THE PARROTS COME. 19 
Toward three or four o’clock in the morning I was 
startled by a tremendous noise. At first, just waking up, 
I could not make out what it was; when lo! I discover- 
ed it was made by parrots, chattering away in a most 
jolly and discordant manner. I had never heard sucha 
noise in my life before. The Island must have been full 
of them. I tried in vain to sleep—turned myself one 
way, then the other, but it was of no avail; the noise 
was so terrific there was no rest for me. I don’t think 
a hundred bells tolling together could have made more 
noise. At any rate as they went on I wondered if they 
could understand each other, and how they could have 
come to the Island. They had probably arrived while I 
was asleep, just before sunset. 
Before the morning twilight came I was out, and as 
soon as the dawn of day made its appearance, flock after 
flock flew from the trees and went in different directions 
toward the main-land. I followed them as far as my 
eyes could reach, but soon lost sight of them, for they 
were going far away, very far away. They were in 
flocks, and each flock went in search of places where they 
knew food was abundant. They went off by tens, by 
twenties, and by hundreds together. 
By sunrise not a parrot was to be seen on the Island, 
and I could only hear the chatter of other birds. How 
silent then every thing seemed ! 
During the day I went to the top of the hill in search 
of land shells, and after five o’clock in the afternoon 
the parrots began to arrive again. Irom the top of the 
hill I could see them as far as my eyes could reach: they 
were coming from immense distances. They continued 
pouring in and pouring in, and I should not wonder if 
