J. H. Bowles

“ All hummingbirds seem possest with the most irascible dispositions, and Anna is very far from being an exception to the rule. The females are, if possible, more pugnacious than the males, and nothing seems to give them greater pleasure than to pick a quarrel with some other bird, preferably of their own kind, altho anything with two wings is acceptable. It is a most amusing experience to sit near the nest of some such bird as the Parkman Wren, whose loud complaints at your intrusion have attracted numerous of her sympathetic avian neighbors. ”

“ The well known hummingbird manner of buzzing up to a flower and dipping in the beak while on the wing is a fixt rule with all the adults; but when first learning to secure food for themselves the young birds find this rather too much for them. ”

“ I was unable to get into the field until December, but in the first week of that month several male hummers were most assiduously courting their mates, which has been an every day occurrence up to the middle of June when this article is being written. The manner of their courtship is thoroly in keeping with the vigorous nature of the birds. The female usually sits in the midst of some low bush or tree, motionless, with beak pointing downward, apparently paying not the smallest attention to the frantic efforts of the gorgeous male to attract her. ”

“ This thatching is seldom or never applied until after the eggs are laid, but it then receives continual attention until the appearance of the young.
An average nest measures externally 1.5 inches in width by 1.25 inches in depth, the inner dimensions being 1 inch in width by .75 inch in depth. All localities seem to be suitable for nest bilding: a sycamore in some canyon bed, a live oak in the foothills, or an orange tree in your garden, altho pepper trees and cypress are possibly the favorites around Santa Barbara. ”