THE PET BIRDS OF ST. AUGUSTINE. 147 



course of a few months, lias succeeding in taming the wild 

 birds that fly about the place. While we were in the 

 house, Mrs. H. went out to the door and called to the 

 birds, which were then, in the middle of the day, in the 

 adjoining forest. In a few moments a dozen or more 

 blue-birds and mocking-birds came flying around her. 

 She then came into the house and handed each of our 

 party a raisin, which we were requested to hold out in 

 our fingers. We remained still for a few minutes, when 

 the birds hopped in at the door, flew upon our hands, 

 and picked the raisins from our fingers. We were 

 astonished, and could not help wondering the more when 

 we were informed that none of these birds had been 

 caged, but were thus tamed by the gentleness and art of 

 this lady. &quot; 



As it may interest some of your readers, and conduce, 

 perhaps, to both pleasure and profit, and aid the cause 

 of the feathered tribes by inducing some of our gentle 

 and fair friends to aid in their civilization and domesti 

 cation, I will give the result of my trip, which will show 

 the power of continued gentleness and kindness with 

 these beautiful denizens of our woods. 



After landing, a pleasant drive of a mile or two, over 

 sandy roads and through a thick chaparral, brought us 

 to the little farm, but we found its occupants absent, so 

 missed seeing the birds, which, as it afterward turned 

 out, would have been the case even had Mrs. H. been at 

 home, for her feathered visitors were of those varieties 

 which migrate from the north and had not yet returned. 

 We were driving back, a good deal disappointed, when 

 on the road we met the old lady and her son, so we 

 stopped and held some pleasant talk. I told her I had a 

 dear friend in the distant North who had read of her 



