148 THE PET BIRDS OF ST. AUGUSTINE. 



birds with interest, and was anxious to know how she 

 tamed them. I added that my friend loved the birds, 

 but could not succeed in winning them in their wild 

 state to feed from the hand as she had done. Mrs. II. 

 seemed much pleased at this, and smilingly began to 

 tell me how it had been brought about. She is a placid 

 looking old lady about sixty-five, but young and active 

 for her years. She and her son, a young man of twenty- 

 five, had bought a tract of land about two miles north 

 of this city (St. Augustine), put up a shingle house, and 

 there they lived. They are farmers, sell berries, corn, 

 potatoes, poultry, etc., and thus obtain a comfortable 

 livelihood. Their house is on the edge of a bayou lead 

 ing to the North river, just between the marshes and the 

 woods, on comparatively high ground ; a pretty site, with 

 a fine outlook toward the sea. They were very lonely 

 there, however, no near neighbors and but few passers by. 

 &quot; It all came of my being so lonely,&quot; said Mrs. II., 

 &quot; and&quot; I give her own words as nearly as I remember 

 &quot; for the sake of company I began to make friends with 

 the birds, though the beginning of our friendship was 

 rather accidental, too. I always threw out the crumbs 

 from the table, and as I did so I noticed a great many 

 birds would come and pick them up. They were so 

 pretty and trusting, I thought it would be a pleasant 

 thing to have them round me, so I determined to make 

 a regular habit of feeding them every day, and I began 

 to throw my crumbs and handsful of grain far from the 

 house toward the grove, each day a little nearer and 

 nearer till I got them right round the door. All this 

 time I was very careful not to frighten my little friends. 

 I had no children about the house, and did not keep 

 either a dog or cat, so the quiet could not be broken 



