NATURE AND THE MATERIALIST 



of the leaves? Gladly 

 would she pay a guinea 

 to hear the singer of world- 

 wide advertisement ; but 

 the song of the bush is 

 free and worthless. Those 

 not-too-well-shaped ears, 

 with their little diamond 

 rings, were never made to 

 listen to the gentle conver- 

 sation of the bush ; to her 

 it would bring no soothing 

 balm after the sting of 

 human tongues. She 



would never know the 

 comfort to be had from 

 laying one's hot, angry 

 cheek on the cool grass of 

 some shady gully. When 

 the world had lost its 

 savour, the dash of the 

 cold sea spray could not 

 bring back to her the salt 

 and sweet of life. The 

 racing wind only blew 

 her hair out of place, and 



The nest of a new bird friend 

 LARGE-BILLED SCRUB-WREN 



