Lesson 21　Humming Birds　第21课　蜂鸟

West Indies adorn approach motion attached

sugar plum cotton instinct object defending

necessary rapid brilliant fbers severely

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.

The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally brilliant. As the bird fits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright flash of sunlight than it does like a living being.

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 fy you can only see that they have wings.

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.

It seemed to have been made of cotton fbers, 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.

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.

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 fnd it.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

在西印度群岛和南美大陆，有一种最美丽的蜂鸟，小脑袋瓜上的羽冠发出闪闪的光芒，就像一顶五光十色的皇冠。

胸前点缀着彩色的羽毛，光彩夺目。当它在空中从这边飞到那边的时候，简直就像一道跳跃的光芒，而不是一个生灵。

若是你问，它们为什么叫蜂鸟？那是因为它们在迅速扇动翅膀的时候会发出轻柔的嗡嗡声，它们的翅膀扇动得非常快，所以我们只能确定它们有翅膀，但是在飞的时候根本看不见。

有一天我在树林里散步，发现了一个小蜂鸟筑的巢。它大概只有一枚小鸡蛋的一半那么大，附在一根比织针还细的嫩树枝上。

它看起来像是用棉絮做成的，柔软的小树叶和树皮铺在上面。巢里面有两枚蛋，非常洁白，每一枚蜂鸟蛋大概只有小块方糖那么大。

蜂鸟在筑巢的时候，如果你要接近它，千万要小心，蜂鸟妈妈会冲向你，试图攻击你的眼睛。它异常锋利的鸟喙可能会对你的眼睛造成严重伤害，甚至会导致失明。

这可怜的小家伙不知道用其他的方法来保护自己的孩子，但是它会本能地告诉自己，如果它们的巢被发现了，人们就会破坏它。