ntries, 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
(_Muscicapae_), 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 satisfied of the
truth of Lucien's assertion, as they saw it seize one of the
ruby-throats in the very act of entering the corolla of a flower. This
excited the indignation of Francois, who immediately took up his
"double-barrel," and proceeded towards the tree where the bird, as
before, had carried this last victim. The tree was a low one, of the
locust or _pseud-acacia_ family, and covered all over with great thorny
spikes, like all trees of that tribe. Francois paid no attention to
this; but, keeping under shelter of the underwood, he crept forward
until within shot. Then raising his gun, he took aim, and pulling
trigger, brought the bird fluttering down through the branches. He
stepped forward and picked it up--not that he cared for such unworthy
game, but Lucien had called to him to do so, as the naturalist wished to
make an examination of the creature. He was about turning to go back to
camp, when he chanced to glance his eye up into the locust-tree. There
it was riveted by a sight which caused him to cry out with astonishment.
His cry brought the rest running up to the spot, and they were not less
astonished than he, when they saw the cause of it. I have said that the
bran