These gaudily dressed little fellows, seemingly part and parcel of the sunshine itself, are by no means the delicate creations they appear to be. West of the Cascades they are, strange to say, among the very first of the spring arrivals from the South. The vanguard always arrives by the last week of March, and sometimes as early as the middle of that month. East of the Cascades they are considerably later, and are not found in nearly so large numbers. They are seldom to be seen in greatest abundance, however, much before the middle of April. At this season certain bushes flower in profusion, and in these flowers the hummers find unlimited food and drink,—honey, and the innumerable tiny insects which it attracts.
Wright Park, situated in the center of the city of Tacoma, has been very extensively planted with the decorative wild currant; and it is here that hummers may oftenest be seen in great numbers. It is not uncommon to see them by hundreds in this park, and often as many as twenty disport themselves in and around a single bush. They are the most pugnacious little creatures and are continually squabbling, the females being quite as quarrelsome as the males. Their war song is a penetrating squeak, or chirrup. The pausing of one of the birds to select some luscious insect from a cluster of flowers seems to be the signal for an onset from one or more of its fellows, when all squeak with greatest animation. One cannot help believing that this is more or less in the nature of play, for it is joined in by both the males and the females, and the one attacked never resents it in the least. Usually it describes a great circle in the air and descends into the center of some other bush, where it sits watching the others and occasionally preening its feathers. They are exceedingly tame at this season, and the bird-lover may seat himself under some flower-laden bush while these most beautiful little birds hover and perch within three or four feet of him.
What appears to be the only other vocal accomplishment of this hummer is a somewhat long-drawn, rasping note, very loud and harsh for so small a bird. This is made by the male, and, curiously enough, it is the love song uttered while wooing his mate. She perches quietly in the center of some small tree, apparently quite insensible to his frenzied actions. These consist in flying up to a very considerable height, and then dropping in a circular course to within a few feet of where she sits. It is on the downward course that he makes his declaration of love, and if it is done to arouse her he ought to be successful. Certainly it is a sound most startling to a human being, when it explodes unexpectedly within a few feet of his head.
It is almost unnecessary to say that the nesting habits of these little birds are of unusual interest. The male is a disgracefully idle fellow, never doing a stroke of work while the female is building the nest, and leaving her as soon as the eggs are laid. It seems that at least he might feed her while she sits so patiently upon her eggs; but no, he retires to some warm, sunny gulch and spends his time in selfish enjoyment.
Taken in Oregon. Photo by Finley and Bohlman.
RUFOUS HUMMER AT NEST.
Strange to say, the first nest-building occurs during the first week in April, at which season sleet and cold rains are of not infrequent occurrence. This is long before the majority of the species have arrived from the South, and it would lead one to think that the first comers are already paired when they arrive. A nest containing two fresh eggs was found on the 14th of April, the eggs hatching on the 26th. On this last date it was raining in torrents with a bitter cold wind, yet the tiny young did not seem to suffer in the least, altho frequently left for as long as fifteen or twenty minutes by their mother. Indeed it was a mystery where she could possibly have found anything to eat. This nest was saddled upon a twig a few feet above the ground amidst the sheltering branches of a huge cedar, thus protecting the young from any direct contact with the rain.
Taken near Tacoma. Photo by the Authors.
NEST OF RUFOUS HUMMER ON FIR BRANCH.
There is scarcely a conceivable situation, except directly on the ground, that these birds will not select for a nesting site. Such odd places have been chosen as a knot in a large rope that hung from the rafters of a woodshed; and again, amongst the wires of an electric light globe that was suspended in the front porch of a city residence. It may be found fifty feet up in some huge fir in the depths of the forest, or on the stem of some blackberry bush growing in a city lot.