e seated near these, Francois' quick eye detected the presence of
some very small birds moving among the blossoms. They were at once
pronounced to be humming-birds, and of that species known as the
"ruby-throats" so called, because a flake of a beautiful vinous colour
under the throat of the males exhibits, in the sun, all the glancing
glories of the ruby. The back, or upper parts, are of a gilded green
colour; and the little creature is the smallest bird that migrates into
the fur countries, with one exception, and that is a bird of the same
genus--the "cinnamon humming-bird." The latter, however, has been seen
in the Northern regions, only on the western side of the Rocky
Mountains; but then it has been observed even as far north as the bleak
and inhospitable shores of Nootka Sound. Mexico, and the tropical
countries of America, are the favourite home of the humming-birds; and
it was, for a long time, supposed that the "ruby-throats" were the only
ones that migrated farther north than the territory of Mexico itself. It
is now known, that besides the "cinnamon humming-bird," two or three
other species annually make an excursion into higher latitudes.

The "ruby-throats" not only travel into the fur countries, but breed in
numbers upon the Elk River, the very place where our travellers now
observed them.

As they sat watching these little creatures, for there were several of
them skipping about and poising themselves opposite the flowers, the
attention of all was attracted to the movements of a far different sort
of bird. It was that one we have been speaking of. It was seated upon a
tree, not far from the honeysuckles; but every now and then it would
spring from its perch, dash forward, and after whirring about for some
moments among the humming-birds fly back to the same tree.

At first the boys watched these manoeuvres without having their curiosity
excited. It was no new thing to see birds acting in this manner. The
jays, and many other birds of the fly-catching kind have this habit, and
nothing was thought of it at the moment. Lucien, however, who had
watched the bird more narrowly, presently declared to the rest that it
was catching the humming-birds, and preying upon them--that each time it
made a dash among the honeysuckles, it carried off one in its claws, the
smallness of the victim having prevented them at first from noticing
this fact. They all now watched it more closely than before, and were
soon satisfi