102 CRUSOE^S ISLAND. 



and the residents^ of one region j*arely trespassed upon 

 the preserves tgf'.aLnotheV • y"; ^^ - 



One moruingj ^howavei:, I heai*d a flood of song 

 being pou^dl iPbl-th* "from 'thfe.Vooftree of my new 

 house, and before I had gone into the outer air I 

 knew that Mimus had come to visit me. He had 

 brought his mate along, too, and when I appeared he 

 welcomed me gleefully. I had some food for him, 

 of course, and when he had eaten of it he entered the 

 doorway and began an examination of my domicile, 

 nodding his dainty head in evident approval. Then 

 he retired to the roof again and sang a benediction, 

 after which he and Mrs. Mimus flew away to the 

 seaside, where their domestic engagements were too 

 pressing for them to be absent long at a time. After 

 the young had flown they made me longer and more 

 frequent visits, and finally settled near me, though 

 giving up with evident reluctance their residence at 

 the beach. 



I had not been in my new place a week when a 

 flycatcher, one of the birds allied to what we call in 

 the North the " pewee," took up her abode under the 

 thatch of my roof. Under the eaves she and her 

 mate built a pretty nest, knowing well enough that 

 they were safe from harm. They were quiet and 

 unobtrusive, but I got a deal of comfort from their 

 company ; for, while the female sat on the eggs she 

 laid, the male came out in search of mosquitoes and 

 small insects, flying about me, and frequently sitting 

 on the rafters of the room for hours. 



On the border of the woods I found the most 



