cast a momentary glance on the nest of a humming-bird, and see, as I have seen, the newly hatched pair of young, not much larger than humble-bees, |