Identifier: birdsofohiocompl00daw (find matches)
Title: The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Dawson, William Leon, 1873- Jones, Lynds, b. 1865
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Columbus, The Wheaton publishing co.

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he hawk-moths not a whit smaller. The Hummer is painted like abutterfly; its flight is direct and buzzing like a bees: it seeks its food at theflowers brim by poising on rapidly vibrating wing like the hawk-moth; butthere the resemblances cease. For the rest it is a bird, migrating, mating, andnesting quite like grown folks. It is a matter of no little wonder that of the five hundred species of Hum-mingbirds known to science and confined to the New World, only one shouldhave penetrated the region east of the Mississippi River, there to enjoy arange almost twice larger than that of any other species. How we came tobe so nearly overlooked we may never know; but let us be thankful for one. Contrary to tlie popular belief the Hummer does not feed largely uponnectar, but inserts its needle-bill into the depths of flowers mainlv for the pur-pose of capturing insects. This explains the otherwise puzzling habit thebird has of revisiting the same flower beds at frequent intervals. It is not to
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RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD TrorhiluK ,-r,lubriK Life-size THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. 335 feather new-flowing sweets but to see what tlies the sweets themselves have gath-ered. If the bird extracted honey to any great extent—it does some—it wouldbe rifling the bait from its own traps. Again the bird is not footless, as somesuppose, but it spends a good deal of time perching on exposed limbs, fromwhich it may dart. Flycatcher fashion, after passing insects. 1 am almost inclined to deny the report also that this tiny creature is song-less. For in addition to the squeaks of excitement or anger, which all haveheard, have we not seen an impetuous gallant dashing through the air in greatrainbow mazes, before his lady love, demurely seated; and have we not heardhim giving cry to a perfect ecstacy of chippering and suckling notes of suchexquisite fineness that the human ear could only catch the crests of sound?Song is a relative term, to be sure; but to accuse the Hunmiingbird of beingv

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