LESSON 21
HUMMING BIRDS

WORD LIST

West Indies adorn approach motion attached

sugar plum cotton instinct object defending

necessary rapid brilliant fibers severely

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 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 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 may hurt your eyes most severely, and even destroy the sight.

7. The poor little thing knows no other way of defending its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its nest if you could find it.

STUDY GUIDE

A. Vocabulary Matching—Match the vocabulary words in A with the meanings in B.

A

adorn

rapid

brilliant

motion

severely

attached

defending

instinct

necessary

fibers

B

movement

seriously

joined

to add beauty

protecting from harm

very bright

to act without thinking

very fast

material

needing to be done

B. Discussion questions—Talk about these questions.

1. Where are the most beautiful humming birds found?

2. How did humming birds get their name?

3. What colour are humming birds' eggs?

4. How do humming birds defend their young?

5. Have you ever seen a humming bird? What was it doing?

C. True or False: Write T (true) or F (false) for each sentence. Explain your answer.

_____1. Humming bird eggs are black.

_____2. Humming birds have long beaks.

_____3. Humming birds have no wings.

_____4. Humming birds make nests with knitting needles.

_____5. Humming birds have sharp beaks.