Here, James returns to his more typical mode of describing wildlife, with a tone of wonder and even whimsy. Because he has spent so much time developing his land, he has had time and opportunity to watch tiny, swift animals like hummingbirds. If he didn’t have that leisure, he probably wouldn’t be able to closely observe and contemplate nature as he describes here. As he did with bees in an earlier letter, he anthropomorphizes hummingbirds, in this case attributing a cranky personality to the species.