UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 49 



creeping out of the little hole at one side of 

 their long bag-shaped nests, to visit the orange 

 trees, while their sentinels gave them notice by a 

 loud scream of the approach of strangers. 



Mary smiled when I told her, what I am sure 

 Marianne remembers how we used to like to 

 listen to the toucan rattling with his large hol- 

 low beak, as he sat on the extreme branches, 

 and calling, in plaintive notes, for rain ; and 

 how sometimes, when he was sitting comfortably 

 and almost hid in the nest which he had scooped 

 in the stem of a tree, we used to pretend to alarm 

 him, that we might see how instantly he prepared 

 to attack the invader with his bill. 



But these are all passed away. Dear Mamma, 

 forgive this listof pleasing recollections: describing 

 them to you makes me feel as if I was again en- 

 joying them in your company. There is such a 

 glowing splendour, as I told Mary, in the sunny 

 days of Brazil, when the glittering humming-birds 

 dart about, and with their long bills extract the 

 honey from the flowers, that I cannot avoid per- 

 ceiving how gloomy every thing appears here ; 

 but pray do not think me discontented. 



Mary, to whom I had been describing all these 

 past delights, came back to me just as I had 

 written so far ; and, seeing the tears in my eyes, 

 she seemed to feel with me, and to think it quite 

 natural that I should every moment perceive the 

 difference between two countries so opposite in 



F 



