August 



" Her ways are ways of pleasantness," and all 

 her paths are picturesque. 



i 



The world always puts a premium upon in- 

 dividuality, even when its manifestations are 

 somewhat repugnant to man's finer instincts. 

 For that reason we often admire where we know 

 we ought to reprobate, and become extremely 

 weary of that which we must confess is highly 

 virtuous. 



A bird, one of whose chief attractions is an 

 eccentricity of depravity, quite abundant in the 

 more open places, and by its habits conspicuous 

 quite out of proportion to its size, is the so-called 

 " king-bird " a name far too royal for a sleek 

 little fellow only seven inches long, playing the 

 gentlemanly villain's part, with a bill murder- 

 ous only of bugs and butterflies, but his heart 

 ready to fire up at an instant's notice into the 

 savageness of a hawk. Almost all of the small- 

 er birds, proverbially timid at all other times of 

 the year, are noted for becoming surprisingly 

 bold, and almost oblivious of their own safety, in 

 defence of their young ; but with this occasion 

 past, all their courage flies. In the case of the 

 king-bird, however, such spasmodic valor seems 

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