50 Blue Thrushes 



one of that brood, which, with his gladdening song 

 in every month of the year, gives no one the im- 

 pression that he is pining either for the Alpine heights 

 in summer or the warm rocks of Egypt in the winter. 

 It was a beautiful brood of five birds about ten days 

 old, their feathers quickly growing, and their eyes 

 becoming rounder. So delighted was I to possess 

 them, that without any bargaining I plumped down 

 a ten-franc piece, accepted by the miller with avidity, 

 and I walked off with my " passere." 



Some fresh hay tucked into a covered basket soon 

 made them a cosy nest, whilst some prepared insec- 

 tiverous food, mixed with some finely chopped raw 

 beef, was carefully made ready to satisfy their hunger. 

 They were not difficult to rear, but of course they 

 required a deal of attention. Early rising was im- 

 perative, but who would do anything but rejoice at 

 having an excuse to jump out of bed at four o'clock 

 in the morning of a spring day's dawn at the Como 

 lake ? None, unless they were without souls, or 

 inveterate sluggards. 



And then, too, when one's bedroom is perched 

 high up in a lovely villa, with a spacious balcony 

 overlooking the garden and the lake, with Bellagio 

 on the opposite shore reflected in the still water as 

 in a mirror, the inducement to leave one's bed, how- 

 ever sleepy one may be, is great. Below, the gardeners 

 are already about, raking over the paths of tiny pebbles, 

 and watering the heliotrope and roses. 



The clang of wooden pattens rings along the road, 

 or down the rough path which skirts the garden wall. 



