CHAPTER XVI. 
THE SORROWS OF THE BIRDS.—CURIOUS AFRICAN BIRDS.— 
THE BARBATULA DU CHAILLUI.—THE BARBATULA FULI- 
GINOSA.—THE SYCOBIUS NIGERRIMUS. 
Now I must speak to you of little birds! 
I do love birds. ‘They are Nature’s beautiful creat- 
ures. 
They are one of God’s loveliest creations. 
They cheer us in our lonely hours, when from their 
bowers their songs come upon our ears and gladden our 
hearts. Their melodies have often told me how happy 
they were, and how much one bird loved the other. 
They are the poets of nature 
Oh, little birds, I have often wondered how many sor- 
rows you have! Pain I know you have. The shrill 
cries and plaintive notes I have often heard from you 
have told me that your little breasts felt the pangs of an- 
euish. The hurried flights which I have often watched 
have said how anxious you were. 
In our Northern climes, when the leaves have wither- 
ed, when the cold winds blow, when the snow covers the 
earth, I know that you suffer from hunger, and I feel 
so sorry for you. When you come by the window you 
seem to say— Do feed me, for I am so hungry and so 
cold !” | 
I have crossed the seas, and hundreds of miles away 
