212 BIRDS AND IMAN 



bordering the sea-like Plata River. There were 

 no houses and no people in that endless green, wet 

 land, and they liked it so well that they visited it 

 more and more often, in small flocks of a dozen to 

 twenty birds, going and coming all day long, until 

 all knew the road. It was observed that when a 

 man on foot or on horseback appeared in sight of 

 one of these flocks, the birds at this distance from 

 home were as wary as really wild birds, and watched 

 the stranger's approach in alarm, and when he was 

 still at a considerable distance rose and flew away 

 beyond sight. 



The old dames grieved at this wandering spirit 

 in their beloved birds, and became more and more 

 anxious for their safety. But by this time the 

 aged mother was fading visibly into the tomb, 

 though so slowly that long months went by while 

 she lay on her bed, a weird-looking object — I re- 

 member her well — leaner, greyer, more ghost-hke, 

 than the silent, lean, grey heron on the marsh hard 

 by. And at last she faded out of life, aged, it was 

 said by her descendants, a hundred and ten years ; 

 and, after she was dead, it was found that of that 

 great company of noble birds there remained only 

 a small remnant of about forty, and these were 

 probably incapable of sustained flight. The others 



