A "FAIRY" STORY. 61 



was amply large enough at first, but now Fairy is 

 promoted to the sponge basin, in which she flutters 

 to her heart's content and dries herself afterwards 

 by swift flights about the room. The bath over, 

 the next thing is to search for flies on the window- 

 panes or on the floor ; these are snapped up as 

 great dainties, and in this way Fairy greatly 

 promoted my comfort all through the heat of 

 August and September, 1893, by keeping my 

 room free of winged insects. 



I have only to take Fairy on my finger and 

 direct her attention to a fly on the ceiling, when off 

 she darts, like a hawk after its quarry, and the fly 

 disappears like magic. 



I was once much amused to watch her day after 

 day eyeing a large spider in the corner of the room. 

 She evidently considered very deeply whether she 

 could tackle it ; it was large and she was small, 

 and for three days she hesitated ; but at last her 

 courage was equal to the enterprise, and the spider 

 was seized, minced up, and eaten. My tiny pet 

 lives on grapes, lettuce, flies, meal-worms, and, as 

 great indulgences, cream and sugar ; a tin of 

 special bird-food supplies other items of diet. 



