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HOW THE SWIFTS CAME TO BUILD IN AUNT DORO 

 THY'S CHIMNEY. 



Once upon a time there was a family of us tell him about the lovely place where 



Humming Birds who always spent the . we spent last summer, 



winter in Mexico. In this family, besides Little Coquette Humming Bird sat 



the father and mother, there was a grand- watching her brother Helenae what a 



father and grandmother, and also a great- queer name for a boy Humming Bird, 



grandfather an-d great-grandmother, and you think but probably his parents gave 



ever so many children. It was the cus- it to him because he was always prinking 



torn of the Humming Bird family to and preening his feathers. "Just like a 



spend Christmas day together, and they girl,'' his brothers said. But however 



assembled early in the morning in a beau- much Coquette might preen her feathers, 



tiful live oak tree, the leaves of which she never looked as beautiful as her 



were so much like holly leaves that brother Helenae, and that was what she 



no Christmas wreaths were needed. The was thinking about as she watched him. 



tree was a handsome one and suitable in He carefully arranged the three long, 



every way for a Christmas Humming slender, greenish-black feathers which 



Bird party. At last every one had come grew on either side of his head, and the 



except young Master Topaza Humming metallic green feathers of his throat were 



Bird, who could not resist the temptation so glistening and bright that little Co- 



of flying from place to place along the quette imagined she could see herself in 



way, thrusting his long bill, of which he them as she could in a little spring where 



was very proud, into the beautiful bios- she often went for a drink. After Helenae 



soms which he found, and taking a little had finished his toilet he moved his wings 



sip of honey from each one. Great-grand- very rapidly a few times, and raised him- 



father Humming Bird missed Master To- self up as high as he could on his feet 



paza and called to his little brother Iris without taking them off the limb on which 



to go and find him and bring him imme- he sat, then he settled down, closing his 



diately to the oak tree. Iris promptly eyes for a moment. Just then Coquette 



obeyed and soon returned with his broth- cried out : "The Swifts are coming ! Look, 



er. Then great-grandfather, who always no one else could fly so fast ! There they 



was given first place on such occasions, are near those old mahogany trees on the 



fluttered his wings and said : "Dear chil- bank of the river." There was a grand 



dren, were our cousins, the Swifts, invited rustle of preparation that everything 



to take part with us in our concert this might be in order and every one look his 



afternoon ?" best when the cousins arrived. In a few 



"Oh, yes," said Mamma Humming moments mamma Swift and her daugh- 

 Bird, "I met papa Swift one day while I ter Cyprelus came, alighting on the same 

 was getting honey from the beautiful red branch together. Then there was a whir 

 blossoms of a shrub which grows in the of wings that sounded like the wind flap- 

 southern end of this valley. I invited him ping the sails on a sail-boat, and there 

 to come to-day and bring all his family, was an excited chirping of welcomes and 

 and he said he would, and also that he "Merry Christmas" on both sides, 

 would come early, for he wished to have Grandfather Humming Bird was a 



