. Bird-lore . ittle hummer never rested. Roses, lilies, scarletrunner, honeysuckle, and other blossoming plants, made the dazzUng visitorwelcome; but of all the flowers then about the piazza, the morning-gloriesseemed most in favor. It was at this time that I used to hunt for fairies. When the dew fell atnight, I was sure it had something to do with these little people. Years after, on a hot August day, I was again watching the Hummingbird The Audubon Societies 163 feed about this flower-bordered piazza. Walking to a bed of nasturtiums, Ipicked a large bouquet, so large indeed, that it was har


. Bird-lore . ittle hummer never rested. Roses, lilies, scarletrunner, honeysuckle, and other blossoming plants, made the dazzUng visitorwelcome; but of all the flowers then about the piazza, the morning-gloriesseemed most in favor. It was at this time that I used to hunt for fairies. When the dew fell atnight, I was sure it had something to do with these little people. Years after, on a hot August day, I was again watching the Hummingbird The Audubon Societies 163 feed about this flower-bordered piazza. Walking to a bed of nasturtiums, Ipicked a large bouquet, so large indeed, that it was hard to hold all the flowersI had picked in one hand. Half kneehng by the bed, with eyes fixed on the unwieldy bouquet, I wassuddenly aware of a fairy just above my hand. It was very beautiful andglittered green and many colors in the sunlight. Holding my breath andmaking never a move, I still felt sure the beating of my heart would frightenthis lovely creature away. But no! it sipped honey from the flowers in my. HUMMER BROODIXG YOUNG hand and, most wonderful of all, for a brief moment, alighted on my fore-finger. When it darted away with a flash and a whirr, I saw that it was a Humming-bird—but that really made little difference. It had seemed just like a fair>%and I have always felt sure, since then, how fairies feel and how they act. Of course, the next impulse was to see if I could not attract the Humming-bird again to my hand. So, walking very softly and slowly around a cedarhedge, I found it resting on a low branch, over a bed of blue larkspur. I cannottell you how much I wished it would come to me a second-time. Drawingnearer step by step, I stopped at last, never taking my eyes off this elf of abird. And now comes the best part of the story, for, just as in a real fairy-story,ones wishes come true, my wish came true then. The Httle Hummer darted 164 Bird - Lore from the tree, circled hither and yon about the larkspur and without warning,as if by magic, found the big


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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsperiodicals