the sight of which gave great pleasure to the young ladies. Here they perceived flowers of every description, some in wreaths for the ball-room, others for the head, and some in bunches, either for the bonnet or the bosom.
"What can be more beautiful than this bouquet of Rosebuds, Myrtle, and Geranium, how faithful a copy from nature!" exclaimed Mrs. Durnford, "at a little distance you would never suppose them to be artificial. Had it been my lot to have toiled for my daily support, I think I should have preferred this business to any other. It is a minor sort of painting, as the different teints must all be arranged by the hand of taste. I have seen flowers that were scented with the perfume belonging to them, but this made them come expensive, and they now make them with the glowing colours of nature, but without the richness of her scent. I love to encourage humble merit, and will therefore order a few of its productions to be sent to Ivy Cottage."
"The flowers are beautiful, mamma, but how much more beautiful are those
SWEET SINGING BIRDS,"
Bird Seller
said Caroline. "What is the name of that large bird, papa? He will not hurt us, will he? I think he looks angry." "No, my darling! he will not hurt you," replied her father; "it is a blue Macaw, a larger species of Parrot. Like all foreign birds the plumage is more vivid and brilliant than ours, but we have the advantage in song. The Humming-bird is the smallest bird in the world, being little more than three inches. The male is green and gold on the upper part, with a changeable copper gloss; the under parts are grey. The throat and fore part of the neck are a ruby colour, in some lights as bright as fire. When viewed sideways, the feathers appear mixed with gold, and beneath of a dull garnet colour. This beautiful little bird is as admirable for its vast swiftness in the air, and its manner of feeding, as for the elegance and brilliancy of its colours. Lightning is scarcely more transient than its flight, nor the glare more vivid than its colours. It never feeds but on the wing, suspended over the flower from which it extracts its nourishment. If they find that any of their brethren have been before them, they will, in a rage, if possible, pluck it off and throw it on the ground, and sometimes even tear it to pieces.
"Beautiful as is the plumage of the foreign birds, I give the preference to our own. Who that ever heard the exquisite note of the plain brown Nightingale would regret its want of brilliant plumage? What can equal the melodious tones of the Robin, the mellow note of the Linnet, the sweet call of the Blackbird, and numerous others whose daily song seems to arise in grateful thankfulness to the throne of the Creator. We have some birds, however, which may almost vie with the beautiful plumage of the foreign species. The Goldfinch, King's Fisher, Bullfinch, and various others, many of which you have seen at your grandpapa's. The Pigeon and Dove, the Peacock and Pheasant are extremely beautiful. Indeed, nothing in my opinion can equal the splendour of the Peacock."
"From nature we will once more turn to art," said Mrs. Durnford, "surely nothing of foreign manufacture can exceed the elegance and design of that