LESSON XXI.


HUMMING BIRDS.
1. The most beautiful humming birds are found in the
West Indies and South America. The crest of the tiny head of
one of these shines like a sparkling crown of colored light.
2. The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally
brilliant. As the bird

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flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright
flash of sunlight than it does like a living being.
3. But, you ask, why are they called humming birds? It is
because they make a soft, humming noise by the rapid
motion of their wings--a motion so rapid, that as they fly you
can only see that they have wings.
4. One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of
one of the smallest humming birds. It was about half the size
of a very small hen's egg, and

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was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle.
5. It seemed to have been made of cotton fibers, and was
covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark. It had two eggs
in it, quite white, and each about as large as a small
sugarplum.
6. When you approach the spot where one of these birds
has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful. The mother
bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes. Its sharp beak