110 MARTIN RATTLER.

apparently with delight, while they devoured the
seeds of the gorgeous sun-flowers; and more than
once Martin was prompted to scatter a handful of

stones among them, as a hint to be less noisy; but

 

this only made them worse—like a bad baby, which,
the more you tell it to be quict, sets to work the
more earnestly to increase and add to the vigour of
its roaring. So Martin wisely let the parrots alone.
They also startled, in passing through swampy places,
several large blue herons and long-legged cranes; and
on many of the trees they observed the curious hang-
ing nests of a bird, which the hermit told them was
the large oriole. These nests hung in long strings
from the tops of the palm-trees, and the birds were
very actively employed moving about and chattering
round their swinging villages ; on seeing which Martin
could not help remarking that it would astonish the
colony not a little, if the top house were to give way
and let all the mansions below come tumbling to the
eround !

They were disappointed, however, in not seeing mon-
keys gambolling among the trees, as they had expected.

“Ah! my friends,” said the hermit, “travellers in
my country are very often disappointed. They come
here expecting to see everything all at once; but

although there are jaguars, and serpents, and bears,